WHAT’S MY TOWN LIKE?
By Jim Saffeeis, North Salem HS, Summer Institute, 1990

OVERVIEW:

This lesson applies the geographic themes of place and region as they relate to an urban center

CONNECTIONS TO THE CURRICULUM: Geography, Social Studies

TEACHING LEVEL: Grades 9-12

CONNECTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:

Geography Standard 1: Maps, globes, and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies
Geography Standard 9: Characteristics, distribution, and migration of human population.

CONNECTION TO OREGON CONTENT STANDARDS:

Read, interpret, and make maps, charts, and graphs, to understand spatial and geographic relationships. Describe the physical and human characteristics of places.

MATERIALS:

City street maps
Phone books (Yellow Pages)
Marking pens
Enrichment materials: Slides of selected city areas, aerial photographs, US Census Tract Information, neighborhood association reports, census tracts, USGS quadrant maps.

PROCEDURE:

  1. Introduce the subject with questions such as: "What kind of town do you live in? Why do businesses locate where they do?"
  2. Present/review the characteristics of communities, stressing the concept of structure and urban models. Discuss "where and what is the CBD (Central Business District)", etc.?
  3. Brainstorm about the various businesses that should be present in each sector and why they are located there.
  4. Give a list of general business types, have the students look up the addresses of representative firms in the Yellow Pages and plot them on a city street map. Have the students work in small teams and give each team a unique list and city map to work on.
  5. Have each team draw and smooth circles around groups of similar and interrelated businesses plotted on the map. Discuss how each region should be labeled. Label sectors appropriately.
  6. As an aid to defining city sectors, present other modes of information such as photographs, slides, USGS maps as to identifying urban sectors and models.
  7. Reinforce and/or evaluate the students’ learning by having them identify from slides which sector an urban location would be in.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION – CENTRAL PLACE

A central place is where people gather to buy and sell, provide and receive economic goods and services. A central place reflects four characteristics:
  1. NUMBER OF INHABITANTS IN A PLACE (population density). There is a cascading hierarchy of central places

    1. the Census Bureau: all incorporated areas with 2,500 people.
    2. the English: all places with government status, borough and urban district.
    3. the Japanese: all municipalities with over 30,000 people.

     

  2. FUNCTIONS OF CENTRAL PLACES: Central places provide services to surrounding areas. Specialized cities serve wider areas and certain economic activities dominate.
    3.

    RETAIL/SERVICES
    RESORT/ENTERTAINMENT
    PRIMARY PRODUCTION- Oil/Mining/Forestry/Agriculture/Fishing
    SECONDARY PRODUCTION- Smelting/Refining/Processing
    TERTIARY PRODUCTION- Manufacturing/Assembling
    TRANSPORTATION/DISTRIBUTION
    ADMINISTRATIVE- Business H.Q./Seat of Government
    EDUCATION/RESEARCH
    RELIGIOUS/HOLY PLACE
    MILITARY
    RETIREMENT
    DIVERSIFIED

  3. SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT:

    4. People tend to spend as little time and effort as possible to satisfy their wants and needs. Each service needs a minimum number of customers to maintain it. Common services (food stores), have low thresholds whereas more specialized services (hospitals, stock brokerages, junior colleges), have much higher thresholds, thus are more likely to be found in areas with larger populations.
    Additionally, transportation links (used by transients and residents), promote service clusters.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE:

Descriptions of five zones.
Central Business District
Hub of the city
Older section
Convergence of roads, railroads
Highest land values
Tallest buildings
  1. Retail, wholesale, commercial and business districts, markets, hotels and residences (for wealthy and poor)
  2. Large public buildings/art
  3. Governmental, administrative and service centers
  4. Busy during work-week
  5. Slack at night/weekend except for hotels/entertainment
Transitional Zone
Mixed-use area
Row and frame houses
Small industrial plants
Shopping areas
Wasteland/derelict buildings
Schools and churches
Diverse uses
Blighted neighborhoods
Low income people/ethnic newcomers
Traditional industrial areas
Flank main land/water transportation lines
Outer Zones
First established by old wealth
Fully developed
Widely spaced residences
Parks, shopping areas on arteries
Newer industrial plants
Urban Fringe
Spread along transportation lines
Often centered on old villages
Open lands invaded by newly built-up areas
Three models-

  1. Concentric zone emphasizes the center and growth from it.
  2. Sector considers the city core as central but emphasizes topography and transportation avenues.
    3.
  3. Multiple nuclei emphasize the expansion of the city and the relationship of different regions to each other.(from Broek & Webb. A Geography of Mankind 1978.)
File: BUSINESS TYPES2
Report: BIZTYPE2
# Code DESCRIPTOR BUSINESS

1

SB

FINANCIAL SERVICES ACCOUNTANT

2

SB

BUSINESS SERVICES ADVERTISER

3

IH

HEAVY MANUFACTURING AIRCRAFT REPAIR/BULDING

4

TA

AIR TRANSPORT AIRLINE/CHARTER SERVICE

5

CS

SPECIALTY SALES ANTIQUES

6

RA

APARTMENTS APARTMENT MANAGEMENT

7

SP

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE ARCHITECT

8

CS

COMMERCIAL SPECIALTY ART/PHOTOGRAPHY SALES

9

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH

10

CS

COMMERCIAL SPECIALTY ATHLETIC GOODS

11

SP

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE ATTORNEY

12

CA

AUTOMOBILE SALES AUTO DEALERSHIP

13

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING AUTO BODY SHOP

14

SF

FINANCIAL SERVICES CREDIT UNION BRANCH OFFICE

15

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING BAPTIST CHURCH

16

EB

ENTERTAINMENT BAR/PUB

17

CP

PERSONAL SERVICE BARBER/BEAUTY/STYLE

18

CS

COMMERCIAL SPECIALTY BOOK STORE

19

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING BOTTLING

20

TB

TRANSPORTATION BUS STATION

21

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING CAN/METAL CONTAINER MANUFACT.

