Unit 6.1 Test Review
Basic Definitions to know: Urban/Urbanization
the process of making an area more urban.
Basic Definitions to know: Gentrification
the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.
Basic Definitions to know: Urban Sprawl
unrestricted growth of housing, commercial developments, and roads over large expanses of land with little concern for urban planning.
Borchert's Epochs of urban growth: Steel Rail Epoch
was distinguished by rapid development of the iron and steel industry. Substantial growth was recorded by cities in or near the nation's fields of high-grade bituminous coal, such as Pittsburgh, and by the emerging major industrial cities of the Northeast and Midwest during this epoch. With improved accessibility by rail, new urban centers developed in the important agricultural districts of the West and in areas containing mineral and timber resources. Smaller cities registered their greatest growth during this time.
Borchert's Epochs of urban growth: Iron Horse Epoch
was marked by the establishment of a crude national railroad network. Most of the fastest-growing cities during this epoch were ports on internal waterways in the Midwest (close to the Great Lakes and along the Mississippi) where the railroads converged. Although of growing importance, railroads only complemented water transportation during this epoch, linking ports with neighboring farmlands and mineral and timber producing areas. The focus was still on the port cities, which accelerated the growth of what was soon to become known as Megalopolis.
Urban Hearths: Greek Influence (Pg. 254)
Romans were greatly influenced by the Greeks, as is evident in Roman mythology and urban Morphology of Roman cities. Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation.
Urban Hearths: Agricultural Village
Rural, agricultural villages are made up of people who are subsistence farmers. It is egalitarian in nature - there is no social stratification like there is in the city. Everyone is equal in terms of power and the community works together and share goods - most trade is done through the barter system. People live in permanent dwellings, but they are often more simple than those of the urban settlements.
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Urban Hierarchy
Settlements for a hierarchy - just as with other hierarchies we've seen this year, there will be many more at the lowest level than the highest. The top of the urban hierarchy is the Conurbanation - this is a collection of major cities. Think the New York City Metro Area (includes the 5 Boroughs of New York - Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island), as well as several counties in the surrounding states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut that are commuter zones of New York City. Next is the Large city - there are many more large cities than there are conurbanizations. Then Cities - there are many more cities than there are large cities Then Towns - Then small towns Then Villages Then Hamlets - the hamlet is the bottom of the urban hierarchy. Everything below that is not a central place, as it is an isolated residence.
Basic Definitions to know: Disamenity Sector
The very poorest parts of cities that in extreme cases are not connected to regular city services and are controlled by gangs and drug lords.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Accessibility
(Peak and Land Value Intersection (Slide)) Land values in urban areas are determined by accessiblity (how accessible the land is). The image represents land value and shows "peak" land value intersections. Peak and land value intersections can be found where urban transportation networks increase accesibility.
Basic Definitions to know: Central Place Theory
1) Urban places form an orderly rank or hierarchy 2) Places of the same size with the same number of functions are fairly evenly spaced apart on the landscape 3) Larger urban areas are spaced farther apart than smaller towns or villages. Walter Christaller was a German geographer who noticed a distinctive pattern of the location of central places of varying sizes across the landscape.
Basic Definitions to know: New Urbanism
A counter to urban sprawl. Development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs. New urbanists want to create neighborhoods that promote a sense of community and a sense of place. A general new urbanist community is designed with one central shopping center clustered around by neighborhoods. New urbanists aim to take less space. Examples of new urbanist projects: Seaside, Florida; West Laguna, California; Kentlands, Maryland; Celebration, Florida.
Basic Definitions to know: Underclass
A group in society prevented from participating in the material benefits of a more developed society because of a variety of social and economic characteristics.
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Range
A low range means people are not willing to travel very far to acquire the service. For example, the distance you are willing to travel to get gasoline for your car is probably pretty low. You are unlikely to travel to downtown Austin to get gas for two main reasons: A high range means that people are willing to travel great distances to acquire that service. For example: Disney World/Disneyland/EuroDisney, etc.
Basic Definitions to know: Blockbusting
A process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that black families will soon move into the neighborhood. Blockbusting happened in the 1960s and 1970s in America.
Basic Definitions to know: Green Belt
A ring of land maintained as parks, agriculture, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area.
