Urban Life & Land Use Curves

Alma on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River.
In a capitalist market economy, land parcels are bought by (and allocated to) the highest bidders/buyers which results in the "highest and best use." Four land uses are identified in the graph below because these income-producing land uses determine the allocation of most of the land in cities. In a capitalist society, government land uses, such as schools and parks, fill in where business land uses don't want to be. 

Why do the rent curves gradually decrease in steepness away from the CBD (Central Business District)?

Enjoy 360 degree views of major U.S. urban landmarks.

Answers:
1) urban land prices per unit area reflect accessibility to other parcels of land
2) land that can generate the greatest income will have the highest price
3) the most expensive land is the most accessible, which historically has been in the downtown (CBD)
4) the rent curve is steep reflects the most expensive land is used in small quantities;  hence, skyscrapers (substituting height for area on the ground) are found in the downtown. The more and the taller the skyscrapers, the larger and wealthier the cities.

Also examine the effects of changes in transportation modes on land use patterns.

Optional:
By 2008, in many parts of the U.S. the housing market was in serious trouble. View a few maps.
How have federal government programs created poor neighborhoods? View a short video from the Public Television series, Unnatural Causes.

 
Poor neighborhoods suffer from poorer health and higher death rates than wealthier neighborhoods. Why.
Optional: view the changing storefront of a Harlem building from 1977 to 2004.

 

 

Created by Ingolf Vogeler on 30 March 1996; last revised on 12 November 2008.