Central business district
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A central business district (or CBD) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, China (especially Hong Kong), Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa, the phrase is commonly used, and is often colloquially abbreviated to "CBD".
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[edit] Definition
[edit] Overview
The CBD is the central district of a city, usually typified by a concentration of retail and commercial buildings.[1]
The term city centre (or city center) is similar to CBD in that both serve the same purpose for the city, and both are seen by a higher-than-usual urban density as well as the often having the tallest buildings in a city. City centre differs from downtown in that the latter can be geographically located anywhere in a city, while a city centre is generally located near the geographic heart of the city. London effectively has two city centres, the City of London and the medieval City of Westminster. Lucknow, India has three CBDs. The shape and type of a CBD or downtown almost always closely reflect the city's history. Cities with maximum building height restrictions often have a separate historic section quite apart from the financial and administrative district. In cities that grew up suddenly and more recently, such as those in the western half of North America, a single central area will often contain all the tallest buildings. It has been said that downtowns (as understood in North America) are therefore a separate phenomenon.[2]
Central business districts usually have very small resident populations. For example, the population of the City of London declined from over 200,000 in 1700 to less than 10,000 today. In some instances, however (and particularly in large Australian cities), CBD populations are increasing as younger professional and business workers move into city centre apartments.
[edit] Characteristics
The land use in the central business district may follow the core frame model of urban structure.[3] It is likely to have many of the following characteristics:[1]
- Geographical centre of the settlement
- Land use
- Distinct land use patterns different from the surrounding areas
- High concentration of public buildings and offices
- Very tall buildings to maximize land use of expensive real estate
- Activities concentrated in areas of functional zoning
- Major retail outlets (less the case for United States and Canada)
- Transport
- High concentration of traffic
- Great concentration of pedestrians
- High use of public transport
[edit] Usage
[edit] Commonwealth and Ireland
The alternative term city centre is used in Britain and Ireland, and also in some urban areas of British-influenced countries, such as the Commonwealth) and China (Chinese: 市中心). It can also be translated as "city core". In the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, the term is often just shortened to "city", as in "going to the city". This term is also used in the New York City area in the same manner, using the term the city to mean Manhattan. One exception is in London where "the City" specifically refers to the City of London financial district rather than to any other part of central London. In the UK, Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, and Ireland, it is often also referred to as "town" ("going (in)to town", "going up town", or "going down town"). In Kenya "going (in)to town" usually means going to Nairobi, while going to the "city centre" means going to the financial core of Nairobi, which is now also referred to as the CBD.
[edit] Germany
In Germany the terms Innenstadt or Stadtmitte may be used to describe the central business district. Both terms can be literally translated to mean "inner-city" and "city-centre". While most German cities only have one central business district, Berlin has three. Due to Berlin's history of division during the Cold War, the city contains central business districts both in West Kurfürstendamm and East Berlin (Alexanderplatz), as well as a newly built business center near the Potsdamer Platz. The city's historic centre, location of the Reichstag building as well as the Brandenburg gate and most federal ministries was largely abandoned as the Berlin Wall cut through it. Only after the re-unification with the construction of numerous shopping centers, government ministries, embassies, office buildings and entertainment venues, was the area revived.
[edit] Lebanon
Although officially called Beirut Central District, the Lebanese use the French term Centre Ville to refer to the city center, which overlooks the Saint George Bay.
[edit] Turkey
In Turkey, the term Çarşı is used to describe the central business district.
[edit] United States and Canada
In the United States, central business districts are often referred as "downtown" (even if there is no "uptown"). In most cities the downtown area will be home to the financial district, but usually contains entertainment and retail of some kind as well. The downtown areas of many cities, such as Indianapolis, are also home to large sports and convention venues. Historic sections of a central business district may be referred to as "old town", while decaying parts of the center city are commonly referred to as the "inner city". The term inner city is sometimes not used literally but rather evocatively, applying a negative connotation and referring paradoxically to peripheral areas blighted during a mass exodus of middle class residents.
Some cities in the United States, such as Minneapolis, Houston, and Dallas, have mixed use districts known as "uptown" near the downtown area. In some cities, such as Charlotte, "uptown" is instead the historic name for the business center. Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware use the term center city instead of downtown for their central business districts. Some cities, such as Toronto, regard as many as four business districts as being central. By broad definition, New York City's CBD comprises the whole southern half or third of Manhattan island. Narrow definitions include only a square mile or two (3-5 km²) of Midtown as central, with the lowest tenth of the island, including its Financial District, being a secondary business district rather than the central one. Similarly narrow and broad definitions are applied to the Chicago's Loop district.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Central Business District (from scalloway.org.uk website)
- ^ Reviving American downtowns - The Economist, Thursday 1 March 2007
- ^ Waugh, David Geography:An Integrated Approach 1995
