When and why did people start living in cities? People first had to switch from
hunting and gathering to agriculture. Components of agricultural
surplus and social stratification had to enable the formation of cities.
Urban morphology- the study of the physical form and structure of urban places
First Urban Revolution
Mesopotamia- 3500 BCE. Nile River Valley- 3200 BCE. Indus River Valley- 2200 BCE. Huang He and Wei River Valleys-
1500 BCE. Mesoamerica- 200 BCE.
Greek vs. Roman Cities
Greek Cities Acropolis Agora Theatres Mediterranean
region Main Cities: Sparta,
Athens
Roman Cities Extensive
transportation networks
Forum Mediterranean Region,
interior Europe and North Africa
Focused on site Main City: Rome
Second Urban Revolution
Marked by the Industrial Revolution of Great Britain
Improvements in agriculture: seed drill, hybrid, improved breeding practices for livestock
Location of early industrial cities determined by the proximity of a power source
Where are cities located and why? Trade area: region adjacent to
every town and city within which its influence is necessary
Rank-size rule: population of a city will be inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy
Central Place Theory
Developed by Walter Christaller
Predicts how and where central places would be functionally and spatially distributed
Central Places Today
Sunbelt Phenomenon- movement of millions of Americans from northern and northeastern States to the South and Southwest
CPT predicts that existing cities would increase production of technological goods and thus, increase economic reach to bypass others
Reality: Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix became the Central Cities. Charlotte , Tampa, San Antonio, and Tucson rose to become secondary. Others participated less and remained where they were in the hierarchy
How are city models organized and how do they function? Central Business District (CBD)- The
concentration of business and commerce in the city’s downtown.
Central city- the urban area that is not suburban, the older city compared to the newer suburbs
Suburb- outlying, functionally uniform part of an urban area, and if often (but not always) adjacent to the central city
Suburbanization- process by which lands that were previously outside of the urban environment become urbanized
Ernest Burgess’s Concentric Zone
Resulted from study of Chicago in the 1920s
Zone 1= CBD Zone 2= Transition Zone 3= Independent
workers’ homes Zone 4=Better
residences Zone 5= Commuters’
zone
Hector Hoyt Sector Model
Focused on residential patterns based on the wealthy
Core Education High-Rent Residential Intermediate
Residential Low Rent Residential Industrial Transportation
Harris and Ullman’s Multiple Nuclei Model Developed in the 1940s Recognizes that the CBD is
losing its dominant position as the single nucleus of the urban area
CBD Wholesale, light
manufacturing Low-class residential Middle-class residential High-class residential Heavy manufacturing Outlying business district Residential Suburb Industrial suburb
Periphery & Semi Periphery model Number of cities in
the world can now be counted in the hundreds
Difficult to model, classify, or typify urban centers
Griffin Ford Sub-Saharan
African City Southeast Asian
City
Griffin-Ford
Latin American cities blend traditional elements of Latin American culture with forces of globalization to combine radial sectors and concentric zones
Quality of homes drops the farther away from the CBD
Spine: offices, shopping, high quality housing (upper & middle class), restaurants, theatres, and amenities.
Mall: High-priced residences
CBD: primary business, employment and entertainment focus. Divided into a market and a high-rise sector.
Disamenity: poorest part of the city; disconnected from regular services of the city; usually controlled by gang or drug lords.
Periferico: similar conditions as the disamenity but characterized by drug lords fighting for dominance.
Sub-Saharan African City
The world’s fastest growing cities
Consists of three CBDs
Ringed by satellite townships called squatter settlements
The Southeast Asian City
No CBD Elements of CBD
present as separate clusters surrounding the old colonial port zone
Model of mixed-land use
How do People Make Cites? Individual roles of people, governments,
corporations, developers, financial leaders, and realtors
Governments can pass or deny strict laws that restrict urban development
Powerful social and cultural preferences shape the character of particular parts of the city and influence who lives where
New transportation enables the expansion of cities
Suburbanization
The process by which lands that were previously outside of the urban environment become urbanized, as people and business move to these spaces from the city.
Suburbanization Cont.
Transforms large areas of land from rural to urban uses
Affects the large number of people who can afford to live in more expensive suburban homes
Creates distinct urban regions complete with industrial, commercial, and educational components
Edge Cities
Often located near key freeway intersections
Develop usually around shopping centers, office complexes, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities
Offer workplaces, shopping, and leisure activities
Tyson’s Corner Virginia
Cities in the Global Periphery and Semi-periphery
Shantytowns-unplanned developments of crude dwellings and shelters made of mostly scrap wood, iron, and pieces of cardboard
Zoning Laws-laws that ensure the use of space in ways that the society would deem culturally and environmentally acceptable
Cities in the Global Core Cities can be made by remaking them,
reinventing neighborhoods, or changing layouts to reflect goals and aesthetics
Redlining-when financial institutions determine which neighborhoods are and refuse loans to those in the districts
Blockbusting-when realtors solicit the white residents of a neighborhood to sell their homes under the guise that the neighborhood is going downhill because a black person or family has moved in
More Global Core Vocab…
Commercialization-process of transforming the central city into an area attractive to residents and tourists
Gentrification-when individuals buy up and rehabilitate houses, raising the housing value in the neighborhood and changing the neighborhood itself
More Global Core Vocab…
McMansions-new houses that were made when owners bought a new home and tore it down to build a much larger home
Called McMansions because of their super size and similar look
Urban Sprawl & New Urbanism Urban Sprawl-when
urban areas experience unrestricted growth of housing, commercial developments, and roads over large expanses of land with little concern for urban planning
New Urbanism-development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walk able neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs
Gated Communities
Gated Communities-fenced-in neighborhoods with controlled access gates for people and automobiles
Usually have security cameras and security forces that patrol the community with the objective of creating a space of safety in an uncertain urban world.
What Role do Cities Play in Globalization? World Cities-cities that function at
the global scale, beyond the reach of the state borders, functioning as the service centers of the world economy.
Primate City-the largest and most economically influential city within the state, with the next largest city in the state being much smaller and less influential
Spaces of Consumption
Areas of the city whose main purpose is to encourage people to consume goods and services; driven primarily by the global media industry.
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