This section contains an exercise for you to examine actual patterns of urban land use. Our exercise will focus on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County area, but students from other classes may wish to examine a different region. The exercise focusses on patterns of residential land use and you will access an Internet site and use Demographic Data Viewer (DDViewr) to complete the exercise. Through this site, you will be able to map a variety of data from the U.S. Census for any set of states, counties, or census tracts in the U.S. The outline for this exercise is as follows:

• Create a set of maps that illustrate patterns of urban residential land use by census tract.
• Format the maps and capture them.
• Paste your maps into Microsoft Word and annotate each map by responding to the questions below.
• When you have completed the exercise attach the file to an email and send it to the instructor.

Procedural Details: Using DDViewer For This Exercise

Below is a breif description about using DDViewer for this exercise. This description is not exhaustive but is intended to get you started on the exercise. For those who would like to read more about the details of using DDViewer and how to swap maps between DDViewer and other software you should examine the related Web sites listed below these instructions.

To conduct this exercise you will need to access DDViewer. DDViewer comes in three versions and it is recommended that you use DDViewer Java Edition v3.0. If your browser does not support certain features of DDViewer v3.0, try using the Non-Java version.

To begin you will need to Launch DDViewer.

1. When the connection to DDViewer has been made, select the Java Version v3.0.
2. A map of the U.S. will appear and you should highlight North Carolina on the map by clicking once.
3. In the menu bar below the map, click on "Get Counties".
4. Highlight Mecklenburg County by clicking once on Mecklenburg County. (If you're not sure which county is Mecklenburg, note that county names appear as you move the mouse across the county map.)
5. Next, click on "Get Tracts". This should produce an empty county map with the census tract boundaries.
6. With census tract boundaries on your screen, click on the "Select Variables" button.

This page lists all the variables in the database. At the top of the screen are tabs that group the data. These tabs are labled "Population", "Income", "Education", "Employment", "Housing" and "Other". DDViewer v3.0 allows you to select all variables at one time. With the Non-Java version you can only select one variable at a time. If you are using the non-java edition simply repeat the following steps as many times as necessary.
7. After "Select Variables" has been chosen, you can select all the variables you want to examine for this exercise.

• Under the Population tab click once on the variables for population density and once on the racial group you want to examine. The name of the population density variable is "poppsqmi". If you want to map the percentage of each census tract that is African American the variable name is "pctblack". Other enthic/racial groupings are located near "pctblack".
• Under the Housing tab, click once on the variable for median year in which housing was built ("medyrblt").
• Under the Income tab, click on per capita income ("pci").
• Under the Employment tab, choose an occupation category to examine and click on that occupation (expressed as a percent).

8. You should now have five variables listed in a box called "Select Mapping Variables" located on the right-hand portion of the screen. If so, press "Close" and press "Submitt Job".
9. After pressing Submitt Job a map of your first variable should appear. You can map the other variables simply by highlighting them in the variable list. You can also see the statistical data of the mean, and quartile break points by selecting the "Statistical Information" button.
10. Capture the map image by pressing [Alt-Print Screen] and a copy of the screen will be sent to your clip board. Import this map by opening Microsoft Word and pressing either [Ctrl-V] or selecting Edit | Paste. With the image in Microsoft Word, you can format the map by selecting from the tool bar View | Toolbars | Picture. If you select the "crop" option, you can crop the image so only the map is visible. Add a title to the map in Microsoft Word and annotate the map by responding to the questions in the exercise below.
11. Retrun to DDViewer and dowload the remaining maps by repeating steps #9 and #10.

Related Links

To learn more about DDViewer and exchanging files, you might want to investigate the Web sites below. Note: If you link to these other sites you will leave this site. To return to this site either save the URL for this page or use the back button.

To learn more about DDViewer click on

http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~demog/reports/rptddv.html

Instructions: Read the exercise questions below and, using DDViewer, create, capture, and cut/paste these maps into a word processing document. In your word processor, title each map and annotate it by responding to the questions below. When you have completed the assignment attach your word processing file to an email message and send it to your instructor (hscampbe@email.uncc.edu). Note: You may find it helpful to print the questions before launching DDViewer. When you are ready to begin, launch DDViewer.

1. Create a map of population density in Mecklenburg County, NC and describe its pattern (in DDViewer this variable is called "poppsqmi"). Are densities uniform throughout the area?  Where are densities highest (lowest)?  What is the population density of the CBD?  How does density change with distance from the CBD and why?
2. Examine the growth of the Charlotte area by generating a map that decsribes the age of the housing stock. Do this by plotting the variable called "medyrblt". Read the on-line description of the variable and explain what is in the map. Over time, where have new homes been built in the area?  What does this tell you about the changing spatial distribution of population?  Is this is good representation of the growth of suburbs? Explain.
3. Create a map of per capita income displayed by census tract (the variable is called "pci"). What is the spatial pattern of this variable?  What does this tell you about how residential land is used in different parts of the city?  Are some areas of low per capita income located in close proximity to the CBD?  If so, drawing on the concepts of bid rent and location rent, explain why lower income households occupy some of the most expensive land.
4. Illustrate the spatial distribution of a racial/ethnic group by creating a map of the percentage of population that belongs to a racial/ ethnic group of your choice. Describe the spatial pattern of this group.  Are there areas where this group is found in higher proportions that others? What factors might contribute to the spatial patterns of this group?
5. Create a map that shows the percentage of workforce that holds a particular occupation (your choice). Where do these workers live?  Where do they live in relation to the per capita income areas identified in #3.  What explanations can you offer for these patterns?
6. Drawing from the maps you have produced and the theoretical models of urban land use (see Three Models of Urban Land Use), which model does your city most closely represent?  Does it conform to one model, or does your city have elements of several models? Explain.