Urban Geography Exam 1
What is a primate city?
A lot bigger than surrounding cities; usually only major cities; has all functions of that country (government, fin ace, and culture)
What changes of the population have come since 1990's/2000's?
Decline in the midwest industrial cites (Rust Belt); Growth in the south and coastal areas (Sun Belt)
Why were the roads of early spanish colonies narrow?
Easily defensible
US Census
Government program that surveys the population every ten years. Serves many purposes: figure out Congressional apportionment, Federal funding levels, demographic info, etc. First done in 1790.
What is a slum?
Housing that doesn't meet basic needs
What is a squatter settlement?
Illegally living on a property, usually in a slum
Describe the U.S growth around 1830.
Movement towards inland orientation (along rivers, Ohio); Ports still very important; Industry is starting to develop, Troy, NY (uncle sam); Louisiana purchase in 1803 (doubled the size of the U.S); New Orleans is the first southern city developed (port of the Mississippi river)
What are some early examples of industrial cities?
London, Paris, Amsterdam,
Yo, what was going on with China cities?
Longest continuous civilization; oldest evidence of civilizations is along Huang He River; walled cities; not lots of info on cities;
What are some common characteristics of slums?
Made up of random junkyard materials; no foundations; tarp roofs
Secondary Activity
Manufacturing
Was there social hierarchy in Greek?
NO
Import Substitution
a government policy that uses trade restrictions and subsidies to encourage domestic production of manufactured goods
Organic City
Unplanned/formed from daily interaction
What are world cities?
cities that function in the global scale out of reach of the state as service centers for the world economy, creating the most impactful economic outcome for a state
Micropolitan Area
contains an urban core of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population.
Insula
"Apartments" of Roman City; 3-6 story building, first floor was desired because they had running water; 300 AD= 1.8 Million
What is an example of an intermediate county?
Canada; Montreal and Toronto; Why? Because of English Canada vs French Canada
Early Functions of Cities
1) Defense 2) Religion 3) Trade
Things Always Present in Greek Cities...
1) Fortress (Acropolis) 2) Agora (Market/Trade)
What are the 3 things that foster population growth?
1) International Migration 2) Internal Migration 3) Natural Increase
What are the three types of developing cities?
1) Precolonial 2)Colonial 3)Post Colonial
What were the three types of Spanish Colonies?
1) Presidio (Forts) 2)Mission City (Religious) 3) Pueblo (Market/Trade)
List the elements of Industrial Cities
1)Factories had the best sites; central to urban form 2) Railroads= factories' connection to main ports; 3) Slums= mass housing for factory workers; built fast and cheap;
Block Groups
10 or 12 blocks put together
What defines an urban place? (US Census)
2000+ Population
What is a precolonial city?
A city that came about in the developing world prior to European urbanization; low population density; areas for trade, marketing, religion; Very Organic (connected to country side/ hinterland
City-State
A city with political and economic control over the surrounding countryside
Polis
A city-state in ancient Greece.
What is the world city hierarchy?
A ranking of major cities that function as world cities
City Block
A square space between streets in a city.
What does Post-War Suburbanization mean?
After the end of WWII, the urban population moved to the suburbs; still see this today
Where do we see the biggest growth in Canada?
Alberta (Oil) and Ontario (Desirable cities)
Name some information about early Sumerian cities
Along valleys of the Tigris and Euprates rivers; had 50,000 people by 2600 BC; required a healthy and flourishing hinterland; size of city was dependent on surplus gathered; organic
What is New Urbanism?
An approach to designing cities, towns, and neighborhoods aimed at reducing traffic and sprawl and increasing social interactions.
What is a colonial city?
Areas colonized by a European (France, England, Spain) power; primary existence to serve master city; connection to Europe
Urbanized Area
Central city and surrounding areas- built up area
What's up with early Indus Valley?
At least 5 major cities of at least 20,000 people; planned cites; broad straight streets; no evidence of dominating temple; housing ranged from single-room tenements to impressive homes; many had working/flushing bathrooms; inability to decipher language;
What is an example of a forward capital?
Brasilla; built to reject colonial ideas; encourage development of Brazil independence; middle of country; VERY INORGANIC and modern
Aqueducts
Bridge-like stone structures that carry water from the hills into Roman cities
Greek Cities
By 500 B.C, Greece had become one of the most highly urbanized places on Earth. It had more than 500 cities and towns connected by trade routes. It was hilly and naturally protected. Conditions were poor. The agora (market) was the center of social and economic activity. Greece had a global impact.
Where did the spanish settle in the late 1700s?
Coast of California
Overbounding
Communities expanding boundaries to raise population; ex- Jacksonville, Florida
Which county has the biggest urban population, Canada or the United States?
Canada! Why? The urban population is so high in Canada because a large majority of the land is not amenable to farming
What was the most important early transportation system? (USA)
Eerie Canal; cities grew along the canal
What were the economic functions of Colonial cities?
Export resources to master city; usually a port
Primary Activity
Farming; harvesting from earth (mining, foresting, and fishing) usually rural
Early Origins: Middle East
Fertile Crescent; Pakistan-Indus River
Where is the earliest evidence of Urban Planning?
First Spanish colonies, "Law of the Indies"
Describe the U.S. growth around 1790.
First census; almost all cities were ports of the east coast(export); just after independence (1776); cities associated with trade and commerce
Give some information on Mesoamerica cities
First large city emerged in Teotichuaua; occupied 8 square miles; contained over 200,000 people; largest city of the new world; planned; apartment housing;
Where is a slum likely to be found?
Found on piece of invaluable land (side of a hill, along polluted river)
What does primate mean in context of Rank-Size Rule?
