Urban Geography

Urban Geography

The geographical study of

distribution and dynamics of cities.
similarities, differences, & relationships between cities.
functions of and problems within cities.

Two scales of study

regional distribution of urban settlements (urban system)
local distribution of people and activities (urban form)

The interplay between globalization and local diversity of urban settlements.

Urbanization

The process by which the population of cities grows in two dimensions:

the percentage of people living in cities.

(3% -1800, 6% -1850, 14% -1990, 30% -1950, 43% -1997)

the number of people living in cities.

Cities having ®	1-Million People	10-Million People
1900	13	0
1990	300	13

Different causes for urbanization in MDCs (industrial revolution) and LDCs (high population growth rates).

Why Urban?

Humans are social animals for many reasons.

Villages and hamlets - original forms of settlement.

Labor specification gave birth to urban functions.

Commercial activities within and between human settlements are the seed for urban development.

The mobilizing function. (efficiency and effectiveness)

The decision-making capacity. (econo-political power)

The generative function. (interaction and competition)

The transformative capacity. (liberating effect on people’s lifestyles and behaviors)

Defining Urban Settlements

Capstone of cultures, the organizing focuses of societies and economies, the magnet of population

Four characteristics:

performs functions to generate income to support itself
is a part of a larger society and economy
has orderly internal arrangement of land use, social groups, and economic functions
has experienced any or all of the urban problems (land use, social conflict, environmental concern, etc.)
Concepts of city, town, suburb, central city, urbanized area, metropolitan area, conurbation, and megalopolis.

Location of Cities

A city must be efficiently located in relation to

its centrality to the area served (® central place theory)
Physical characteristics of its site (rivers, sea ports.
resources, productive regions, and transportation network of the region.
Break-of-bulk locations, head-of-navigation, bay head, or rail head locations (transportation centers).

Security and defense.

A classification of cities: transportation centers, special-function cities, and central places.

The Functions of Cities

Two linkages of a city

link to other cities (complementarity).
link to its hinterland (spatial interaction).

The economic base of a city = "export" (basic sector) + services (non-basic sector)

Variations in basic sector among urban units characterize the functional specialization of cities.

Base ratio determines the size of the multiplier effect in the city.

Systems of Urban Settlements

The urban hierarchy

ranking of cities based on size and functional complexity

Rank-size rule

The n^th largest city of a national system of cities = 1/n^th the size of the largest city. (e.g., 2nd largest is 1/2 the size of the largest)

Primate city

Largest city >> twice the size of the 2^nd largest city.

Urban influence zone

The areas outside of a city that are still affected by it.

Central places

Urban focal points for the distribution of economic goods and services to the surrounding nonurban populations.

Christaller’s Central Place Theory

Explanation of the observed regularities of size, location, and interdependence of settlement.

Five assumptions

isotropic plain, even population distribution, same human characteristics, threshold consumption, and economical rationality

Resulting spatial patterns - a hexagonal hierarchy.

Two important conclusions

system interdependence
system stability

Models of Urban Land-use Structure

Concentric zone model (E. W. Burgess, 1923)

urban community as a set of four nested housing rings. (CBD, transition zone, working-class families, middle-class families)

Sector model (H. Hoyt, 1939)

activities expand outward in a wedge from the center due to uneven distribution of environmental advantages.

Multiple-nuclei model (C.D. Harris & E.L. Ullman, 1945)

activities revolve around more than one center, and the setting itself polarizes landuse specialization over time.

World Urban Diversity

Canadian City

Campact, high density of buildings and people, lesser degree of suburbanization. Multiple family housing, relatively more public transportation. Less internal distinctions based on race and income.

Western European City

More compact than Canadian city, apartment residence the norm. Residential streets of older sections are narrow, built for pedestrians. Reliance on public transportation. Downtown has residential units for middle class. Not as much inner-city deterioration and out-migration as in American cities.

The Socialist City

Centrally planned internal structure of neighborhood equality and self-sufficiency. Governmental, rather than market control of land use and functional patterns. Universal apartment dwelling, microdistricts - uniform apartment blocks with stores, theaters, and other neighborhood necessities.

Third World City

Primate city pattern. Massive immigration from rural areas, urbanization far exceeds industrialization. Upper class in central areas, social status declines with increasing distance from the center. Impoverished squatter settlements on city periphery with poor or no public facilities - an inverse concentric zone model.