Urban World Exam 1

Where did the world first urbanize, and why?

Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), due to agriculture and trade.

Where did the world first urbanize, and why?

Mesopotamia, due to agriculture and trade.

How did urbanization spread around the world, geographically?

Spread through trade, colonization, and industrialization, moving from the Middle East to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

How have shares of the world's population shifted between urban and rural areas over the past several decades?

Urban population increased from 30% in 1950 to over 50% today, with rural population decreasing.

How does urbanization vary by world region?

Urbanization is highest in North America, Europe, and Latin America. Africa and Asia are rapidly urbanizing but have lower urbanization rates historically.

In the early 20th century, where were the world's largest cities located?

Europe and North America (e.g., London, New York, Paris).

Where are the world's largest cities expected to be located in 2030?

Asia and Africa (e.g., Tokyo, Delhi, Lagos).

What is a city? What factors are associated with definitions of "urban areas"?

A geographic plexus, an economic organization, an institutional process, a theater of social action, and an aesthetic symbol of collective unity.

How do we study cities?

Through urban and social theory, mapping and geographic information science, quantitative analysis, and qualitative methods.

Where is the Chicago metropolitan area? What does it encompass?

In the Midwest, includes Chicago and its suburbs in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

What factors contributed to Chicago's early growth?

Its location near railroads, the Great Lakes, and its role in meatpacking and trade.

When was Chicago founded, and by whom?

1833, by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.

Why did Chicago emerge as a major world city?

Its strategic location, transportation networks, and industrial base.

What is Von Thunen's Isolated State model? How is it relevant to Chicago?

A model explaining land use based on distance from a central city. Relevant to Chicago's agricultural role.

What is a "hinterland," and how is it relevant to Chicago?

The rural area surrounding a city that depends on it for trade. Chicago's hinterland helped its growth.

What is central place theory, and how is it relevant to Chicago?

Explains city location and services distribution. Chicago serves as a central hub for the Midwest.

What is a central business district?

The downtown area of a city where most commercial and financial activities take place.

What is a metropolitan area?

A city and its surrounding suburbs.

What is a suburb?

A residential area on the outskirts of a city.

What is an exurb?

A less densely populated area beyond the suburbs.

What is the Chicago School of Sociology, and why is it significant?

It pioneered urban sociology, studying human behavior in cities.

What is the Burgess concentric zone model?

A model of city structure where zones radiate from the central business district outward.

What are the "zones" in the Burgess model?

Central Business District, Zone of Transition, Working-Class Zone, Residential Zone, and Commuter Zone.

What do these "zones" represent?

Different social and economic areas within a city.

What does "invasion and succession" mean?

The process where one social or ethnic group replaces another in an urban area.

How is social class linked with residential location in the Burgess model?

Wealthier classes tend to live farther from the city center, while lower-income groups live closer.

What is a slum?

An overcrowded urban area with poor living conditions.

What is a ghetto?

A neighborhood predominantly occupied by one ethnic group, often due to social pressures.

What are immigrant enclaves?

Neighborhoods with high concentrations of immigrants from the same country (e.g., Chinatown, Little Sicily).

What does the concept of "social scale" mean within geography and urban studies?

The way social interactions are structured across different levels, from neighborhoods to regions.

How is the term "inner city" commonly used?

Refers to central urban areas often associated with poverty and social challenges.

In what ways is the Chicago model of urbanization relevant today?

Many cities still reflect similar patterns of concentric growth, though other models are emerging.

What is the "Los Angeles School" model of urbanization? How does it differ from the Chicago model?

The Los Angeles model emphasizes decentralized, multi-centered growth, unlike Chicago's concentric structure.

Where is the New York City metropolitan area?

It includes New York City and its surrounding suburbs in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

What is a "borough" in New York City?

One of NYC's five administrative divisions: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island.

What is "Mannahatta"?

The Native American name for Manhattan, meaning "island of many hills."

What is "Five Points," and why is it significant?

A notorious 19th-century slum known for poverty and high immigrant population.

What is the Commissioner's Plan of 1811, and why is it significant?

A grid layout plan that shaped Manhattan's streets and development.

What were living conditions like for early immigrants in NYC?

Crowded and unsanitary tenements; immigrants often lived in ethnic enclaves.

How do NYC neighborhoods vary demographically?

Wealthier areas include the Upper East Side, while poorer populations are concentrated in the Bronx and Harlem.

Who is Jane Jacobs?

An urban activist who opposed large-scale urban renewal projects and advocated for vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods.

What characteristics represent an ideal neighborhood, according to Jane Jacobs?

Mixed-use, high density, short blocks, and active street life.

Who is Robert Moses, and what influence did he have on New York City?

A planner who built large-scale infrastructure, favoring highways and development at the expense of neighborhoods.

In what ways did Jacobs and Moses come into conflict?

Jacobs opposed Moses' plans to build highways through neighborhoods like Greenwich Village.

How is New York City shifting demographically?

The city is seeing an influx of young professionals and immigrants, while middle-class families are more likely to leave.

What is gentrification?

The process of wealthier people moving into poorer neighborhoods, raising property values, and displacing long-term residents.

What is the "demographic inversion" hypothesis?

The trend of wealthier populations moving back into city centers, reversing suburbanization.

How was Manhattan represented in popular culture during the 1970s?

Manhattan was often depicted as crime-ridden and decaying.

How did this representation shift in the 1990s?

