Which urban model is commonly used to explain the central place distribution in non-Western cities with port influence?

• A. Burgess Concentric Zone Model
• B. McGee's Southeast Asian City Model
• C. Hoyt Sector Model
• D. Harris-Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how certain urban models capture where different activities cluster in cities shaped by trade, ports, and regional influences. McGee's Southeast Asian City Model specifically describes non-Western port-influenced cities as having a port-centered core with multiple nuclei and mixed-use zones that grow along the waterfront and around it. This pattern reflects how port activity, colonial legacies, and rapid urban growth create a mosaic of zones—port and warehouse areas near the harbor, a traditional market belt, a Western-style commercial strip, and dense housing around the port—rather than a single, uniform center.

That’s why this model fits best: it accounts for the distinctive port-driven layout and polycentric structure seen in many Southeast Asian cities, where centrality is dispersed into several specialized clusters tied to maritime trade. The other models describe Western cities with a single center or simple sectoral patterns (and a general spread of activities around a central business district), which don’t capture the unique port-influenced, multi-centered arrangement emphasized by the Southeast Asian city model.