Informal Economy
A segment of the economy that is not regulated or taxed by the state EX: Brading hair in the Bahamas
City Functions/Change over time: The Industrial City
AKA Manufacturing City During the late 17th and into the 18th century Europeans invented important improvements to agriculture including the seed drill, hybrid seeds, improved breeding practices for livestock. These led to the movement to cities where people found employment in the rapidly growing manufacturing sector of the economy. AKA-Manufacturing City • Many industrial cities grew from small villages along canals and river routes. The primary locational determinant was the proximity to the power source. • There were smokestacks and tenements. Urban dwellers converted elegant homes into overcrowded slums. The sanitation system failed and the water supply was inadequate. • There was segregation by economic class. Your ability to pay determines where you live. The upper class begins to seek land on the outskirts of the city. The Central Business District became more fully developed as the center of commercial activity within the city, with growing connections to the CBDs in other cities.
Urban Hearths: Mesopotamian City
Ancient Mesopotamian cities usually were protected by mud walls (25 feet high 70 feet thick). • Temples dominated the urban landscape (large and build mounds over 100 feet high) • Priests and authorities resided in substantial buildings (palaces). • Ordinary citizens lived in mud-walled houses packed closely together and separated only by a narrow lane. • Lining the narrow lane, craftspeople set up workshops. • The poorest people lived in tiny huts on the outskirts of the city. • The leadership class held slaves in prison-like accommodations, sometimes on the outside of the city wall.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Basic/Non-Basic Industries
Basic: Brings in income from outside the city. This is the "economic base" of a city. OUTSIDE OF CITY. Non-Basic: Circulates money within the local city's economy. INSIDE
Urban Hearths: Greek city-states (characteristics
By 500 BCE, Greece had become one of the most highly urbanized areas on Earth. Athens was the largest city in the world at the time with 250,000 inhabitants (about twice the size of Round Rock). The Acropolis: Every city had its acropolis (Acro= high point; polis=city) on which people built the most impressive structures; usually religious buildings. There were also government offices and storehouses. The most famous today is the Parthenon. Agora=Market. They were public places; open and spacious squares on the low part of town with steps leading down to them. On these stops Greeks debated, lectured, judged, planned military campaigns, and socialized. It became the focus of commercial activity. The Theater- Greek cities had excellent theaters. Aristocracy attended plays and listened to philosophical discussions. Rectangular Grid Plan- The Plan of Miletus (470 BCE). The invention of formal city planning (rectangular grid plan) is attributed to Hippodamus of Miletus. Buildings were arranged so that wind could optimally flow through the city and cool in the summer. Later many cities were laid out this way.
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Hexagons
Christaller's Central Place Theory resulted in a model of hexagons. The larger cities (red dots) are spaced furthest apart. Smaller settlements (yellow dots) are closer together. The nested hexagons show urban areas with their surrounding market area (hinterland). One city = One hexagon
City Functions/Change over time: Islamic City
Citadel (Kasbah)- was the fortified palace of the governor and was located in the high part of town near the wall. • The Mosque and market were centrally located. • The Traditional Islamic city reflects a concern for visual privacy. Houses are introverted, and the height of the wall had to be above the height of the camel rider. There was separation for public and private domains. Quarters were created to group ethnic and kin groups. • Upper left (Zerhoun Morocco) Bottom (Tehran)
City Functions/Change over time: Shock City
Cities that are growing more rapidly than can be managed. Infrastructure Challenges Not Enough Housing High Unemployment Lack of zoning
Megacities (Pg. 265)
Cities with 10 million or more residents
World Cities (Pg. 238)
Dominant cities in terms of its role in the global political economy. Not the world's biggest city in term of population or industrial output, but rather centers of strategic control of the world economy
City Functions/Change over time: Medieval City
Europe went through a period of stagnation in decline after the collapse of the Greek and Roman empires. These are referred to as the "Dark Ages" or Medieval (Middle Ages) times. This time period lasted from about 500 BCE to 1300/1500 BCE). Very little urban growth occurred in Europe during the first 2/3 of this period, and then picked up toward the end as Europe entered the Age of Exploration and the 2nd Agricultural Revolution. This is the time period of feudalism in Europe - highly structured and contained settlements with strict social stratification. Political instability between Manors made long distance trade difficult Cities were walled fortresses - it was a dangerous world. Residences for the upper classes were inside the walls, and the surrounding land was farmed by the peasants, who "paid" a (usually large) portion of their crops to the Lord (of the manor) in return for access to the land to farm and for protection by the Lord's army (the Knights). The walls of these historical cities are still visible on the cultural landscape, either by still physically being present, or in toponyms (often there is a street called "Wall Street"
