URBAN LAND-USE
Types of Land Use
• All land use in an urban place can be classified into one of SIX major groups:
• industrial, residential, commercial, transportation, institutional and open space.
Industrial (Blue)• Factories, warehouses, shipping – close to highways,
railways and water• about 6% of all urban land
• 4 types• - Ribbon Industries (large, next to transportation, away
from residential)• - CBD (old, obsolete, fabric and textiles• - Suburban Industrial Parks (modern, planned, near
highways• - Suburban Business Parks (well planned, landscaped,
offices and light industry
Residential (Yellow)• 40% of developed land in many cities• Contains Single Detached, Semi-Detached, Duplex, Town
Houses, Low Rise Apartments, High Rise Apartments
• Low Density – Single, Semi, Duplex • Med Density – Towns, Low Rise• High Density – High Rise
• 5% of land for retailing, wholesaling, offices, and services
• 6 types (refer to chart on pg. 252)• - local centre – low order• - neighbourhood plaza – low order• - community shopping centre – low / mid order• - power centre (big box stores) – mid / high order• - regional shopping centre – all orders and specialized• - CBD – all orders and specialized
Commercial (Purple)
• nearly 32% of urban land for roads, highways railroads and electricity transmission corridors
• Automobile good for low density• Mass transit good for high density
• 4 types of roads• - expressways – high volume• - arterial roads – moderate volume, city roads• - collector roads – suburbs, move traffic from local to arterial• - local – small side streets
Transportation - Brown
• schools, hospitals, governments, places of worship• Land that is owned or controlled in some way by the
government.• About 10% of land use
Institutional (Red)
• Parks, golf course, open land, green spaces• 7% of land
Open Space / Recreational (Green)
Factors Affecting Land Use
• Land Value – highest in areas that are most accessible. CBD, major transportation routes.
• Zoning – control the kind and amount of development• Technology – grid pattern (old – high density) vs. garden
pattern (new – low density)• Climate – harsh, creating need for indoor and
underground centres