Unit 7: Cities and Urban Land Use

Central Place Theory

  • Spatial theory in urban geography explaining the distribution, size, and number of settlements (hamlets, villages, towns, and cities).

  • Reference: pg. 434-436 in Rubes.

  • Threshold: The minimum number of people required for a business to operate.

  • Range: The maximum distance people are willing to travel to obtain a product or service.

City Models and Structure

  • U.S. Models: Concentric Zone Model, Sector Model, and Multiple Nuclei Model.

  • Latin American City Model: Includes a CBD, Market, Spine, Mall, and Zone of peripheral squatter settlements (Periférico).

  • African City Model: Features three distinct districts: Colonial CBD, Traditional CBD, and Market zone.

Urban Hierarchy and World Cities

  • Settlement Hierarchy: Hamlet, Village, Town, City, Metropolis, Megalopolis.

  • World Cities: Global "hearths" of culture, economics, and politics, specifically New York, London, and Tokyo.

  • BOSWASH: The primary Megalopolis in the United States.

Primate Cities

  • The largest and most significant city within a country.

  • Centered on economic power and national culture.

  • Must contain at least 2×2 \times the population of the second-largest city.

City Issues

  • Significant urban challenges include race relations, traffic, water delivery, pollution, urban sprawl, and spatial inequality.

Questions & Discussion

  • Question: What’s the megalopolis in the US?

  • Response: BOSWASH.