Central business district
Also called: CBD · Topic: Human Settlements and Urbanisation in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 6 "Tertiary and Quaternary Activities"
Meaning
The central business district (CBD) is the commercial heart of a city. It is the easiest place in the city to reach, so offices, shops, banks and places of entertainment crowd into it. Because everyone wants to be there, land is most expensive here. Land value falls as you move away from the centre; this is called the bid-rent idea. So multiplexes and restaurants pick spots in or near the CBD, while uses that need a lot of land, such as golf courses, go where land is cheap.
Example
Connaught Place in New Delhi is a well-known CBD. Nariman Point in Mumbai is another. Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai is a newer one.
Don't confuse with
- Old city core: in old Indian cities, the crowded area around a bazaar or fort. It is busy with trade, but it is often not where modern offices and banks are based.