Which statement best describes the Burgess model's central zone?

• A. Central Business District
• B. Suburban Residential Zone
• C. Industrial Perimeter
• D. Rural Agricultural Belt

Answer: (A)

In Burgess's concentric zone model, the city grows in rings around a central core. The innermost ring is the hub of the urban economy, where nonresidential land uses dominate—think dense clusters of offices, shops, banks, and government buildings. This Central Business District serves as the city’s economic heartbeat, with high land values and the greatest accessibility via roads and transit, drawing people in for work and services. The other rings expand outward and are more residential or industrial in character, not the city’s core. Suburban residential areas sit farther out, industrial areas are typically located near the edge or in transitional zones, and rural or agricultural land lies outside the urban footprint. So the statement that best describes the central zone is that it is the Central Business District.