This articles aims to identify the behavior patterns of the residential land use according to the incline within the urban area of Cuernavaca City during year 2000. For the analysis, some variables were taken which demonstrate certain features of the housing and the inhabitants in the study area. The selected variables attend to a particular reason, such as the urban sprawl of the metropolitan area and the relation with the inappropriate terrains used for human settlement; such as cliffs or abrupt slopes. By relating topography with the housing style and architecture, it can be assumed that the residential land use with precarious conditions is located, mainly, on high-danger areas such as gullies and scarped slopes. On the other hand, the good-quality housing is located in plain terrains and it is related to the population of higher incomes. The results of his research show that the housing and population distribution are not related to the natural environment, but the land value, the land tenure, the realtors, the urban policies and the social organizations.