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unit 6

Origin and Influences of Urbanization

Urbanization

  • Refers to the movement of people to towns/cities and the resulting expansion of the rural countryside.

Influences on Urbanization

  • Changes in transportation and communication

  • Population growth

  • Migration

  • Economic development

  • Government policies

Physical Geography and Resources Impact on Cities

Site and Situation

  • Site: The actual physical qualities of the place that a city occupies which can influence origin, function, and growth (e.g. coastal plain, valley, mountains)

  • Situation: The relative location of a city which can influence origin, function, and growth (e.g. located near shipping routes like Hong Kong and Singapore)

Spatial Outcomes of Urbanization

  • Megacity: A large city with over 10 million people found increasingly in the periphery and semi-periphery (e.g. Mumbai, Paris)

  • Meta-city: A large city with over 20 million people found increasingly in the periphery and semi-periphery (e.g. Delhi, Tokyo)

New Land Use Forms

  • Suburbanization: Transformation of rural land to urban uses

  • Suburb: Residential area on the periphery of a city

  • Suburban sprawl: Unrestricted suburban growth spreading from a city where cars are the primary transportation

  • Edge city: Concentration of residential and economic activities in suburbs

  • Exurb: Residential area beyond suburbs, often in rural areas

  • Boomburb: Urban area with a large population spread along highways (e.g. Irvine, CA)

Global Connectivity of Cities

World Cities and Networks

  • World city: Functions as a service center of the world economy (e.g. New York City, London)

  • Network: System of interconnected people, goods, information, transportation, communication, finance

  • Globalization: Increased interconnectedness among countries in economics, politics, and culture

Explanations for Distribution, Size, and Interaction of Cities

  • Urban hierarchy: Settlements ranked by population, services, and sphere of influence

  • Rank-size rule: Population of a city inversely proportional to its rank in the urban hierarchy

  • Primate city: Country's largest city, at least twice as large as the next largest city (e.g. Paris, London)

  • Gravity model: Measure of interaction of places used to predict movement of people

  • Christaller’s Central Place Theory: Explains distribution, size, location, and interaction of settlements

Urban Models

Burgess Concentric Zone Model

  • Spatial model of the American city with five concentric rings around a CBD

  • Different rings represent zones of transition, modest older homes, better residences, and commuter zone

Hoyt Sector Model

  • Spatial model suggesting land-use areas conform to a wedge-shaped pattern focused on the downtown core

  • City develops in sectors with residential patterns based on wealth

Harris and Ullman Multiple Nuclei Model

  • Shows American city consisting of land-use zones arranged around a CBD

  • Different nodes attract specific activities, avoiding clustering of incompatible land uses

Galactic City Model

  • Spatial model of American urban areas with a central city surrounded by suburban areas, shopping malls, etc.

  • Connected by a beltway, or ring road

Bid-Rent Theory

  • Extension of the von Thünen model implying rent is equal to the value of the product minus production and transportation costs

  • Shows what land users are willing to pay for access to the CBD

Urban Challenges and Responses

Economic, Political, Cultural, Social, and Environmental Challenges

  • Housing discrimination

  • Red-lining

  • Blockbusting

  • Affordable housing

  • High crime rates

  • Environmental injustice

  • Disamenity zone

  • Zones of abandonment

Conflicts Over Land

  • Squatter settlements

  • Land tenure

Responses to Economic and Social Challenges

  • Inclusionary zoning

  • Local food movements

Urban Renewal and Gentrification

  • Urban renewal: Redevelopment of areas in economic decline

  • Gentrification: Restoration of deteriorated urban areas by wealthier individuals

Fragmentation of Governments

  • Functional fragmentation of government

  • Interaction between local government agencies

Challenges to Urban Renewal

  • Urban sustainability

  • Challenges and responses to urban sustainability

Residential Land Use and Infrastructure

Residential Buildings and Land Use Patterns

  • Low density housing

  • Medium density housing

  • High density housing

  • Residential buildings shaping city's culture and development

Sustainable Design Initiatives and Zoning Practices

  • Sustainable development

  • Zoning classifications

  • Mixed land use

  • Walkability

  • Transportation-oriented development

  • Smart growth policies

  • New urbanism

  • Green belt

  • Slow growth cities

Effects of Urban Design Initiatives

  • Increased housing costs

  • De facto segregation

  • Loss of historical character

  • Reduction of urban sprawl

  • Improved walkability

  • Improved transportation

  • Diverse housing options

  • Improved livability

  • Promotion of sustainable options

Qualitative and Quantitative Data in Urban Areas

Quantitative Data

  • Census and survey data for population changes

Qualitative Data

  • Field studies and narratives for individual attitudes toward urban change