Generally there is only one major city of a county; New york has more than double the population of the second biggest city (LA)
The Discipline of Geography
Geo= World; Graphy= Describe/Write
Rank Size Rule
In a model urban hierarchy, the idea that the population of a city or town will be inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy; really no theory (mostly observed) populatation=population (largest)/Rank X
Describe the U.S. growth around 1910.
Industrial bases is way up; not very many port cites; manufactured MANY different things; mostly centered around great lakes (Chicago, Detroit); the western economy starts to develop (LA, Seattle, San Fran), Not industrial on western coast, more trade); still no big South activity;
What is spatial analysis?
Involves an emphasis on developing theory, hypothesis, quantitative methods, and mathematical model building; major concern of is where cites are located
What does intermediate mean in context of Rank-Size Rule?
It mean that there is 2 almost equal big cities of a country
Law of the Indies
LOTS of rules (148); Zoning document; Told what made a suitable location; Spanish Colonies
What is the exception to the precolonial structure?
Mexico City; Planned; Major power city; religious and government significance
Describe the U.S growth around 1870.
More development of inland cities; less large coast cities; Great Lakes Cities; INDUSTRY/MANUFACTURING (great lakes-steel, agriculture, processing food); less water transportation more RAILROADS; First west coast city (San Francisco, Gold Rush); Not as many exports, more in country stuff); South? More agricultural economy; still a mess after the end of the civil war (1865)
Why is there rural to urban migration?
More economic opportunities; bright lights effect; social amenities are better; hard to compete against the mechanization of agricultural
Early Origins: Egypt
Nile River
Were colonial cities organic?
No, they were inorganic (planned from outside)
What is the historical importance of Rochester, NY?
Not a port; Very tall water falls of Genesis River (80ft drop); fall line city; lots of industry development; eerie canal connected it to NY and Midwest;
Describe the Latin America structure of city
Opposite of America (almost), gets worse the farther you get away from the city; city is nicest place
Tracts
Originally a neighborhood; 2000-6000 people
Slum population by region?
Over half of South-Central Asia; Majority of Sub-Saharah Africa;
River Valleys
People always settle here because the land is always more fertile near rivers; the best place to start a civilization.
Design Characteristics of Greece
Perpendicular Streets; Rectilinear Grid; parts of grid associated w/ different things
Common Details of Spanish Colonies
Rectilinear grid (streets/blocks); central plaza (market, religious, government); hierarchy; very narrow roads
Chicago... Site or Situation?
SITUATION; crappy physical location (swampy land, no ports); railroads converged in Chicago; transported agricultural stuff of the west (farm, grain, cattle[meat packing started here, pkgd cattle from the west to sell to the east], etc.) to the urban populations of the east;
Urban Place
Secondary and tertiary activity
What is a forward capital?
Serves as a model for country's economic development and future hopes; purposefully against original colonial city
Tertiary Activity
Service
Talk about early Egypt civilizations...
Similar to Sumerian; entire nile river was controlled by one pharaoh; city lived to build tomb for ruler; town was abandoned after rulers death; organic
In the context of site vs situation, what does site mean?
Site means that a town was created due to a physical characteristic of a place; Rochester was created because of the waterfall
In the context of site vs situation, what does situation mean?
Situation means that it is was created due to is relative location to other things; Rochester also grew because it was connected to the eerie canal
Where are the earliest identifiable cites found?
Southern Mesopotamia, in Sumeria
What does a linear pattern of cities look like?
Strung out in a line; Why? Easy transport; Usually along a river or rail road
Urban Geography
Understanding urban places of the world; focuses on how cities function, their internal systems and structures, and the external influences on them
What are some of the desirable cites of Canada?
Toronto (biggest population) , Vancover (like the seattle of the US); Canada has a very diverse population (many asians)
What is Geographic Information Science?
a computer based, data-processing tool for gathering/manipulating/analyzing geographic info;
Agricultural Surplus
The amount of food grown by a society that exceeds the demands of its population which can be used for storage or trade; Hinterland
What is Globalization?
The increase in links between people and economies around the world.
When have we seen the most change in city distribution?
The last 50 years
How does baseball relate to economic growth?
The major baseball teams correlate with industrial centered county; relied on rail roads for transportation; couldn't go to west coast easily;
Neolithic Revolution
The switch from nomadic lifestyles to a settled agricultural lifestyle is this revolution. (10,000 - 8,000 BCE) The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals as a food source. This led to the development of permanent settlements and the start of civilization.
Agricultural Revolution
The time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering
Central City
The urban area that is not suburban; generally, the older or original city that is surrounded by newer suburbs.
Why do the majority of international immigrants go to NY?
They go to work in the service industry
What does Coast, Rivers, Mountains mean?
This is where people settled; there was strong bed rock that created waterfalls; called fall lines, used for water power
Metropolitan Area
Urbanized area and all the connected places
What caused clustered formation of cities?
Usually a presence of a natural resource; EX- mining towns (Anthracite, PA; coal mining)
Early Roman Cities
Very extensive (all over Mediterranean); Engineers of Ancient World: Aqueducts, Roads/Highways (to move military and increased trade/interaction)
Rectilinear Grid (Roman)
WAS social hierarchy; important places in center (govt./religious); powerful and wealthy live close to center; N-S AVE= Military Precessions; E-W AVE=Commercial/Trade
What did waterfall have to do with city orientation?
Waterfall were a natural place to stop, used water power (fall lines) markets usually grew up around waterfall
Why is there a decline in the industrial cities?
We are in a growth area of Creativity rather than industry. (Creative Class>Industrial Class)
Domus
Wealthy Romans lived here; very large, extravagant homes; 300 AD= 30K
Underbounding
When the city limits is smaller than the population; ex- Manchester, Detroit
