What is Urban Geography?

1. What is Urban Geography? • A sub-discipline of geography • It examines the places we live, the structure of our cities, and the pattern of cities on the landscape • Topics we’ll cover in this unit: • The history of urban areas (cities) • City placement • Primate cities • Urban sprawl • Smart growth • Gentrification • Sanitation issues

2. When and Why Did People Start Living in Cities?

3. Agricultural Villages • Agriculture began 10,000 to 12,000 years ago • People became more sedentary • Before urbanization, people often clustered in agricultural villages • Relatively small in size and population • Subsistence farming • Egalitarian in nature

4. How cities came to be: • Two components enable the formation of cities: 1. An agricultural surplus 2. Social stratification (a leadership class)

5. Modern Definition of City • City - conglomeration of people and buildings clustered together to serve as a center of politics, culture, and economics. • Globally, more people live in cities/towns than in rural areas

7. Definition of Urban • Urban:The buildup of the central city and the suburban realm - the city and the surrounding environs connected to the city. • Non-rural and non-agricultural

8. The First Urban Revolution • The innovation of the city • Cities developed independently in 5 separate hearths.

9. 5 Hearths of Urbanization • Mesopotamia, 3500 BCE • Nile River Valley, 3200 BCE • Indus River Valley, 2200 BCE • Huang He and Wei River Valleys, 1500 BCE • Mesoamerica, 200 BCE

10. 5 Hearths of Urbanization

11. The Second Urban Revolution • A large scale movement of people to cities to work in manufacturing. Made possible by: • Second agricultural revolution that improved food production and created a larger food surplus • Industrialization, which encouraged growth of cities near industrial resources

12. Where are Cities Located and Why?Site & Situation

13. Site • Actual location of a settlement on the earth • Physical characteristics of landscape specific to area • Landforms, climate, vegetation types, availability of water, soil quality, minerals and even wildlife

14. Situation • Relative location of a city • A city’s place in the region and the world around it. • Accessibility of location • Extent of connections with another place • Distance from raw materials

15. Central Place Theory • Developed by German geographer Walter Christaller in 1933 • Attempts to explain the reasons behind distribution patterns, size and number of cities/towns around world • Conclusion: people gather in cities to share goods & ideas - cities exist for purely economic reasons.

16. Trade Area • Has dominant influence over adjacent areas • Largest city has largest trade area

17. Rank-Size Rule • The population of a city or town will be inversely proportionate to its rank in the hierarchy. For example: • 1st largest city = 12 million people; • 2nd largest = 6 million (1/2); • 3rd largest = 4 million (1/3) • Does not apply in all countries, especially countries with a primate city

18. Primate Cities…What are they? -A city that is disproportionately larger than the rest of the cities in the country. -They dominate country in influence & are national focal-point -Size and activity are a strong pull factor -Not every country has a primate city -Examples: Paris, London, Mexico City

19. Gentrification • Occurs when individuals buy up and rehabilitate dilapidated housing, • Raises housing values & changes neighborhood. • Frequently in cities with a tight housing market • Displaces lower income residents. • Plays a key role in increased homelessness. • Examples: San Francisco, Portland, and Chicago

20. Urban Sprawl…what is it? • Unrestricted growth of housing, commercial developments, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning. • Low-density developments beyond the urban center • Increasing separation between homes, schools, and places of employment = more driving • Outward rather than internal growth • Conversion of open spaces, productive agricultural land and parks to developments

21. Think… -Strip malls -Big box stores -Chain restaurants -Huge intersections -Numerous housing developments

22. Implications of Urban Sprawl • Traffic congestion & longer commutes • Increase pollution • Conversion of natural open spaces to urban areas • Degradation of “quality” green space • Increased cost of providing utilities, services and infrastructure to a sprawling population

23. Proponents of Urban Sprawl • Cheaper land • Lower building costs • Suburbs better place to raise family

24. Opponents of Urban Sprawl • Environmentalists - habitats for plants and animals are lost & air pollution from increased traffic • Small towns - Increased taxes after development • The Lorax

25. The Solution: Smart Growth • Smart Growth is defined as growth that is economically sound, environmentally friendly, and supportive of community livability - growth that enhances our quality of life • Smart growth is development that serves the economy, the community and the environment • Control sprawl by making better use of land that has already been developed • Examples: St. Louis Park and Portland, OR

26. New Urbanism • Development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods - some are concerned over privatization of public spaces • some are concerned that they do nothing to break down the social conditions that create social ills of the cities • some believe they work against urban sprawl Example: Celebration, FL

27. Portland, Oregon Well-planned public transit system Mixed-use buildings

28. Sanitation & Crime • Sanitation is a big issue for all urban areas because having lots of people living in close proximity can lead to the spread of disease. • Additionally, crime levels can rise along with population density

29. The End