URBANIZATION
• Urban geography is the study
of urban areas.
• Urban areas have a high
concentration of buildings and
infrastructure.
• These are areas where the
majority of economic activities
are in the secondary sector and
tertiary sectors.
• They often have a high
population density.
URBANIZATION
• Urbanization – Growth and diffusion
of city landscapes and urban
lifestyles. (ruralurban)
• Urban areas provide;
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Protection
Services & products (marketplace)
Employment
Cultural Features (Landmarks, Food)
Educational Opportunities
Transportation/Communication Hub
• Urban areas first developed when
people stopped hunting and
gathering, and became sedentary
rather than nomadic.
Urbanization in the World's More Developed and
Less Developed Societies
Emerging city – urban
areas that are
experiencing population
growth as well as
increasing their
economic and political
power throughout their
region.
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Shanghai, China
Hanoi, Vietnam
Bangkok, Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dubai, U.A.E.
Singapore, Singapore
Mumbai, India
Jakarta, Indonesia
Gateway city – urban areas
that connect two or more
areas and serve as a
gateway among them.
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Boston
New York City
San Francisco
St. Louis
Miami
Toronto
Vancouver
Mumbai
Sydney
Istanbul
Cape Town
Hong Kong
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Dublin
GLOBAL CITIES
• A Global city (or world city) is a city deemed
to be an important nodal point in the global
economic system
• 2008 U.N. study – business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural
experience, & political engagement.
1
New York City
6 Los Angeles
2
London
7 Singapore
3
Tokyo
8 Chicago
4
Paris
9 Seoul
5
Hong Kong
10 Toronto
URBAN HIERARCHIES
• Hamlet – may only include a
few dozen people and offer
very limited services. The
people in the hamlet are
clustered around an urban
center – which may consist
only of a gas station or
general store.
• Village – larger than hamlets
and offer more services.
Instead of just a general
store, there may be stores
specializing in the sale of
food, clothing, furniture, etc.
URBAN HIERARCHIES
• Town – may consist of 50
to a few thousand people.
The meaning of a town
varies from State to State &
Nation to Nation.
• City – Large, densely
populated areas that may
include tens of thousands
of people.
• Large industrialized cities
generally have advanced
systems for sanitation, utilities,
land usage, housing,
transportation, etc…
URBAN HIERARCHIES
• Metropolis – large city, large populations
incorporating large areas.
US Government states that a metropolis must have
over 50,000 people.
URBAN HIERARCHIES
• Megalopolis – an area consisting of several metropolitan
areas linked together that forms one huge urban area.
• Canada – Mainstreet
• Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa,
Montreal, & Quebec City
• USA
–Bosnywash
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Boston, Mass.
Providence, R.I.
Hartford, Conn.
NYC
Newark, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Dover, DE
Baltimore, MD
Washington DC.
• USA
–ChiPitts
• Green Bay, Milwaukee,
Chicago, Indianapolis,
Detroit, Cleveland,
Columbus, Cincinnati,
Pittsburgh, Buffalo
• USA
–San San
• San Diego, San
Bernardino, Riverside,
Los Angeles, Bakersfield,
Fresno, San Jose,
Sacramento, Napa,
Freemont, Oakland,
San Francisco
• Europe
– Blue Banana
• Dublin, Lon-Leeds-Chester,
Paris, Flemish Diamond,
Randstad, Rhine-Ruhr,
Frankfurt, Munich, Basel,
Zurich, Milan, Torino
• Japan
– Tokaido corridor
(Taiheiyo Belt) (Pacific Belt)
• Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya
Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto,
Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
• Australia
– The Boomerang
• Melbourne, Canberra,
Sydney, Brisbane
• Brazil
– Golden Triangle
• Sao Paulo,
Rio de Janeiro,
Belo Horizonte
Why Do Services Cluster Downtown?
• CBD land uses
– Central business districts (CBDs)
– Retail services in the CBD
• Retailers with a high threshold
• Retailers with a high range
• Retailers serving downtown workers
– Business services in the CBD
CBD of Charlotte, NC
Figure 13-1
Why Do Services Cluster Downtown?
• Competition for land in the CBD
– High land costs
• Some of the most expensive real estate in the world
= Tokyo
• Intensive land use
– Underground areas
• Skyscrapers
– “Vertical geography”
Why Do Services Cluster Downtown?
• Activities excluded from the CBD
– Lack of industry in the CBD
• Modern factories require large, one-story parcels of
land
– Lack of residents in the CBD
• Push and pull factors involved
• CBDs outside North America
– Less dominated by commercial considerations.