In 1980, geographers Ernest Griffin and Larry Ford developed a generalized model to describe the structure of cities in Latin America after concluding that the organization of many cities in that region grew following certain patterns. Their general model claims that Latin American cities are built up around a corecentral business district Out of that district comes a commercial spine that is surrounded by elite housing.
-The Southeast Asian City Model is similar to the Latin American (Griffin-Ford) City Model in that they each feature high-class residential zones that stem from the center, middle-class residential zones that occur in inner-city areas, and low-income squatter settlements The main difference between the two models is that the Southeast Asian City Model features middle income housing in suburban areas. This reflects the larger percentage of middle-class citizens that reside in the peripheral regions than those of Latin America. Due to the alien commercial zone these cities also experience a blended culture but also strong ethnic ties.Southeast Asia contains some of the most populous and fastest growing cities in the world. While they are still developing, many feature high-rise developments and several of the world’s tallest buildings.
African City Model is also called the De Blij Model because De Blij, a famous geographer, created this. The tropics of Africa remain under forty percent urbanized and outside this area, the remaining regions are about fifty-seven percent urban. Africa has the world’s fastest growing cities, and the impact that European Colonialism has had is clearly evident. The Europeans created prominent urban centers including ports along the coast. Africa also has certain cities that are neither traditional nor colonial such as South Africa’s major urban centers that are mostly Western, with elements of European and American models, including high-rise central business districts and suburbs. Due to the diversity of its cities, it is complicated to develop an African City Model.