General Characteristics of cities: Former Communist Cities
Government policies can drastically affect the layout of a city. In communist cities, all zones were master-planned by the government. They did not develop "organically" (without interference) as early cities did. Former communist cities will not fit the models we will look at next class, but rather fit their own model because there was a pattern to the planning. In former communist cities, the general pattern is a large central square and surrounded by self sufficient micro-districts. Apartment blocks are commonplace (they had to house many people), and there was limited choice in where a family lived. EX: Russia and Kosice, Slovakia
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Hamlet, Village, Town, City, Conurbation
Hamlet: Provides some basic services to people living there and to those nearby. Village: Is likely to offer several dozen services. There will be some specialization. Town: Larger than a village and has a higher level of specialization. City: More specialization and a larger hinterland than a town. Conurbanations are at the top of the hierarchy - there are only a few within the U.S. - New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Atlanta, and Dallas-Ft. Worth - these places will have multiple offerings of everything listed above + super specialized medical care (i.e., cancer research centers such as MD Anderson), headquarters of major multinational corporations and financial institutions, Commodities and Stock exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ - both of which are in New York City - the Tokyo Stock Exchange, etc.), and International airports with customs and border control services (if you travel out of the country, you will most likely need to go through DFW, Houston, Atlanta, San Francisco, LAX, Chicago, or one of the NYC area airports). Some countries may only have one Conurbanation known as a primate city
Hotelling's Model
He posed the question as to where two ice cream vendors might stand on a beach occupied by people distributed evenly along its stretch. He concluded that the 2 vendors might start at locations somewhat distant so they could each be as close to as many customers possible as they seek to maximize profits they would seek to constrain each others sales territory leading them closer together until they are back to back at the center of the beach. They would stay there because the decision to move by one of them could hurt profitability.
Basic Definitions to know: Public Housing
Housing owned by the government; in the United States, it is rented to low-income residents, and the rents are set at 30 percent of the families' incomes.
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Threshold
How many people are needed to keep a service going
Basic Definitions to know: Urban Renewal
Program in which cities identify blighted inner-city neighborhoods, acquire the properties from private owners, relocate the residents and businesses, clear the site, build new roads and utilities, and turn the land over to private developers.
City Functions/Change over time: Urban Expansion, Silk Road, Interior Cities
Interior Cities develop along the Silk Road. Note, when we discuss "Interior" cities, we are referring to cities on the interior of the continent - these cities are often tied to trade routes. Remember, most major cities develop along the coastal plain (this does NOT mean ON the coast, it means the relatively flat land that stretches from the coast to the interior mountains. If the coastal plain is narrow, such as in Southern California (the area between the ocean and mountains is relatively narrow compared the Gulf Coastal Plain (where we are, even though we are a few hundred miles from the ocean). Today, we see large interior cities at the crossroads of major highways, such as Phoenix (at the crossroads of I-10 and I-17) or on navigable that stretch far inland.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Ethnic/Racial Patterns
Kinship relations are the biggest reason why people stay in a city with high unemployment.
City Functions/Change over time: Sun Belt Cities
LA, San Diego, Phoneix, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Bid-Rent
Land closest to the CBD is the most expensive.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Peak Land Value Intersection
Land values in urban areas are determined by accessiblity (how accessible the land is). The image represents land value and shows "peak" land value intersections. Peak and land value intersections can be found where urban transportation networks increase accesibility. Land is most expensive in places where multiple transportation routes converge or radiate.