It shifted toward a safer, more glamorous depiction of Manhattan as it became gentrified.

How is Manhattan represented in popular culture today?

Manhattan is often seen as an upscale, desirable place to live, though concerns about inequality persist.

How have crime rates shifted in NYC over the past several decades?

Crime rates have dropped significantly since the 1990s due to policing strategies, economic changes, and community efforts.

What is Harlem? Why is it significant?

A historically Black neighborhood in Manhattan, significant for its cultural and artistic contributions, especially during the Harlem Renaissance.

What is the Apollo Theater, and why is it significant?

A famous theater in Harlem, important for launching the careers of many Black performers.

What are distinguishing characteristics of Brooklyn?

Known for its diverse population, gentrification, and rapidly rising real estate prices.

How is Brooklyn changing?

Gentrification is transforming many neighborhoods, leading to rising rents and displacement of long-term residents.

What factors are associated with gentrification in Crown Heights?

Rising property values and an influx of wealthier residents are pushing out long-time, lower-income residents.

Where is the San Francisco Bay Area?

Located in Northern California, includes San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and surrounding counties.

What is a labor market?

The supply and demand for labor, where workers find jobs and employers find workers.

How do labor markets vary across different US metropolitan areas?

Varies by industry focus, professional services jobs more common in cities like San Francisco and New York, manufacturing jobs more common in cities like Detroit and Cleveland.

Where are professional services jobs more common?

San Francisco and New York.

Where are manufacturing jobs more common?

Detroit and Cleveland.

What are some reasons why industries and jobs cluster in specific regions?

Access to resources, skilled labor, infrastructure, and economies of scale.

What is an economy of scale?

Cost advantages that businesses achieve due to increased production.

What is an economy of density?

Efficiency gained from clustering people or businesses in dense urban areas, reducing transportation and transaction costs.

What is an agglomeration economy?

Benefits that firms gain by being close to each other. Example: Silicon Valley.

How are "millennials" commonly represented in the US media?

Millennials are seen as tech-savvy, urban dwellers seeking affordable, vibrant cities.

What is the "creative class"?

A group of professionals in industries like technology, arts, and education.

What are some characteristics of the "creative class"?

Highly educated, innovative, and engaged in knowledge-based work.

What impacts does the "creative class" have on cities?

Drives economic growth, innovation, and urban renewal but contributes to rising living costs.

Why would cities want to attract "creative class" residents?

To boost innovation, attract investment, and create high-paying jobs.

How does the clustering of high-skilled workers impact metropolitan economies?

It boosts productivity, innovation, and economic growth due to collaboration and "knowledge spillovers."

What are "knowledge spillovers"?

The exchange of ideas and innovation between skilled workers and companies in close proximity.

What are "human capital externalities"?

Economic benefits individuals and cities gain from an educated and skilled workforce.

What is the "great divergence"?

The increasing economic inequality between prosperous cities and struggling areas.

How does the "great divergence" manifest across metropolitan areas?

Wealth and job opportunities concentrate in cities with highly educated workforces, while other areas face stagnation.

What "divergence" exists within the Bay Area?

High economic inequality, with wealthy tech workers in Silicon Valley and lower-income residents in other parts of the Bay Area.

How does average rent vary across US metropolitan areas?

Higher in cities like San Francisco and New York, lower in cities like Detroit and Cleveland.

How does average home value vary across US metropolitan areas?

Higher in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York; lower in smaller or industrial cities.

How does average home value vary within the Bay Area?

Extremely high in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, lower in more distant parts of the Bay Area.

Explain the housing crisis in the Bay Area.

High demand, limited supply, and strict zoning laws contribute to skyrocketing prices, impacting middle- and low-income residents.

What is the "Ellis Act," and what are its impacts in San Francisco?

A California law allowing landlords to evict tenants by exiting the rental market, leading to gentrification and displacement in San Francisco.

Houston

Where is Houston? What constitutes the Houston metropolitan area?

In southeastern Texas, includes Houston and surrounding areas like The Woodlands and Sugar Land.

How did Houston grow as a city, historically?

Through oil, shipping, energy industries, and as a major port and transportation hub.

What industries are prominent in Houston?

Oil, energy, healthcare, aerospace, and shipping.

What is zoning?

The regulation of land use determining residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

How is zoning practiced in Houston?

Houston has no formal zoning laws, allowing for mixed-use development and unique urban growth patterns.

How has Houston grown in the past few years compared to other cities?

Houston has experienced rapid growth in population and development, surpassing many other US cities.

What was Hurricane Harvey's path, and why was it so destructive along the Gulf Coast?

Harvey stalled over the Gulf Coast, dumping record rainfall, causing severe flooding, especially in Houston.

What were the dynamics of flooding in Houston after Harvey?

Heavy rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems, and the city's flat terrain exacerbated flooding.

What is a 100-year flood?

A flood event with a 1% chance of occurring in any given year.

What is a 500-year flood?

A flood event with a 0.2% chance of occurring in any given year.

What factors made Houston at risk for catastrophic flooding?

Houston's rapid urbanization, lack of zoning, flat terrain, and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico increase flood risk.

What are the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs in Houston?

Flood control reservoirs built to protect the city from flooding, but urban development around them has increased flood risks.

What relationship does urban development in Houston have with Harvey's disastrous flooding?

Urban sprawl and poor drainage planning contributed to the city's vulnerability, exacerbating the effects of the flooding.