SPATIAL PATTERN
AND SEGREGATION
MELODY A. BLANCO, BSED SS II
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Define spatial pattern and segregation
• Explain the concept of city and urban sprawl
• Appreciate the importance of observing
spatial patterns for urban planning
Key Terminologies
• Spatial Pattern – Arrangements of people,
activities and structures in space.
• Segregation – Separation of groups within an
areas based on status and identity.
• Urban Sprawl – Uncontrolled expansion of urban
areas.
WHAT IS CITY?
WHAT IS CITY?
• A city is a large and permanent
settlement with a high population
density, developed infrastructures and
economic activities.
WHAT’S IN A CITY?
WHAT’S IN A CITY?
• A center of economy
• Organized into zones: Residential, Industrial,
Commercial, Recreational, Institutional.
City Zones
• 1. Residential – Areas where people live. These include houses,
apartments, condominiums, subdivisions, and dormitories.
➤ Purpose: To provide shelter and living spaces for individuals and
families.
• 2. Commercial – Areas used for business and trade activities. These
include stores, markets, restaurants, malls, offices, and banks.
➤ Purpose: To support buying, selling, and service-related activities.
City Zones
• 3. Industrial – Areas where goods are produced, processed, or
manufactured. These include factories, warehouses, and power plants.
➤ Purpose: To promote production, storage, and distribution of
materials and products.
• 4. Recreational: Areas for leisure, sports, and entertainment such as
parks, playgrounds, resorts, and sports complexes.
• 5. Institutional: Areas used for public services and community needs
such as schools, hospitals, churches, and government buildings.
Settlement
Distribution (City
Models)
• Settlement distribution refers to how
people, buildings, and services are arranged
within a city or town. Urban geographers have
developed city models to explain how cities
grow and organize themselves.
Settlement Distribution (City
Models)
• Concentric Zone Model (Burgess Model)
• Sector Model (Hoyt Model)
• Multiple Nuclei Model
• Peripheral Model (Galactic City Model)
Settlement Distribution (City
[Link] Zone Models)
Model (Burgess
Model)
Developed by
Ernest Burgess in
1925, the city is
organized in circular
rings around a central
area. Growth spreads
outward from the
center.
Settlement Distribution (City
Models)
[Link] Model (Hoyt
Model)
Developed by
Homer Hoyt, the city
develops in wedges or
sectors radiating out from
the center along
transport routes. Growth
follows transportation
routes.
Settlement Distribution (City
Models)
[Link] Nuclei
Model
Developed by
Harris and Ullman in
1945, cities develop
around multiple centers
(nuclei) rather than a
single core. Cities has
multiple functional areas.
Settlement Distribution (City
Models)
[Link] Model
(Galactic City Model)
Modern cities
develop a certain area
surrounded by suburbs and
edge cities connected by
highways. Growth expands
along highways and edges.
Transportation & Accessibility
• Transportation refers to the movement of people , goods, and
services from one place to another. It is vital to city life, connecting
life, connecting people to jobs, education and services. On the other
hand, accessibility refers to how easily people can reach places,
goods and services using transportation.
• Types of Transportation
Land: Roads, buses, cars, trains, bicycles
Water: Ships, ferries, boats
Air: Airplanes, helicopters
Rail: Subways, light rails,
Social and Economic Segregation
1. Social 2. Economic Segregation
Segregation Economic segregation occurs when
This happens when people are separated based on
groups in society are income or wealth.
divided or isolated Wealthier individuals live in areas
from one another with better services, while poorer
based on non- individuals are often concentrated in
economic factors, less developed neighborhoods.
such as: Examples:
Ethnicity or race Rich families living in gated
Religion communities with access to
Language private schools and hospitals.
Cultural Low-income families living in
practices overcrowded or informal
Gender or age settlements with poor
infrastructure.
Urban Sprawl (City expansion)
1. Definition
Urban sprawl is the rapid and uncoordinated growth of
cities that leads to the spreading of housing, roads, and
commercial areas over large amounts of [Link] usually
occurs when cities grow faster than their population
planning can handle.
2. Characteristics of Urban Sprawl
Low population density — large land areas with few
people.
Car dependency — people rely on private vehicles due
to long distances.
Separation of land uses — residential, commercial,
and industrial areas are far apart.
Loss of farmland and open space — agricultural lands
are converted into housing or malls.
Scattered development — irregular and unplanned city
Conclusion
• Cities grow in different ways, but all follow patterns that show
how people live, work, and move. By understanding
settlement models, we see that urban areas are not random—
they develop around centers, roads, and activities that shape
daily life.