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Low Order/High Order Services
Low order goods and services are the services or products that we must purchase/use on a regular basis. EX: Grocery Store Higher Order goods and services are those that are only needed less frequently, or are only needed by a small portion of the population. EX: Buying a car at a dealership
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Multiplier Effect
Refers to the number of jobs that fit into either the basic or non-basic categories. There will be many more non-basic jobs for each basic job
City Functions/Change over time: Mercantile City
Mercantile means "relating to trade or commerce; commercial" The mercantile city is where cities are responsible for the beginnings of "downtowns", or "Central Business Districts" • Successful merchants built ornate mansions, patronized the arts, participated in city governance and supported reconstruction of cities. As a result cities that thrived during mercantilism took on similar forms. • The central square became the focus of the city, fronted by royal, religious, public, and private buildings of wealth and prosperity. • Streets leading to the central squares formed arteries of commerce and the beginnings of downtowns emerged. • The rise of monarchs who presided over unified countries was apparent in the display of power. There were increased city sizes. One national capital rose to prominence. There was new concern for city planning. Wide boulevards, large open squares, palaces and public buildings. • During the 16th and 17th centuries European Mercantile cities became nodes of widening networks of national and global commerce. Historic Mercantile Cities: • Florence Italy (upper left) Versailles (Upper right); Dresden Germany (lower left) St. Peters Basilica Rome(lower right). • Renaissance Period (1500-1600) • Baroque Period (1600-1800)
City Functions/Change over time: Modern City
Modern cities, especially in North America, are Large urban centers surrounded by suburbs. Personal transportation and road construction are responsible for this pattern. Historically, the growth of north American cities was constrained by limited transportation. The Veterans Administration loans for military and former members of the military also contributed to movement to suburbs, as the recipients of these low-interest loans were able to purchase single family homes and cars to use to commute to their jobs in the city.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Invasion and Succession
Neighborhood changes whereby one social group succeeds another in a residential area.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: North American Cities
Social Status-Based on income or occupation. Patterning agrees with sector model. People of similar status are grouped in sectors which fan out. Tends to move away from the CBD along transportation lanes. Family Status-Agrees with concentric model (based on life style). As distance from center increases the average age of the adult residents declines, or the size of their family increases, or both. Ethnic Status-Agrees with multiple-nuclei model-Settlement tends to cluster, sometimes segregation is focused on a group because of low income.
Christaller's Central Place Theory: Market/Hinterland
The economic reach of a settlement
Urban Hearths: Roman Urban System
The Roman's organized their empirical governments in a true hierarchy-"All roads lead to Rome" City life diffused across the Roman Empire. Cities had economic specialization within the Empire - each city had a specific purpose or specialty Roads were built to facilitate trade and military movement. • Rome is estimated to have had 1 million people by 400 CE. Towns had 1500-30,000 • Romans linked places with an extensive transportation system that included roads, sea routes, and trading ports. • The integration of the Urban System of the Roman Empire was greatly facilitated by the transportation system. • Roman regional planners displayed a remarkable capacity for choosing the sites of cities. The site was often chosen based on benefits of a trade location, defensive advantage, or because it was an appropriate religious location. The Roman's innovation and construction of civil engineering projects (infrastructure development) was complex and impressive - much of this infrastructure is still standing today (i.e., Roman aqueducts - their water systems!). The technology used in modern infrastructure is remarkably similar to that developed by the Romans, based on influences from the Greeks. • Aqueducts carried water from 300 miles away and delivered 60 million cubic feet of water daily. They also had an underground sewer and surface water supply. • There are a lot of Greek influences. The Roman forum was the focal point of Roman Public life. It combined the Greek agora and acropolis. • Rome has the world's first great stadium (Coliseum) in Rome. At one point, its façade (the exterior) was constructed of marble, which has since been removed, leaving the "ruined" underlying structure behind. • They adapted the rectangular grid layout whenever surface conditions made it possible - the map above shows Pompeii, which provided a well-preserved archeological record due to an extreme natural disaster - the Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, which buried the city in volcanic ash and froze it in time.
Basic Definitions to know: Central Business District
The area of a city where retail and office activities are clustered. It also is also called the central activities district. In North America it's called "Downtown". In Chicago it would be the area closest to the lake, most notably Michigan Avenue
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: European Cities
The core has residential, retail, civic (gov't) and religious structures. Many times you will see residential housing above businesses. Surrounding the core is the preindustrial periphery which was affected by railroads and manufacturing establishments during the industrial era. Beyond that is a ring of industrial and postindustrial suburbs. Streets are narrow and winding (before cars). These cities are older than North American cities. Industrialization transformed them. There are manufacturing centers and major urban complexes. In the largest cities the legacies of the past still exist and the wars have taken a toll on the cities.
