Glossary Terms

Question 1

What is Concentric Circle Theory?

Answer 1

Concentric Circle Theory
Concentric Circle Theory was developed by Ernest Burgess in 1925. Burgess was a sociologist who studied the growth of Chicago. He believed that cities grow in a series of outward rings. Land use is based on the distance from the downtown. There were five rings to his theory. The first is the central business district, which houses a concentration of governmental, office, and commercial uses. The second ring is industrial uses. The third ring is the zone of transition. This area is a mix of industrial and low-income housing. At one time this ring had high-income large houses. The fourth ring is the zone of independent workingmen’s homes and the fifth is the commuters zone with high-income residential”