MEGALOPOLIS(Chapter 4)

Ellis Island

Physical Geography• Physiography

– Atlantic-Gulf Coastal Plain for the most part but goes to the “Fall Line” of the eastern Appalachian Upland

• Climate– Humid continental with warm summers– Importance of maritime influences and

natural hazards, e.g., hurricanes

Physical Geography• Vegetation

– Originally Mixed Broadleaf Deciduous and Needleleaf Evergreen

– Introduced Species and Reforestation• Soils

– North: Spodosols– Central: Inceptisols– South: Ultisols

Historical Cultural Geography• Indigenous Population

– Historic role of the various Algonquian tribes• Colonial to 1825: Emergence of Regional Foci

– New England: Boston– Middle Atlantic: Key Competitors

• New York City• Philadelphia

– Chesapeake: Baltimore

Megalopolis• Term initially coined by

French geographer, Jean Gottmann (1961) for the large population agglomeration from Boston to Washington, D.C.

• Now, any agglomeration of large, coalescing super cities

A region called Megalopolis (Text, Ch. 7)

• Origin of the term (Jean Gottmann)• Examples: Boston to Washington (“Boswash”)• Chicago to Pittsburgh (“Chippits”)• San Francisco to Santa Barbara (“SanSan”)• Seattle to Portland to Eugene (?)• Other examples?

Spread and Merging of Cities in Megalopolis

Megalopolis Region

• Consists of 5 major cities, their suburbs, nearby smaller cities, and surrounding rural areas:– Boston, MA– New York, NY– Philadelphia, PA– Baltimore, MD– Washington, DC

• Expanded so much to become a single metropolitan area.

Megalopolis

(page 65)

A small region Comparatively, 50,000Sq. mi.

Greatest concentrationOf wealth and powerIn the history of the World.

Megalopolis Today• Urbanness the dominant theme, but rural areas

persist• 10 major metropolitan areas of over 1 million

people, plus numerous smaller cities• 17% of the total U.S. population• 1.5% of the total land area • 17% of all U.S. export trade through its six major

ports• Higher than average proportion of white-collar

employment• A region of international significance

Megalopolis• Area of concentrated population between rest

of U.S. and western Europe • High population density

– Interesting fact re: population density of Megalopolis

• New Jersey = 1000 people per sq. mile• Oregon = about 30 people per sq. mile.

Potential new megalopolis – on the East Coast and elsewhere…

Urban Environment

• Characteristics of urbanism– Tall buildings– Crowding– Busy streets– Industrial plants– Cultural institutions

• Metropolitan coalescence– Merging of urbanized areas of separate metropolitan

centers, occurring early in history– A process of canalized growth (along transportation

corridors)

Albany-Schnectady-Troy Conurbation (“Mohawk Corridor”)

Figure 8-9

Levittown: Suburbs

Site Characteristics

The features of the immediate environment or setting• Coastal location• Numerous estuaries (drowned river

mouths), forming good harbors• Moderate but not exceptionally mild

climate• Variable soils• Relatively flat or gently rolling terrain

Fall Line Cities

• Cities along the border between the Piedmont and the Atlantic coastal plain physiographic regions

• Rapids and falls as rivers flow from hard rocks of the higher Piedmont onto the softer rocks of the coastal plain

Sub-regions of Megalopolis… • Merrimack Valley (NH

and MA)• Boston• Narragansett Basin

(Providence, RI)• Lower Connecticut

Valley (western MA)

• Albany/Schenectady-Troy (upstate NY)

• NY City• Philadelphia• Baltimore• Washington

Galactic Cities: Southeastern New England

Merrimack Valley Metropolitan Boston

Narragansett BasinLower Connecticut

Valley Figure 8-5

SituationAspects of the region’s location

relative to other places• A good location relative to Europe for

trade and immigration• Fortuitous location along the Europe–

Caribbean and South American trade route

• Good accessibility– Good harbors– Routes to the interior (natural and

man-made)– A great stop-off/service point for

others conducting trade(page 69)

Megalopolis at the Continental Hinge

Accessibility resources: Naturally occurring features that facilitate movement in and out• Harbors for trade• Immigration• Rich hinterland• Agglomeration

(clustering)

(page 70)

Urban Environment

• Characteristics of urbanism– Tall buildings– Crowding– Busy streets– Industrial plants– Cultural institutions

• Metropolitan coalescence– Merging of urbanized areas of separate metropolitan

centers, occurring early in history– A process of canalized growth (along transportation

corridors)

Components of Urban Landscape

• Spatial interaction: movement between places– People– Information – Utilities

• Spatial complementarity – Places import what they lack from places that have a

surplus– Closer places have the advantage for filling needs

• Functional complexity: land use variations and conflict – Residential– Industrial– Commercial– Recreational

