Introduction to Geography
People, Places, and Environment, 6e
Carl Dahlman
William H. Renwick
Chapter 10: Cities and
Urbanization
Holly Barcus
Morehead State University
Defining Concepts
• Hinterland
– Provide services/draws resources
• Incorporation
– Defining city territory
• Primate cities
– Large city with majority of national population
• Urbanization
– Concentrating population in cities
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Urban Geography
• Three important topics
– Urban functions and roles
– Study of urbanization
• Different times
• Different places
– Internal patterns
3
Urban Functions
• Early functions
– Government centers
– Protection
– Agglomeration
• Economic bases
– Basic sector
– Non-basic sector
– Multiplier effect
• Economy sectors
– Primary
– Secondary
– Tertiary
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Locations of Cities
• Site factors
– Characteristics of location
• Situation factors
– Other cities
– Transportation/trade routes
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Central Place Theory
• Three requirements
– Hinterlands divide the space completely
– Hinterlands are uniform shape and size
– Minimal distance between central place
and furthest place
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Early Urban Societies
• Holland - 17th century
– Global shipping, banking
– Supported by highly productive agriculture
– Pre-industrial revolution
• Britain
– Occurred during industrialization
– World’s first model of urbanization
• Terrible hardships
• Emigration
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Urbanization Today
• Occurring rapidly
– Inadequate infrastructure
– Living conditions mimic 19th century England
– Caused by deteriorating rural conditions
• Concentrates labor forces
• Different from historic British experience
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Government Policies
• Used to reduce rural to urban migration
• Limit housing and jobs
• Improve rural areas
• Compulsory ruralization
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Vitality of Cities
• Positive aspects of urbanization
– Informal, underground economy
– Urban immigrants are assets to growth
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Models of Urban Form
• Four models of internal patterns
– Concentric zone
– Sector
– Multiple-nuclei
– Peripheral
• Social factors
• Government
• Environmental concerns
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Concentric Zone Model
CBD
Sector Model
Multiple Nuclei Model
Peripheral Model
Urban Planning
• Planning the ideal city
– Howard’s Garden Cities
– Le Corbusier’s Radiant Cities
– Canberra, Australia
• Charter of the International Congress of
Modern Architecture (CIAM)
– Codified the functions of the modern city
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Garden City
Rayburn, New Jersey
Brasilia, A Radiant City
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Brasilia: National Cathedral
27
Brasilia, Congress
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Brasilia
•Upper left: Residential sector
•Lower left: National theater
•Below: Government ministry
buildings
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Culture in Urban Models
• Contrasts to North American models
– Latin America
– Western Europe
– Traditional Islamic
– Asian
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Fez, Morocco
Latin American
Model
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Growth of Suburbs
• U.S. phenomenon due to prosperity
• Early suburbs
– Cultural preference for rural living
– Henry Ford
• Government policies
– FHA loan program
– Tax incentives
– Returning veterans
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Suburban Infrastructure
• Sprawl
• High costs
– Energy
– Commute / transportation
• Leapfrogging
• Environmental
– Farmland
– Green space
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Social Consequences
• Residential segregation and marketing
• Restrictive covenants
• Job movement and creation
• Commuting patterns
– Rush hour
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USA changes in city size
New Patterns
• New urbanism
– Recreate small town America
– Less dependence on cars
• Telecommuting
• Virtual shopping
– Internet
– Brick and mortar
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Central Cities Decline
• 1970-1995
• Economic decline
– Spatial mismatch
• Population loss
• Deteriorating housing and neighborhoods
• Loss of entry level jobs
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Central Cities New Growth
• Service sector economy
– Increased white collar jobs
– Finance, IT, bio-tech
• Gentrification
– Rediscovering urban living
– Yuppies / empty nesters
• Immigrants
• African Americans
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Redistribution of Jobs &
Housing
• Urban enterprise zones
• Reclaiming “brownfields”
• Relocate subsidized housing
• Transportation to suburban jobs
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Governing Urban Areas
• Annexation
• Incorporation
– Thwarts efforts to be annexed
• Special district governments
• Ending subsidies encouraging sprawl
• Tax incentives
End of Chapter 10
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