22

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING CANNERY

23

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING CATHOLIC CHURCH

24

SPM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CHIROPRACTOR

25

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING COMMERCIAL BAKERY

26

IB

CONSTRUCTION CONCRETE SUPPLY/READY-MIX

27

SP

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONSULTANT

28

CC

COMMERCIAL CONVENIENCE

29

AC

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

30

SPM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE DENTIST

31

CD

COMMERCIAL SALES DEPARTMENT STORE

32

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING DIESEL TRUCK REPAIR

33

SPM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE DOCTOR

34

CP

PERSONAL SERVICE DRYCLEANERS

35

CS

SPECIALTY SALES ELECTRONICS/COMPUTERS

36

SF

FINANCIAL SERVICE ESCROW SERVICE

37

EFF

ENTERTAINMENT FAST FOOD

38

PG

PUBLIC BUILDING FEDERAL GOVT/ADMIN. OFFICE

39

CSF

SPECIALTY SALES (FOOD) FISH/ETHNIC/PRODUCE/FRUIT STAND

40

CS

COMMERCIAL SPECIALTY FLORIST

41

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING FOUNDRIES

42

IC

INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL FUEL/GASOLINE WHOLESALER

43

CS

SPECIALTY SALES FURNITURE

44

CA

AUTOMOBILE SALES/SERVICE GAS STATION

45

IB

CONSTRUCTION GENERAL CONTRACTOR

46

CS

SPECIALTY SALDS HARDWARE

47

PH

PUBLIC BUILDING HOSPITAL/CLINIC

48

EH/M

ENTERTAINMENT HOTEL/MOTEL

49

CSF

SPECIALTY SALES (FOOD) ICE CREAM/DOUGHNUT SHOP

50

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING JEHOVAH’S WITNESS HALL

51

CSL

LUXURY ITEM SALES JEWELERS/FURRIERS/LUXURY AUTOS

52

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING LATTER DAY SAINTS WARD

53

CS

SPECIALTY SALES MAGIC STORE

54

CS

COMMERCIAL SPECIALTY MAJOR APPLIANCES

55

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING METHODIST CHURCH

56

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING MOBILE HOMES

57

SPM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE MORTICIAN/FUNERAL HOME

58

EM

ENTERTAINMENT MUSEUM/PUBLIC ART GALLERY

59

XN

COMMUNICATION NEWSPAPER

60

SPM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE OPTICIAN

61

TR

RAIL TRANSPORT PASSENGER TRAIN

62

CS

SPECIALTY SALES PET STORE

63

TS

TRANSPORTATION PORT FACILITY

64

PM

PUBLIC BUILDING POST OFFICE

65

PM

PUBLIC BUILDING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

66

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING PRINTER

67

SH

HOUSING SERVICE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

68

SPM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PSYCHOLOGIST/PSYCHIATRIST

69

XR

COMMUNICATION RADIO STATION STUDIO

70

TR

RAIL TRANSPORT RAIL FREIGHT

71

SH

HOUSING SERVICE REAL ESTATE

72

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING RECYCLING

73

ER

ENTERTAINMENT RESTAURANT

74

IB

CONSTRUCTION ROAD PAVING

75

IB

CONSTRUCTION ROOFING CONTRACTOR

76

IB

CONSTRUCTION SAND/GRAVEL/BARK

77

IH

HEAVY MANUFACTURING SHIP REPAIR/BUILDING

78

CP

PERSONAL SERVICE SHOE REPAIR/SHINE

79

PG

PUBLIC BUILDING STATE GOVT. ADMIN. OFFICES

80

SF

FINANCIAL SERVICE STOCK BROKER/FINANCIAL ADVISOR

81

CF

COMMERCIAL FOOD SALES

82

PC

PUBLIC BUILDING SYNAGOGUE

83

XT

COMMUNICATION TELEVISION STATION STUDIO

84

ET

ENTERTAINMENT THEATRE/CINEMA/MUSIC HALL

85

CA

AUTO SALES/SERVICE TIRE/AUTO PARTS STORE

86

CP

PERSONAL SERVICE TRAVEL AGENT

87

CW

WAREHOUSE/WHOLESALE

88

PE

PUBLIC BUILDING UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE

89

CS

SPECIALTY SALES VIDEO RENTALS

90

CW

COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSE

91

IL

LIGHT MANUFACTURING WELDING/METAL REPAIR

92

PW

PUBLIC BUILDING WELFARE/UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE

93

CW

WAREHOUSE/WHOLESALE