concentric zone model

Definition of Concentric Zone Model

(noun) An urban development model based on human ecology theory that views cities as a series of five circular rings or zones, originating with a central business district (CBD).

Example of Concentric Zone Model

Note: This model starts from the center (1) and moves out.

1. central business district
2. factory zone
3. zone of transition
4. working class zone
5. residential zone
6. commuter zone

Concentric Zone Model Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: con·cen·tric zone mod·el

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /kənˈsɛntrɪk zoʊn ˈmɑdəl/
• British English – /kɒnˈsɛntrɪk zəʊn ˈmɒdl/

Usage Notes

• Plural: concentric zone models
  
• Developed by Ernest Burgess (1886–1966) of the Chicago School of Sociology in 1925.
• Also called:
  • Burgess model
  • CCD model
  • concentric circle model
  • concentric zone theory

Additional Information

• Word origin of “concentric” and “zone” and “model” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• The Burgess Urban Land Use Model: hofstra.edu

Related Terms

• demography
• gentrification
• human ecology
• industrialism
• metropolis
• physical environment
• population
• suburb
• urban renewal

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Works Consulted

Abercrombie, Nicholas, Stephen Hill, and Bryan Turner. 2006. The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. 5th ed. London: Penguin.

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Carrabine, Eamonn, Pam Cox, Maggy Lee, Ken Plummer, and Nigel South. 2009. Criminology: A Sociological Introduction. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.

Stolley, Kathy S. 2005. The Basics of Sociology. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Concentric Zone Model

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “concentric zone model.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/concentric-zone-model/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

concentric zone model. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/concentric-zone-model/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “concentric zone model.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/concentric-zone-model/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“concentric zone model.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/concentric-zone-model/>.