Urban Land Use

Cities across the world are complex mosaics of economic, social, political, and recreational land uses. How and where these land use activities are organizationally patterned reflect not only a city's primary function (e.g., an “economic engine” in an industrial economy or a “cultural/administrative” center in an agrarian economy) but also at least two other overarching forces—accessibility and territoriality/congregation/segregation. In general, the utility of a designated place or location within a city is defined by its potential usefulness, which, in turn, is often a function of its accessibility. Activities that tend to be land intensive have a propensity for high levels of interaction and serve a necessary and functional purpose that requires accessible locations. Alternatively, low-accessible locations are occupied by those land use activities that are ...