City and town centres are changing in many major cities. Land prices are increasing in city centres as more people move into cities and suburbs. The increased use of cars has impacted city centres, leading to more pedestrianized areas. People are also changing their travel and using public transport more. Major cities are now open 24 hours. The central business district (CBD) is located in the city centre and contains high-rise buildings, expensive land, shops, offices, banks, cultural buildings, and transportation hubs. It is centrally located to be accessible to workers and the public. Past models have shown land values decrease further from the CBD, with high density near the centre and lower density on the outskirts.

1. Changing city and town centres How are town and city centre changing in MEDC’s?

2. How are cities changing? Land prices are increasing in city centres People are changing where the live, moving to the City and Suburbs Increased use of cars has an impact on city centres Pedestrianized central areas now common People are changing the way we travel, using more public transport People are changing the way we use cities, major cities are now open 24 hours

5. Burgess Land use Model In the past geographers have tried to put together models of land use to show how a 'typical' city is laid out. One of the most famous of these is the Burgess or concentric zone model . This model is based on the idea that land values are highest in the centre of a town or city. This is because competition is high in the central parts of the settlement. This leads to high-rise, high-density buildings being found near the CBD , with low-density, sparse developments on the edge of the town or city, as in the diagram above.