Cities and Urban Land Use Notes

Unit 7: Cities and Urban Land Use - In-Depth Notes

Chapter 18: Urban Location Theory and Interaction
Chapter 19: Urban Land Use Models
Chapter 20: Urban Challenges

Unit Overview

Cities and their surrounding suburbs are constantly evolving in layout, functionality, and size. A central inquiry in geography is why populations migrate within urban areas, influencing the characteristics of urban landscapes.

Models of Urban Areas

Geographers develop models to depict city size and distribution patterns. These models facilitate the understanding of urban growth dynamics, and organization of city zones dedicated to commercial or residential objectives.

Urban Landscapes and Urban Challenges

Landscapes are a reflection of societal values and attitudes. Decisions on community organization—such as proximity of residences, infrastructure provisioning, and planning for future growth—illustrate collective priorities. Significant population concentrations can lead to immense opportunities as well as considerable challenges (e.g., industrial decline, environmental sustainability).

Enduring Understandings
  • The form, function, and size of urban settlements are in constant flux.
  • Geographical models help elucidate city distribution and size.
  • Internal city structure and development models provide frameworks for analysis.
  • Built landscapes reflect societal values and attitudes.
  • Urban areas encounter multifaceted challenges—economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental.
Urban Location Theory and Interaction

David Lanegran articulately observes that while cities are intimate local spaces, they also emerge from vast, intricate interactions with distant places.

Essential Question

How do geographers analyze urban growth and city significance?

The ecumene refers to the inhabited portions of Earth's surface presenting diverse community types and population densities. Geographical models aim to decrease complexity for better understanding and analysis of urban phenomena.

Factors Driving Urbanization and Suburbanization

Settlements, defined as locations with permanent populations, trace their roots back approximately 12,000 years to agricultural beginnings. Early settlements gained urban characteristics through:

  • Agricultural surplus
  • Social stratification and the rise of an urban elite
  • Job specialization

Urbanization is the continuous evolution of towns and cities. It indicates that urban elements are present in a region. The urbanization trend significantly impacted the 19th and 20th centuries, with projections suggesting over 60% of the global population will reside in cities by 2030, predominantly in less developed countries.

Suburbanization

Suburb: a primarily residential area adjacent to cities.
Suburbanization marks the transition of populations from urban centers to surrounding communities, reflecting lower density and ethnic diversity than cities.

Causes of Suburbanization

Key factors fueling suburban growth in North America after WWII include:

  • Economic prosperity and increased purchasing power
  • Advent of a car-centric lifestyle spurred by highway construction
  • The Federal Housing Administration mortgage support for suburban moves
  • Racial tensions leading to "white flight" towards suburbs
Shifting Trends

Suburbanization has reshaped populations, where, as of 1960, about 60 million people lived in urban, suburban, and rural settings each. The trend has shifted towards reurbanization (returning to urban centers) and exurbanization (moving to remote areas).

Influence of Site and Situation on Cities

Early settlements transitioned into city-states around 10,000 B.C.E., forming governance and administrative functions. City-states derived wealth and protection through their agricultural terrains. Key urban hearths emerged in:

  • Tigris-Euphrates Valley (Mesopotamia)
  • Nile River Valley (Egypt)
  • Indus River Valley (Pakistan)
  • Huang-He floodplain (China)
Centers for Services

Cities specialize in services and depend on surrounding agriculture, evolving into administrative, religious, and defensive hubs.

Defining Cities
  • Legal Definition: Boundaries help determine services, taxes, and governance.
  • Metropolitan Areas: High population density areas composed of adjacent cities (e.g., Denver metro).
  • Social Characteristics: Urban areas exhibit significant social diversity, contributing to their dynamic nature.
Borchert's Model

John Borchert's epochs categorize urban growth based on transportation advancements:

  • Sail-Wagon (1790-1830): Growth of water ports and steam-powered boats.
  • Iron Horse (1830-1870): Rise of rail networks connecting urban centers.
  • Steel Rail (1870-1920): Expansion into interior cities along rails.
  • Auto-Air-Amenity (1920-1970): Automobile fueled spatial expansion and interconnectedness.
Distribution and Interaction of Cities

Cities vary significantly in size. Models describe intercity interactions:

  • Gravity Model: Closer and larger cities engage more frequently.
  • Rank-Size Rule: The nth largest city is 1/n of the largest city’s size, promoting efficient service distribution and observable in countries like the U.S.
  • Primate Cities: A large city that dominates in size; tends to centralize services (e.g., Mexico City vs. London).
Central Place Theory

Walter Christaller’s theory explains urban settlement patterns, utilizing thresholds (minimum populations for service viability) and ranges (travel distances for services) to utilize hexagonal market areas.

Megacities

Defined as cities with populations exceeding ten million; often influential regionally and globally, particularly in developing nations characterized by rapid urbanization and socio-economic challenges.

World Cities

Global cities like New York, London, and Tokyo serve as financial and cultural hubs, influencing international dynamics and often housing key institutions (e.g., United Nations in NYC).

Megalopolis

French geographer Jean Gottman’s term refers to interconnected urban chains, notably the "Bos-Wash Corridor" in the U.S., illustrating urban consolidation beyond legislative boundaries.

Geographic Perspectives: Brasília

Planned and constructed swiftly in the 1960s, Brasília aimed to redistribute population pressure away from Rio and promote interior development. While architecturally striking, it has faced criticisms related to its walkability and community engagement.

Key Terms

  • ecumene
  • urban
  • rural
  • suburb
  • settlement
  • urbanization
  • percent urban
  • suburbanization
  • reurbanization
  • exurbanization
  • satellite city
  • city-states
  • urban hearths
  • metropolitan area
  • metro area
  • metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
  • micropolitan statistical area
  • nodal region
  • social heterogeneity
  • time-space compression
  • Borchert's model
  • pedestrian cities
  • streetcar suburbs
  • urban system
  • gravity model
  • rank-size rule
  • primate city
  • central place theory
  • central place
  • market area
  • hexagonal hinterlands
  • threshold
  • range
  • megacities
  • megalopolis
  • conurbation
  • world cities
  • global cities