Cities and Urban Land Use
Two subfields of urban geography:
1. study of systems of cities: where cities are located, why they are there, current and historical distribution of cities, functions of cities, reasons for differential growth among cities
2. study of internal cities: internal workings and structure of cities, analysis of patterns of land use, racial and ethnic segregation, architectural styles, types of intracity transportation, cycles of construction and development
The urban hierarchyWhich urban areas have hinterlands?Where do suburbs
begin? Where do CBDs begin?
Louis Wirth—1930s—defined a city as a permanent settlement that has three characteristics that make living in a city different from living in rural areas.
1. LARGE size
everyone in rural areas knows everyone else
in a city, residents know relatively few
2. High density
people have highly specialized jobs, which allows many people to live in one place
competition for space causes some groups to be dominant and to dominate others
3. Social heterogeneity
Diversity in large cities allow more anonymity
Downside is that people may be more lonely and isolated
First cities about 3000 B.C.E. in Southwest Asia
The rise of the earliest states coincides with the rise of the earliest cities.
2000-4000 B.C.E is the formative era for development of both urbanization and states
Ancient city was the organizational focus of the state.
Agriculture had to be planned & controlled
Govt. collected taxes & built walls for fortification
Ancient cities built along rivers near productive farmland
Sites chosen for defensibility as well as along trade routes
An urban elite (decision makers and organizers) controlled the resources and lives of others.
made sure the gods looked favorably upon people and food production
developed and system of writing and record keeping
codified laws so society would function smoothly
organized the construction of public buildings
Function of ancient cities
Centers of
power
religion
economy
education
History of cities
In preindustrial cities, the urban centers became centers of culture.
Ancient Kyoto
Ancient London
During Medieval times, mercantile cities (trade became central to city design) developed along trade routes
The Industrial Revolution created the manufacturing city.
Belfast
Rural-urban migration
US urban population 1800: 5% US urban population 1920: 50%
World Cities
Tiers of world cities based on centrality of business services, consumer services, and public services.
megacities
Tokyo, Mexico City, Seoul, New York, São Paulo, Mumbai, Delhi, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Osaka
Economic base of cities
Basic sector: “export activities” result in money flowing into the city
Nonbasic (service) sector: produce goods or services for the people of the city itself
Chauncy Harris (1943) classified U.S. cities into three types according to their functions.
1. manufacturing-dominated cities (NE U.S.)
2. retail centers (scattered)
3. diversified cities with multiple functions
Distinctions are now not so obvious because with growth comes increased diversification.
John Borchert’s four states in the evolution of American cities
1. Sail-Wagon Epoch, 1790-1830
2. Iron-horse Epoch, 1830-1870
3. Steel-rail Epoch, 1870-1920
4. Auto-Air-Amenity Epoch, 1920-1960s
Internal combustion engine
Rank-size rule: The size of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy.
Does not work in countries with a primate city!
Walter Cristaller’s Central Place Theory
No topographic barriers
No difference in farm productivity
An evenly dispersed farm population
People with similar lifestyles and incomes
Minimum number of consumers necessary to suport different products
Purchase of goods nd services at the nearest center
Internal Cities
Some geographers analyze the internal land space of cities and the varying uses that it serves.
They look at
accessibility
high cost of accessible space
transportation
societal and cultural needs
Concentric Zone Model (E.W. Burgess, 1923)
Homer Hoyt’s (1939) Sector Model
Chauncy Harris & E.L. Ullman (1945) Multiple Nuclei Model
Latin American City
Social area analysis studies how various types of people are distributed within a broader area (like a city!).
Ghettoization occurs when forced segregation limits residential choices
Key terms
zoning ordinances
smart growth
urban renewal
gentrification
suburbanization
urban sprawl
Edge cities are legally independent suburban areas that grow and have their own CBDs and other concentrations of office and commercial buildings that provide jobs for residents within their boundaries.
Tyson’s Corner, Virginia
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