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The geography of urban areas.
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Urban GeographyUrban Geography
What is it?
• The study of how people use space in cities.
• What is where? How are things arranged in relation to each other?
Cities
• A city isn’t just a descriptive definition (it’s big with a lot of people), it’s a functional one.
• That is, it’s defined by what it does, not just by what it is.
• It’s the center of business and culture in a given area
• The hub around which regional life revolves.
• What’s the hub that you live around?
Elements
• Suburbs
• Sub-urban
• Touch the central city or touch other suburbs that touch the central city
• Differing levels of development – some residential, some commercial, some industrial
• What are examples of each of these around Houston?
• Exurbs
• Smaller units farther away from the main city
• The city, the suburbs and the exurbs make up the metropolitan area.
Where do cities tend to develop? Why there? What factors spur urban development in certain places?
• Here are a few:
1. Water access
2. Dry area
3. Easy access to building materials
4. Defensive position
5. Fuel supply
6. Food supply
7. Travel intersections or bridge points
8. Sheltered areas
Land-Use Patterns
• How is the land used and for what?
• Residential
• Where people live/dwell – their homes.
• Industrial
• Where things are made, stored, or shipped
• What sort of examples can you think of?
• Commercial
• Private businesses and retail
• Examples?
Central Business District
• The locus of commercial activity in the city.
• Expensive real estate
Which model do you think Houston has?