(Suburban Patterns - Unit 7)

Municipality Definition
    - “The city” as a political entity.
    - Common government, services, and laws.
    - Growth through annexation, defined as adding adjacent territory to a political entity.
Urban Areas
- Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) represent areas of influence with local government fragmentation.
- MSA includes the city and its suburbs.
Population Statistics
- Chicago city population: 2.7 million in 2010, down from 3.6 million in 1950.
- Chicagoland population (MSA): 9.5 million in 2010, up from 5.5 million in 1950.
LDCs and Urban Area Definitions
- Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have unclear distinctions between “the city” and “metro area”.
- It is important to ensure comparisons are made accurately (i.e., compare apples to apples).

Characteristics
    - Existence of multiple layers of local government.
        - City government.
        - Township government.
        - County government.
        - Special districts (e.g., Health, Library, Parks/Nature, Public Safety, Water/Sanitary services).
    - Illinois has the highest number of government units of any state, approximately 7,000.
Disadvantages
    - Duplicative and costly administration.
    - Lack of economies of scale leading to inequitable spending.
    - Zoning decisions can influence urban sprawl; if zoning is too lenient it may promote urban sprawl and if too strict it can exclude certain groups.
Advantages
- More local control and decision-making opportunities.

Trends
- Migration patterns show movement from “city” to suburban areas known as suburbanization.
- This trend accelerated significantly post-World War II and represents the largest migration flow in the U.S.

Population Density Distribution
    - Represents the number of persons per square mile:
        - 15,000 and above
        - 10,000 - 14,999
        - 5,000 - 9,999
        - Below 5,000
    - Temporal changes can be shown on maps across decades like from 1900 to 1960, with visual representations of density gradients.

Population Change Over Time
    - The share of population by sector shows growth from 1900 to 2010.
        - The population reached 10 million as shown in census data.
        - 2000 and 2010 show specific demographics and changes in the population sectors.

Push Factors Leading to Suburbanization
    - Urban decay and associated problems in inner cities.
    - Perceptions of “the other,” including racism towards new immigrants (Mexicans, Asians, Puerto Ricans, Appalachians, and African-Americans).
    - Blockbusting techniques influencing suburban migration.
Pull Factors for Moving to Suburbs
- Government policies favoring suburban living.
- Automotive development and freeway construction that facilitate long-distance commuting.

Post-War Initiatives
    - Suburbanization acceleration due to government initiatives, particularly during the post-World War II era.
    - Mortgage Tax Deductions
        - Incentives favoring homeownership over renting.
    - Programs targeted towards returning veterans to ease housing shortages.
        - FHA (Federal Housing Administration): Lower down payments, longer mortgage terms.
        - GI Bill: Low-interest loans and coverage for education costs, benefiting primarily white suburbanites due to redlining practices that excluded minorities.

Characteristics of the Model
    - Introduces the concept of ring highways around central cities, facilitating access to suburban areas while avoiding traffic congestion in the CBD (Central Business District).
    - This model reflects the decentralization of traditional city layouts.
    - Industrial shifts from central locations to the periphery (as exemplified by Detroit).
    - Emergence of edge cities, which exhibit higher job density than bedroom capacity, clustering retail and services that rival those in CBDs (examples include Schaumburg and Oakbrook).
    - Edge cities experience distinct urban problems such as poverty and crime while grappling with the legacy of past economic restructuring.

Functional Characteristics
    - Areas that offer various urban services similar to central cities but often developed as stand-alone entities.
    - The population dynamics shift: day population may exceed night population due to job clustering.
    - Some edge cities now embody urban challenges such as low-paying industrial jobs and associated social issues.

Design and Environmental Benefits
    - Promotes walkable suburban areas with higher density housing.
    - Anti-automobile infrastructure encourages diverse, connected, and community-oriented neighborhoods.
    - Mixed-use zoning facilitates integration of residential and commercial spaces, reducing reliance on cars and the carbon footprint of suburbia.
    - Enhanced accommodations for mass transit to connect suburban developments with CBDs.

Automobile Dependency
- Suburbs exhibit high reliance on cars, necessitating substantial infrastructure for roads and highways, leading to congestion issues.
Public Transit Deficiency
- Lack of effective public transportation diminishes attractiveness of suburban living compared to urban settings.
Urban Sprawl Issues
- Competition for valuable agricultural land, loss of vegetation, elevated carbon emissions.
- Efforts like “smart growth” aim to counteract negative implications of urban sprawl.
Emerging Poverty
- As industry relocates to suburbs, they bring urban challenges (e.g., poverty, crime) into these areas.
Cultural Aspects
- Issues with placelessness lead to homogeneity in suburban landscapes, reducing cultural diversity.

Traditional perspective suggests cities generate significant greenhouse gases due to high automobile use.
Emerging perception posits that cities, with their dense populations, produce relatively lower levels of GHGs because of their efficiency in space utilization.

Comparison of Development
    - The U.S and UK city layouts showcasing urban expansion—smart growth principles are highlighted.
    - Visual representation emphasizes the need to distinguish between sustainable and sprawling urban growth styles.
    - Greenbelts represent smart growth strategies aimed at limiting unnecessary urban sprawl.

Suburbanization remains a complex issue marked by various contributing factors, both push and pull, alongside the repercussions of local government fragmentation and urban planning.
The emergence of theories such as New Urbanism provides frameworks to address these challenges facing suburban regions while considering sustainability and livability.