Urbanization & Human Behavior? Which is which? Urban ecosystem[life] shapes/reshapes human...

Urbanization & Human Behavior?

Which is which?Urban ecosystem[life] shapes/reshapes human behavior?Human behavior determines/shapes urban ecosystem[life]?


How does urban ecosystem/life influence human behavior?


Urban Ecosystem/Life

Thickly Populated

Urban Growth

Ø Urban areas grow in 2 ways:1.Natural increase of its population (births)2.Immigration (mostly from rural areas – the biggest cause of urban growth)Proportion of the global population living in urban areas: 2% (pre-industrial period) 46% (2001) (~160,000 people added to world’s urban areas each day)UN projections: by 2050, ~63% of world’s people will be living in urban areas, with 90% of this urban growth in developing countriesNumber of large cities (>1 million people): increasing rapidly throughout the 20th century

Megacities

1900: 19 cities had >1 million people (95% of the population then were rural)

2001: more than 400 cities have >1 million people

Increasingly, there are more megacities (cities with populations >10 million people)

1985: 8 megacities 2001: 16 (13 of them in developing countries) As they grow and sprawl outward, separate urban areas may

merge to form a megalopolis (= a very large city, or a region made up of several large cities and their surrounding areas in sufficient closeness to be considered a single urban complex)

World’s Largest Cities

Shanghai (10)

Los Angeles (6)

Mumbai (5)

New York (4)

Sao Paolo (3)

Mexico City (2)

Tokyo (1)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

12.8

13.3

16.5

16.8

18.3

18.3

26.5

Population in MillionsUnited Nations Population Division 2001



Built environment

Thickly Populated



Built environment

Thickly Populated

Non-self-sustaining

Urban areas are not self sustaining! Survive only by importing food, water, energy,

minerals, and other resources from somewhere else

Produce vast quantities of wastes Affect the health of their inhabitants

but also the environmental health of rural areas and the health of the planet

Often, agriculture and cities develop in similar areas expanding urban areas = using up agricultural land

Water625,000 tonnes

Fuel9,500

tonnes

Food2,000

tonnes

Daily Inputs

U.S. city of 1

million people

Daily Outputs

Air pollutants950 tonnes

Rubbish9,500

tonnes

Sewage500,000tonnes

Most cities: have few trees and other plants Most cities: produce little of their own food Many cities: have water supply and flooding

problems

Many coastal areas: popular for urban development

Many natural coastal habitats have been cleared, drained, and filled in for urban development



Built environment

Thickly Populated

Non-self-sustaining

Microclimate

Urban Microclimate

Materials used in urban construction: conduct more heat than vegetated areasBuildings and vehicles: release significant amounts of heat energy from burning of fossil fuelsUrbanization can therefore its own microclimateTemperature of a city: several degrees warmer than surrounding rural areasCities are urban heat islands

•Urban Heat Island ProfileThis means cities tend to be warmer, rainier, foggier, and cloudier.

Urban Pollution

Urban residents suffer higher pollution levels than surrounding rural areas.Sheer numbers of people in cities mean urban areas are major contributors to air pollution and enhanced greenhouse effect. Most urban residents suffer from excessive noise.

0 150

85

Normal breathing

Quiet ruralarea

Vacuumcleaner

Permanent

damage begins

after 8-hrs

Rockconcert

Noise levels in decibels (dbA)

Militaryrifle



Built environment

Thickly Populated

Non-self-sustaining

Microclimate

Urbanization, elitism, globalizationUnemployment, blasé’ attitude,Exploitation, resistance

Deviant behaviors, Competition, urbanism, resilience

Congestion, poverty, hunger,slums, pollution, flood, malnutrition

Heat islands, healthand sanitation, energy consumption, traffic


How does human behavior shape urban ecosystem/life?


Urban Human Behavior

Deviancy

Competition

Blasé attitude

Cooperation


Urban Human Behavior

Deviancy

Competition

Blasé attitude

Cooperation

Culture of corruption, greed,Exploitation, consumerism, Sexism, ageism, classism, Organized crime (smuggling, gambling, prostitution, kidnapping)

Gated environment,culture of insecurity, cultureof resistance, discrimination, Fatalism, ghettoism/slumization

Communalism, Fraternism, Familism, ecumenism, nepotism

Protectionism, elitism, solidarity/protest movements, underground economy


Urban Way of life

Sociology Psychology Economics Geography Anthropology History

Social Behavior

Spatial Behavior

Cultural Behavior

Urban Ecology Political Economy

Social Psychology

Cultural geography

Anthro of Poverty/Cities Cultural

Evolution

Critical Historiography

Postmodernism

Social Psychology

Urbanization Globalization


Which is which?Urban ecosystem[life] shapes/reshapes human behavior?Human behavior determines/shapes urban ecosystem[life]?

Urbanization & Human Behavior? Which is which? Urban ecosystem[life] shapes/reshapes human...

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