Summarize the Von Thünen model and what it predicts about land use around a city.

Summarize the Von Thünen model and what it predicts about land use around a city.

• A. It envisions concentric land-use rings around a market city determined by transportation costs; most intensive farming nearest the city, extending outward with less intensive uses.
• B. It posits random land use around city with no pattern.
• C. It shows a single ring of industrial zones around the city.
• D. It argues land use is determined by climate zones only.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is that land use around a city arranges itself in concentric rings determined by how costly it is to transport goods to the market. Because transport costs rise with distance, goods that are heavy, bulky, or perishable are produced closest to the city to minimize those costs. As you move outward, uses become less intensive or land-intensive to offset higher transportation costs. This creates a pattern of rings: near the city you’ll find dairy and market gardening, just beyond that crops like grains, farther out grazing and pasture, and beyond that forest or wilderness depending on land rents and transport costs. The model is built on a few simplifying assumptions, like a single market and uniform terrain, so the pattern reflects transport-driven location choices rather than random placement or climate alone.

The main idea being tested is that land use around a city arranges itself in concentric rings determined by how costly it is to transport goods to the market. Because transport costs rise with distance, goods that are heavy, bulky, or perishable are produced closest to the city to minimize those costs. As you move outward, uses become less intensive or land-intensive to offset higher transportation costs. This creates a pattern of rings: near the city you’ll find dairy and market gardening, just beyond that crops like grains, farther out grazing and pasture, and beyond that forest or wilderness depending on land rents and transport costs. The model is built on a few simplifying assumptions, like a single market and uniform terrain, so the pattern reflects transport-driven location choices rather than random placement or climate alone.