GLOBAL CITIES: Issues for Planning and Development

Flashcards covering key definitions and concepts related to global cities, urbanization, and urban development from the lecture notes.

City (US Census Bureau definition 2010)

A densely developed territory encompassing residential, commercial, and other non-residential urban land uses, with at least 2,000 housing units OR a population of at least 5,000.

Urbanized Areas (UAs)

Urban areas identified by the US Census Bureau with 50,000 or more people.

Urban Places (previously Urban Clusters)

Urban areas identified by the US Census Bureau with at least 5,000 and less than 50,000 people.

Metropolitan Area

A geographic area containing a core urban area of 50,000 or more population, consisting of one or more counties with a high degree of social and economic integration.

Micropolitan Area

A geographic area containing an urban core of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population, consisting of one or more counties with a high degree of social and economic integration.

Cities/Urban Areas (Global Definition)

Definitions vary from country to country, often focusing on non-agricultural activities, population threshold, urban land uses, population density, level of development, or type of governance.

Sustainable Cities (UN SDG Goal 11)

Cities that aim to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 by 2030, focusing on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

First Cities

Emerged in Mesopotamia (Iraq) around 3,500-3,200 BC, with others later in the Nile Valley, Indus Valley, Huang-Ho Valley, and independently in Mexico and Peru.

Catal Huyuk

An ancient city (around 8,000-7,500 BC, Neolithic Age) in Southern Turkey, settled by 5,000-8,000 people, notable for a clear lack of social or gender hierarchy in its urban form.

Ur

An ancient city (around 3800 BC, Bronze Age) in Mesopotamia that emerged as a major trading hub, with food surplus being a critical impetus for its urbanization.

Uruk

An ancient city (4,000-2900 BC) whose growth was historically suggested to be limited by prevailing communication systems like walking or hearing distance.

Classical Cities

Ancient Greek and Roman cities (1,400-200 BC) like Athens and Rome, characterized by more complex and advanced infrastructure (e.g., sewer pipes, aqueducts) supporting high populations.

Age of Urbanization (Second Wave)

A period of massive urbanization that occurred with the Industrial Revolution, where a large share of the population moved to industrial cities from rural areas, enabled by science, technology, and machines.

Industrial Cities

Large cities with high population density that first appeared in Europe during the Industrial Revolution, subsequently emerging in the US and other developed parts of the world.

Urban Growth

An increase in the total urban population.

Urbanization

An increase in the proportion of the urban population relative to the total population (U/T).

Urbanized Society

A society where more than 50% of its total population lives in cities (U/T > 0.5), such as the US with approximately 82% urban population.

Recent Urbanization Trend

Most urban growth and urbanization in human history have occurred relatively recently, specifically since 1750 or 1800.

Global Cities

Important cities influencing the global map today, ranked by economic perspective, population, and characteristics like business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement (e.g., New York, London, Paris, Tokyo).

Mega-cities

Cities with a population of more than 10 million people.

Historical Mega-cities (1950)

Only New York and Tokyo qualified as mega-cities in 1950.

Current Number of Megacities

Estimates vary, but for this class, generally 35+ mega-cities with a concentration in Asia (20+), Europe (4), Africa (2), South America (3), and North America (3).