Cities and Urban Land Use

Two subfields of urban geography:

1. study of systems of cities: where cities are located, why they are there, current and historical distribution of cities, functions of cities, reasons for differential growth among cities

2. study of internal cities: internal workings and structure of cities, analysis of patterns of land use, racial and ethnic segregation, architectural styles, types of intracity transportation, cycles of construction and development

The urban hierarchyWhich urban areas have hinterlands?Where do suburbs

begin? Where do CBDs begin?

Louis Wirth—1930s—defined a city as a permanent settlement that has three characteristics that make living in a city different from living in rural areas.

1. LARGE size

everyone in rural areas knows everyone else

in a city, residents know relatively few

2. High density

people have highly specialized jobs, which allows many people to live in one place

competition for space causes some groups to be dominant and to dominate others

3. Social heterogeneity

Diversity in large cities allow more anonymity

Downside is that people may be more lonely and isolated

First cities about 3000 B.C.E. in Southwest Asia

The rise of the earliest states coincides with the rise of the earliest cities.

2000-4000 B.C.E is the formative era for development of both urbanization and states

Ancient city was the organizational focus of the state.

Agriculture had to be planned & controlled

Govt. collected taxes & built walls for fortification

Ancient cities built along rivers near productive farmland

Sites chosen for defensibility as well as along trade routes

An urban elite (decision makers and organizers) controlled the resources and lives of others.

made sure the gods looked favorably upon people and food production

developed and system of writing and record keeping

codified laws so society would function smoothly

organized the construction of public buildings

Function of ancient cities

Centers of

power

religion

economy

education

History of cities

In preindustrial cities, the urban centers became centers of culture.

Ancient Kyoto

Ancient London

During Medieval times, mercantile cities (trade became central to city design) developed along trade routes

The Industrial Revolution created the manufacturing city.

Belfast

Rural-urban migration

US urban population 1800: 5% US urban population 1920: 50%

World Cities

Tiers of world cities based on centrality of business services, consumer services, and public services.

megacities

Tokyo, Mexico City, Seoul, New York, São Paulo, Mumbai, Delhi, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Osaka

Economic base of cities

Basic sector: “export activities” result in money flowing into the city

Nonbasic (service) sector: produce goods or services for the people of the city itself

Chauncy Harris (1943) classified U.S. cities into three types according to their functions.

1. manufacturing-dominated cities (NE U.S.)

2. retail centers (scattered)

3. diversified cities with multiple functions

Distinctions are now not so obvious because with growth comes increased diversification.

John Borchert’s four states in the evolution of American cities

1. Sail-Wagon Epoch, 1790-1830

2. Iron-horse Epoch, 1830-1870

3. Steel-rail Epoch, 1870-1920

4. Auto-Air-Amenity Epoch, 1920-1960s

Internal combustion engine

Rank-size rule: The size of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy.

Does not work in countries with a primate city!

Walter Cristaller’s Central Place Theory

No topographic barriers

No difference in farm productivity

An evenly dispersed farm population

People with similar lifestyles and incomes

Minimum number of consumers necessary to suport different products

Purchase of goods nd services at the nearest center

Internal Cities

Some geographers analyze the internal land space of cities and the varying uses that it serves.

They look at

accessibility

high cost of accessible space

transportation

societal and cultural needs

Concentric Zone Model (E.W. Burgess, 1923)

Homer Hoyt’s (1939) Sector Model

Chauncy Harris & E.L. Ullman (1945) Multiple Nuclei Model

Latin American City

Social area analysis studies how various types of people are distributed within a broader area (like a city!).

Ghettoization occurs when forced segregation limits residential choices

Key terms

zoning ordinances

smart growth

urban renewal

gentrification

suburbanization

urban sprawl

Edge cities are legally independent suburban areas that grow and have their own CBDs and other concentrations of office and commercial buildings that provide jobs for residents within their boundaries.

Tyson’s Corner, Virginia