ABSTRACT
The next four chapters move from an examination of the distribution, size and functions of urban settlements to a consideration of their internal patterning, the mosaic of land uses which is characteristic of all urban places. As indicated in Chapter 1, the nature of this mosaic is a major concern of urban geographers, not surprisingly since the pattern of land uses within towns and cities forms the environment in which a large proportion of most countries’ residents live out their daily existence. Although this and the next three chapters cover all aspects of urban land use, most attention is given to the residential areas, which are the primary foci of life, especially social life, for most urban dwellers. This chapter looks at the rationale of socio-economic segregation which is the main feature of those residential areas, showing that this rationale is a reflection of social processes; the following chapter investigates the operation of housing markets as mechanisms for allocating people to different areas of the contemporary city.
