Urban Patterns

What is Urban Geography?

Urban geographers seek to understand and identify:– why cities are alike and different– Where are cities located and why? – regular patterns of urban development, housing, employment,

diversity– the social, economic, & political trends of urban versus non-

urban spaces

Urban Settlements Today

– over 50% of the worlds population is urban

– MDC’s tend to always be highly urbanized, with about 4 out of 5 people living in cities

– LDC’s tend to be rural (exceptions are in Latin America and China

– Largest cities tend to be in LDC’s (exceptions are Tokyo, Seoul, NYC)

Urban Settlements Today

– over 50% of the worlds population is urban

– MDC’s tend to always be highly urbanized, with about 4 out of 5 people living in cities

– LDC’s tend to be rural (exceptions are in Latin America and China

– Largest cities tend to be in LDC’s (exceptions are Tokyo, Seoul, NYC)

Sao Paulo

Megacities

Fig. 13-2: Cities with 3 million or more people. Most of the largest cities are now in LDCs.

Percent Urban Population

Fig. 13-1: Percent of the population living in urban areas is usually higher in MDCs than in LDCs.

Percent Urban by Region

Fig. 13-2b: Over 70% of people in MDCs live in urban areas. Although under half of the people in most of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are urban, Latin America and the Middle East have urban percentages comparable to MDCs.

How does a city differ from rural areas?

1. Large Size2. High Density3. Social heterogeneity

• People are diverse• People have more privacy• Many different occupations, sexual orientations, and

interests

What is a city?Lewis Mumford (1937):

A city is a conglomeration of people and buildings clustered together to serve as a center of politics, culture, and economics.

The Functions of Urban Areas

• Retailing• Wholesaling• Manufacturing• Business Services• Entertainment• Political & Official

Administration• Military Defense Needs• Social & Religious Service

• Public Services• Education• Transportation &

Communications• Meeting Places• Recreation• Visitor Services• Residential Areas

The Functions of Urban Areas

• Retailing• Wholesaling• Manufacturing• Business Services• Entertainment• Political & Official

Administration• Military Defense Needs• Social & Religious Service

• Public Services• Education• Transportation &

Communications• Meeting Places• Recreation• Visitor Services• Residential Areas

Everything!!

City of UR (present-day Iraq)Oldest cities are found in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China

and Indus Valley.Mesopotamia (Jordan/Iraq)

Jericho 10,000 B.C. Ur 3,000 B.C. (Iraq)Walled cities based

on agricultural tradeZiggurat (stepped temple)

Ancient World Cities• Religious center• Political center• Economic/trading center • Cultural center

Ancient World Cities• Religious center• Political center• Economic/trading center • Cultural center

Ancient cities were small in size (10,000 – 20,000) compared to the cities of today.

Ancient World Cities• Religious center• Political center• Economic/trading center • Cultural center

E. MediterraneanAthens 2,500 B.C. 1st city to exceed 100,000,

with an overall population of around 250,000

Many Greek cities organized into City-States

Ancient World Cities• Religious center• Political center• Economic/trading center • Cultural center

While conditions for most people in Athens were terrible, an attempt was made for public/recreation

activities

Athens Greece

Tikal, Guatemala

Copan, Honduras

Uxmal, Mexico

Tenochtit

lan (Mexico

City

Traditional Patterns of Urban Structure

European Cities Characteristics– Historic Cores– Narrow, Complex Streets

• Built Before Auto Era

– Plazas and Squares– Scars of War– Compact in Form– Low Skylines– Lively Downtowns

Cities of the Middle Ages

After collapse of Roman Empire in 5th Century, Europe’s cities were diminished or abandoned.

European Feudal CitiesBegan in 11th Century Independent cities formed

around the service to feudal lords and kings.

Dense and compact within defensive walls

Cittadella, Italy

Paris, France

Carcassonne, France

Non-European Cities during the Middle Ages

European cities were usually much smaller during this time

Large cities outside of Europe

• Timbuktu • Chang’an• Kyoto• Tenochtitlan• Constantinople • Baghdad

Preindustrial Cities

• Most became primate cities• Dominated by long-distance trade• Dominated by central square• Economy based around trading (attached to

sea) – colonialism was a big factor• Europeans cities became enriched from

colonial cities (London, Seville, Amsterdam, etc.)

Liverpool, before….

• and after

Liverpool, before….

…and after

Industrial Cities• expanded rapidly as people moved from rural areas to work

in factories. – Also occurred in response to the 2nd agricultural revolution (fewer

people needed to grow food for the majority)

Industrial Cities

• Expansion of transportation (trolleys/trains)

Industrial Cities

• city centers deteriorated into shanty’s or slums to house workers

Industrial Cities

• Cities grew near rivers and other sources of raw materials that provided energy for factories (Lowell, MA)

Colonial Cities

Spanish • Spanish conquistadores

completely erased indigenous settlements

• they mingled with the local culture and lived among natives

• Spanish colonial cities usually (especially east of the Andes) follow Spanish elements (grid street patterns, centered around a plaza, etc...)

Colonial Cities

Spanish • Spanish conquistadores

completely erased indigenous settlements

• they mingled with the local culture and lived among natives

• Spanish colonial cities usually (especially east of the Andes) follow Spanish elements (grid street patterns, centered around a plaza, etc...)

English/French• On the other hand, the French and

the British never mingled with the local population and created separate quarters for themselves.

• Usually a "White Town" consisting of spacious houses, well laid out streets and a "Native Town" which were usually quite dense

• In apartheid countries of Africa, the division is very well defined.

Colonial CitiesMost colonial cities were either coastal (to allow

maritime trade) Santiago, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena, Havana, Santo Domingo, San Juan, Lima/Callao, New York, Philly, Boston, Charleston, Baltimore, Cape Town, Lagos, etc...

Primate Cities/Islands of Development in Africa

Today’s World Cites

• Characterized by their disproportionate influence around the world as centers of the world economy (Can you name them?)

• The interconnectedness and the importance of the services a city provides plays a large role in how important a city is on a global scale

First Tier World Cities• New York City, London, and Tokyo

(Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, and Frankfurt are on the line) Second Tier Cities• Chicago, Los Angeles, Seoul, Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, ZurichThird Tier• Washington D.C., San Francisco, Mexico City, Caracas, Sao

Paolo, Santiago, BsAs, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing (possibly 2nd tier now), Shanghai, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Rome, etc…)

US Megapolitan Areas

Megalopolis

Fig. 13-4: The Boston-Washington corridor extends over 700 km and contains about one-quarter of U.S. population.

Megalopolis

Illustrates the difference between strict city proper definitions and urban agglomerations.

U.S. Urban Growth Stages