What indicates an urban development shape that has a central focal point with extending corridors?

Prepare for the Architecture Licensure Examination's History, Theory, and Planning Test with engaging study materials including flashcards and multiple choice questions. Ace the exam with detailed hints and explanations!

The term that describes an urban development shape with a central focal point and extending corridors is indeed radiocentric. In a radiocentric configuration, urban centers are arranged around a core, with roads or pathways radiating outwards in a spoke-like fashion, resembling the spokes of a wheel. This design facilitates accessibility and organization, allowing for efficient movement towards and away from the central area.

Radiocentric urban planning often reflects historical contexts where centrality was significant for economic or political reasons. Cities such as Paris or Washington, D.C. have elements of this design, emphasizing a central hub supported by main thoroughfares that fan outwards.

The other options represent different urban forms. A branch layout may incorporate nodes connected by linear paths but doesn’t necessarily radiate from a single focal point. Rectilinear refers to a grid-like layout of streets at right angles, which is more systematic and orderly. The star pattern typically has multiple focal points and connecting corridors but does not emphasize a single central point as strongly as radiocentric does. Thus, radiocentric clearly embodies the description provided in the question.

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