Components of Urban Landscape

• Public services – Water, sewage, garbage pickup– Public safety– Welfare

• Accessibility– Demanded by high level of interaction– Shaped by spatial arrangement of land uses– Early cities less concerned with accessibility– Post–World War II construction of bypasses,

beltways, parkways, and limited access expressways

Intensity of Change

• Dynamic nature of the urban landscape• More visible because of density, intensity, and

complexity• “Nothing seems permanent”

– Economic ventures– Shifts in transportation networks– Developments and declines in residential areas

• Fisheries– Mainly the

Chesapeake and off New Jersey plus parts of southern New England

• Forestry– Minimal

• Mining– Construction-

oriented• Agriculture

– Truck Gardening

Overview of the Primary Economic Sector

Figure 8-23

Agriculture in Megalopolis• Dairying• Truck Gardening

– Vegetables and Fruits– Horticulture

• Poultry (Delmarva) • Tobacco (Tidewater MD)• Mixed General Farms

of the Amish• Urbanization Pressures Figure 8-C

Changing Patterns in Megalopolis

(page 76)

Agricultural Change

• Changes related to land use: shift to table or specialty crops: – Dairy products, tomatoes, lettuce, berries, and

vegetables– High value, perishable– Require considerably less land

• Changes in land value– Value for more intense uses– Rise in property taxes– Greatest impact along lines of interurban access

Waves of Immigration into Megalopolis

• 1830’s-1840’s English and German• 1840’s-1860’s Irish• 1900’s Eastern European• 1920’s African Americans • 1960’s Latin America and Asia

Changes in Population Composition

• Immigration from Europe– 1840s-1850s: Northern and western Europe,

especially Ireland and Germany– Late 19th century: Southern and eastern Europe

• African Americans– Cutoff of European immigrants with World War I– From 1910: Increased African American migration– Increased density– Spread from original neighborhoods

Changes in Population Redistribution

• Mid-1950s: Movement from central city to suburbs

• 1970s, 1980s, and beyond– Migration out of metropolitan areas entirely to small,

distant towns, especially between cities– High-rise office clusters in

• Central business districts (CBD), downtown• Suburbs

– Moderation of movement out of central cities (gentrification)

• Attraction of jobs and amenities to higher-income workers

• Displacement of low-income residents

Problems of Density

• Overcrowded housing, especially in central cities

• Waste management and pollution– Industry (lower contributor in Megalopolis)– Municipal sources:

• Vehicles• Heating and air conditioning• Wastewater

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Problems of Accessibility and Density

• Densely packed activity sites• High interaction levels• Aggravating circumstances in Megalopolis:

– Large number of densely populated urban areas– Location on coast, creating problems of land

movement (need for bridges, tunnels)• Approaches

– Increase capacity (e.g., wider roads)– More efficient use (e.g., car pooling, public transit)– Combination of private and public transit (e.g., high-

occupancy vehicle lanes)

Problems of Sprawl• Problems of aging suburbs

– Additional sprawl with movement farther and farther out

– Migration of middle- and upper-income residents to rehabilitated central-city residences (gentrification)

– Political fragmentation

• Connections between central cities and suburbs

Jurisdictional Units in New York Metropolitan Area

(page 84)

L’Enfant’s plan for the US national capital was approved by Presidents Washington and Jefferson in 1791.

New York City – core of Megalopolis

• Best harbor on east coast (also had Erie Canal, Hudson River advantages)

• Deep water – doesn’t freeze, minimal tidal range

• Fairly level land – Manhattan Island rock good for building.

• “Business of NYC is business:”

• Stock market, retail, wholesale, port activities, garment-making etc.

Images of New York City?• Before and after 9/11?• Divided into five distinct

boroughs:ManhattanBronx Queens – n. end of Long

IslandBrooklyn – 3.3 million Staten Island – still rural in

places

Harlem, NY

Philadelphia• Quaker and German place (founded 1682);

now diverse cultures and peoples• Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, other historic

places• Diversified manufacturing (e.g. publishing,

clothing)• Inner city issues (homesteading plan)

William Penn’s 1682 map of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-gridiron pattern of streetsA central square, parks, and residential lots.

Top Ten List: Boston1) NW of Cape Cod2) Port city with small

hinterland3) So tertiary …4) and quaternary

industries dominate5) High tech mecca

6) Irish, Italian, African-American, Puerto Rican pop.

7) Cultural center8) Historic preservation9) CBD open space (Boston

Commons)10) Fenway Park & the Red

Sox

Focus on Metropolitan New York

Figure 8-10

Metropolitan New York City

Figure 8-13

Metropolitan Philadelphia

Figure 8-18

The Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Figure 8-A

Figure 8-B

Metropolitan Baltimore and Metropolitan Washington, DC

Figure 8-20

View from Southern Extension of Megalopolis: Norfolk and Richmond

Modified Figure 8-1