Other Theories/Models that shape urban areas: Functional Zonation
The divison of a city into zones according to their economic functions Residential Zones, Industrial Zones, Mixed Uses, Etc.
City Functions/Change over time: Post-Modern City/Post-Modern Landscape
The post-modern city is a result of chain stores/restaurants and placelessness. These cities are "pre-packaged" - neighborhoods look similar and offer similar amenities, regardless of what city you're in. Post-modern cities focus on entertainment and promotion of consumption. Example: LAS VEGAS Packaged landscape 1980's transformation; started to reinvent itself with the image of Disney, creating hotels and themed environments. It had well organized transportation and fantasy buildings that had no relation to each other. Unlike Disney, it had a mix of adult entertainment and family oriented simulation.
Over-Urbanization
The process whereby urban population growth outpaces that of urban jobs
City Functions/Change over time: The Colonial City
Urban areas where European transplants dominated the form of the city - served as the center of the government for Europe's Colonial holdings. Some examples include African cities (such as Lagos, Nigeria (British colony), and Kinshasa, Demographic Republic of the Congo (Belgium colony)) as well as South American Cities (such as Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Mexico City, Mexico. We will discuss the form of these cities later in this unit (both "Urban Models" and "Challenges of Megacities" PPTs) The image to the left is of Spain the image to the right is in Mexico City.
Basic Definitions to know: Primate City
a city of large size and dominant power within a country; a country's larges city, ranking atop the urban hierarchy, most expressive of the national culture and usually (but not always) the capital city as well
Basic Definitions to know: Redlining
a discriminatory real estate practice in North America in which members of minority groups are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes or property in predominantly white neighborhoods. The practice derived its name from the red lines depicted on cadastral maps used by real estate agents and developers. Today, redlining is officially illegal
Basic Definitions to know: Brownsfield
a property which has the presence or potential to be a hazardous waste, pollutant or contaminant.
Borchert's Epochs of urban growth: Auto Air Amenity Epoch
characterized by the impact on the nation's metropolitan complex of highway and air transportation expansion as well as increasingly important amenities. Improved transportation has made possible the dispersal of people to suburbs and satellite cities with the growth of central cities slowed or reversed as a consequence. The search for amenities has created not only burgeoning suburbs but booming Sun Belt urban centers in the South and Southwest.
Basic Definitions to know: Edge Cities
distinct sizable nodal concentration of retail and office space of lower that central city densities and situated on the outer fringes of older metropolitan areas
Borchert's Epochs of urban growth: Sail-wagon Epoch
during which nearly all urban centers were limited to the Atlantic Coast and nearby internal waterways. The largest cities—Boston, New York, and Philadelphia—had only small domestic hinterlands or trade areas and were oriented primarily toward the sea and Europe. The struggle between these cities for better access to the interior was underway, but little was accomplished, primarily because transportation was poorly developed and slow.
Basic Definitions to know: Tear-downs
homes bought in many American suburbs with the intent of tearing them down and replacing them with much larger homes often referred to as McMansions
Basic Definitions to know: McMansions
homes referred to as such because of their "super size" and similarity in appearance to other such homes; homes often built in place of tear-downs in american suburbs
Basic Definitions to know: Squatter Settlements/Slums/Flavas
illegal housing settlements usually made up of temporary shelters that surround large cities
Basic Definitions to know: Rank-size rule
in model urban hierarchy, the idea that the population of a city or town will be inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy
Basic Definitions to know: Food desert
limited access to fresh nutritious foods - low income neighborhoods where consumers have little access to medium and large grocery stores.
Basic Definitions to know: Suburbanization
movement of upper and middle-class people from urban core areas to the surrounding outskirts to escape pollution as well as deteriorating social conditions
Basic Definitions to know: World City
one of the largest cities in the world, generally with a ppulation of over 10 million
Basic Definitions to know: Ghetto/Ghettoization
process occurring in many inner cities in which they become dilapidated center of poverty, as rich whites move out to the suburbs
