The location and structure of central business districts in the Maltese islands : a study of the movement analysis of the islands

Abstract

J.H. von Thünen's theory of Urban Location (1826) states that land-use decreases with an increased distance from the town centre. E.W. Burgess (1925) in his Concentric Zone Theory of Urban Structure expands this theory to define the central business district as the area which enjoys the highest accessibility factors. Accessibility as the main motivator of growth is again repeated in several later theories, as discussed by this dissertation. This study therefore analyses the relationship between the existing transportation network and urban growth in Malta, with special regard to land-values, as the main factor in the formation of the central business districts of an urban area. The analysis focuses on the more developed areas of the archipelago of The Maltese Islands, i.e. on the island of Malta, in defining the various central business districts and in understanding the main elements of the Island's transportation infrastructure. This shall therefore cover the Island's arterial road network, including all arterial and distributor roads, and discusses its importance vis-a-vis other transport modes. These analyses are being based on traffic count data collected by the Malta Environment & Planning Authority's Transport Planning Unit, real estate property marketed on The Sunday Times, and other data gathered from National Statistics Office. The subject was also discussed with various important players in the existing field of analysis. The results are being discussed in retrospect to the urban growth of the Island, both from a socio-economic point of view and also as regards to the transportation infrastructure.