Is there any relationship between the structure of Worcester City and the Burgess Model?

Introduction

The aim of this investigation is to find out whether there are any similarities between the whole structure of Worcester City and the Burgess Model.

I will carry my investigation out in two transects, both which begin in the center of the city, and then moving out gradually, stopping at 6 sites within each transect. One transect will be to the north east side of the city, crossing through Warndon. The other transect will be South West crossing through Saint Johns.

The things that I will be measuring on my field trip are:

Things to be measured How that would relate to the Burgess model

- The number of for sale properties in each street as I get further away from

This will tell me which zone I am in, because the suburbs will have more newly developed

How does it work?What is the layout?

the center. property states. Also I will record how many of each

type of property are located in each street as I get further away from the center of the city.

This will also give me a closer indication to which type of zone I am in the city because certain types of houses are more common in one zone not across several.

- In each of my locations I will give an estimate of what percentage land is to buildings

- This information will tell me what zone I am in because the further out from the CBD, the larger the percentage of land will be.

- I will also do a pedestrian tally count in each of my locations for a time scale of 15 minutes.

- Pedestrian count will also help, because there is a larger density of pedestrians the closer you get to the CBD.

Prediction

I think that Worcester will generally fit the Burgess Model well, however due to the river there may be several changes in zones on the west side of the city.

Due to the presence of the river, I think this will create two sections to the city, similar to two different burgess models but with a joint CBD.

I think that some of the land that is vertically lined against the river is middle-class residential not high class because of the interference with the river not allowing new developments to be

made, or large amounts of land to be in use.

I also predict that land close to the river will have the same characteristics of suburbs because buildings will not be able to be built there due to the seasonal river flooding.

I also predict that land close to the river will have the same characteristics of suburbs because buildings will not be able to be built there due to the seasonal river flooding

I think that the east side of the city will be very similar to the diagram of the Burgess Model and fit closely with each zone.

Worcester RegionallyWorcester Nationally

Worcester city

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} Inner City

Suburbs

The city of Worcester is the county town of Worcestershire, located in the region of the west midlands with a population of approximately 93,700 people. Built mostly around the eastern side of the River Severn, it covers an area of 33.28km².The city has as small amount of river frontage because a large proportion of the land near the river is likely to flood.

Worcester is located on a wet point site, and a bridging point. The city first began as a castle, with a large wall surrounding it and a ditch during the 12th century.

Worcester’s long-established industries include the making of gloves, porcelain and sauces, also the manufacture of metal goods and machinery.

Burgess Model Theory

The Burgess Model is a descriptive land use model which splits up a city into several rings or zones. Not every city fits this model, but it is the general distribution for cities in MEDCs (more economically developed countries). With five zones in total, each zone has a separate meaning and consists of different land uses. It was first created by Mr. Burgess in 1925, and he based the model on the city of Chicago in America.

Inner City Suburbs

CBD (central business district)

Light Manufacturing

Low-Class residential

Medium-Class residential

High-Class residential

Type of properties

Old, cheap terrace housing, High rise flats

Bad quality and appearance

Out-of town shopping centers and business parks

Modern new housing estates

Types of industry

Department store, and top offices

Light industries and small areas of new developments

Recreation and entertainment e.g. golf courses

businesses targeted for rural area’s e.g. garden centers

Land uses Expensive plots of land, used by industries

Brownfield sites

Traditional rural land uses such as farming & woodland

Many remaining Greenfield sites

Population Density

High by day, low by night

High Low

Glossaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcestershirehttp://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Worcester.aspxhttp://www.people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch6en/conc6en/burgess.html