U+-+land+use+in+urban+areas

In all towns and cities the land use vaires. In some areas, shops and services may be dominant; in others housing; elsewhere industry or recreation. Some areas have mixed land usewhere the function vaires. In British cities, certain areas in similar locations tend to have similar characteristics. For example, the central area tends to be the shopping area or central business district (CBD); the area around this is likely to have originally been the oldest part (although more recent building may have changed this) and this refferred to as the inner city. Newer areas are generally found on the outskirts, often known as the outer city or suburbs.

The video below shows the different characterisitcs of urban zones in MEDCs

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 * Key terms you should know:**

Land use - the type of buildings or other features that are found in the area, e.g. terraced housing, banks, industrial estates, roads, parks Function - the purpose of a particular area, e.g. for residential use, recreation or shopping Central Business District (CBD) - the main shopping and service area in a city. The CBD is usually found in the middle of the city so that it is easily accessible Inner city - the area around the CBD - usually built before 1918 in the UK Outer city or suburbs - the area on the edge of the city. Many suburbs were built after 1945 and get newer as they reach the edge of the city