Central Business District (CBD)

The Central Business District of Sydney, Australia.

A central business district (CBD) (also called 'Downtown' in American English) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In the United Kingdom, Australia, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and parts of South Africa, the term 'Central Business District' is the formal term, and is often colloquially abbreviated to 'CBD'.

Usage

Commonwealth

'City centre' is an alternative term, the usual phrase used in Britain and Ireland and also in some urban areas of British influenced countries (e.g. the Commonwealth) and China (Chinese: 市中心, 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, New Zealand and Ireland it is often also referred to as 'town' ("going (in)to town", "going up town" or "going down town").

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.

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.

United States & Canada

The distinction between the downtown areas of Chicago Loop (characterized by the tall buildings) and other neighborhoods of the city is evident in this aerial shot.

Main article: Downtown

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. Historic sections of a central business district may be referred to as 'oldtown' 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 and Dallas, have mixed use districts known as 'uptown' near the downtown area. On the other hand, in some cities, like Charlotte, 'uptown' is simply 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, may regard as many as four business districts as being central. New York's CBD comprises by broad definition the whole southern half or third of Manhattan Island. Narrow definitions include only a square mile or two (three to five square Km) 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.

Definition

Overview

The CBD or downtown is the central district of a city, usually typified by a concentration of retail and commercial buildings.^[1] Although applicable to any city, both terms usually refer to larger cities only.

The term 'city centre' (or 'city center') is similar to CBD or downtown 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 Downtown can be geographically located anywhere in a city, while city centre is generally located near the geographic heart of the city. Examples of city centres can be found in Bangkok , Beirut, Jakarta, London, Manila, Melbourne, Moscow, Paris, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sarajevo, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney, San Bernardino, California and many other cities. London effectively has two city centres rolled into one, namely the City of London and the medieval City of Westminster. Lucknow, India, has three CBDs. The shape and type of a CBD or downtown will almost always closely reflect that city's history. Cities with maximum building height restrictions will often have a separate historic section quite apart from the financial and administrative district. By contrast in regions where the city grew up suddenly and recently, such as in the western half of North America, a single central area will often contain all the tallest buildings. In this way 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, particularly in large Australian cities, CBD populations are to some extent increasing, since younger professional and business workers are moving into city centre apartments.

Characteristics

A central business district 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

Gallery

Vila Olimpia in São Paulo one of the business districts in the city

Sony Center in Berlin's central business disctrict

Place de l'Étoile in Beirut's central district

References

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