Originally published in 1987. The Consumption Theory of Land Rent or CTLR is a comprehensive model of the urban landscape developed by Grant Ian Thrall. Working from the basic idea that the same underlying processes account for the spatial structure of all places, Thrall shows how CTLR can be used as a tool to explain and predict the long-term consequences of policy decisions by governments, such as introducing light rail rapid transit, or parameter changes in the economy, such as a general rise in real income.

Thrall’s methodology for the analysis of land rent and land use in a significant research accomplishment and a major analytical tool for students and professionals within city planning, regional science, urban geography, and urban economics.