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evaluate the impact that the transport networks in the study area such as the R66, R34 and
P7oo, and the coal rail-link as well as the Mangosuthu airport, have on the settlement
distribution and pattern in the area.
2.4.1.3 The multiple nuclei model
In the 19405, the outcomes ofthe Burgess and Hoyt models were utilised for the development
of the multiple nuclei model devised by two geographers known as Harris and Ullman.
According to this model structure, many larger cities show a structure which is more complex
than suggested by previous two models. The pattern ofdevelopment of many cities is further
influenced by the relief, so cities could never conform strictly to any simple geometrical plan.
Furthermore, some functions are closely tied to a specific site and will, of necessity, be
independent of any formal structure fwww.dknet.lineone.net/reference/encvclopaedia
!hutchinson, (2008)].
Many industrial innovations have changed the patterns of urban land use. Widespread use of
trucks and automobiles travelling on interstate highways and beltways has allowed
households and businesses to locate outside the central city in suburban locations where
densities and land costs are lower. The process of suburban growth is frequently discussed in
terms of 'sprawl' where development and the built environment are horizontal, rather than
vertical as in the CBD. Over time, suburban growth has changed the form of urban places
from being monocentric, with most economic activity located in the centre of the city, to
being polycentric in character, with several nodes in the urban area around which businesses
and households locate [jltlp://www.uncc.edu, (2007)].
Ulundi is comparatively a central place where land costs are relatively lower than the
neighbouring coastal locations like Richards Bay. Currently, most of the commercial
activities occur around its central business district. The mUltiple nuclei model may however
apply most appropriately in the study area as it has many economic centres ranging from
relatively large retail departmental stores such as Pick "n Pay, Shoprite Checkers and Spar in
the CBD through to tuck shops in the residential areas. In addition, restaurants at fuel filling
stations such as Shell, Caltex and Total garages, also add another complexity into the model
structure ofthe multiple nuclei model.
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