In the Burgess model, expansion occurs through what structure?

• A. Distinct rings
• B. A single growth center
• C. Random pockets
• D. Only inside CBD

Answer: (A)

Expansion occurs in distinct concentric rings around the central business district. The Burgess model pictures the city as a bullseye, with the CBD at the center and successive zones radiating outward. Each ring has a typical land use and social pattern—industrial and transitional activities nearest the center, followed by working-class housing, then middle- and upper-class housing, and finally a suburban belt. As the city grows, new rings form around the existing ones, so growth is radial and layered rather than from a single point or as scattered pockets. This ringed structure helps explain how land use and population shift with distance from the core. Remember, it’s a historical, simplified model based on Chicago’s early 20th-century development and doesn’t capture all modern city forms.