6.6 Density & Land Use Residential buildings and patterns of land use reflect and shape the city’s culture, technological capabilities, cycles of development, and infill. Explain how low-, medium-, and high-density housing characteristics represent different patterns of residential land use. Helpful vocab: ● Filtering - when houses pass from one social group to another as new housing is built and higher incomes move into it, leaving behind older housing stock for lower incomes ● Infilling - development of vacant areas within existing urban areas ● low-density housing - land use pattern meant for a small number of residential homes that include a lot of open space and contain the fewest people per geographic unit ● medium density housing - land use pattern in which residential units include multi-unit housing, such as townhomes as well as single-unit housing ● high-density housing: land use pattern in which land is occupied by residential units that include multi-unit housing such as high-rise buildings and contain the highest people per geographic unit Continue to explore the urban models and use them to help answer the questions below: 1. Explain how the residential density gradient (low to high-density housing) changes from the CBD and outward in the North American models compared to the other World-Regional models. Provide specific examples of models and their patterns to support your claim. The residential density gradient changes from the CBD because the residential density is limited by how many people the businesses can support in the CBD. The changes of CBD comparing North America and the rest of the world is that North America is built around cars, so the lower income can afford the commute to the city thus having a different model compared to the world. 2. How might infilling influence patterns of housing density in the city? It would increase population density in the city by developing land to support a larger population by building businesses, housing, etc. 3. How might filtering be an influence on the culture of residential land use patterns? It could influence the culture on residential land use patterns because it has lower income housing next to higher income housing. This could cause higher income residents to move to a more expensive area. This would make all the now vacant housing go down in price. 4. How could gated communities be an example of the influence of culture on residential land-use patterns? Gated communities could be the influence of culture through filtering. The process of filtering is when lower income residents live next to higher income residents which could cause the higher income residents to move. A lot of the time, they move to a gated community. With all the gated communities with higher income residents living within them, it would cause all the businesses around it to also be “more expensive” such as higher quality produce, higher quality essentials, higher quality services, etc. 5. How might technology influence housing density and land use patterns in cities? Technology can influence housing density and land use patterns. With technology advancing quicker than ever, technology can help increase housing density. With technologies such as electric trains and self driving, these can help improve a cities infrastructure which in result, would increase housing density. You could also influence land patterns with improved technology. If there is improved infrastructure in say sewage systems, or transportation systems, you can fit more people into a housing district and dedicate more space for the CBD. 6.7 Infrastructure The location and quality of a city’s infrastructure directly affects its spatial patterns of economic and social development. Explain how a city’s infrastructure relates to local politics, society, and the environment. Helpful vocab: ● Infrastructure - the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities of the built environment needed for the operation of societies. ● Favela - Brazilian neighborhoods where extreme poverty, homelessness, and lawlessness are common, often located in disamenity zones. In other countries, they may also be called barrios, squatter settlements, slums, or shantytowns. ● Disamenity zones - areas not connected to city services, often in physically unsafe locations (steep slopes, ravines, etc.) Continue to explore the urban models and use them to help answer the questions below: 1. What are some examples of a city’s infrastructure? Some examples of city infrastructure are transportation systems, communication systems, buildings, sewage systems, electricity grid etc… 2. What kinds of infrastructure are reflected in the North American Urban Models? The kind of infrastructure reflected in North American Urban Models is that the most advanced systems of infrastructure such as transportation systems and sewage systems are usually in the CBD, and the area around it gradually gets more suburban, with less population density. That is why infrastructure surrounding or next to the CBD usually connects or leads towards the CBD. (Main Roads leading towards CBD) 3. What kinds of infrastructure are reflected in the World-Regional Models? The infrastructure patterns in World Regional Models usually reflect some aspect of the country's culture. For example, in Europe, infrastructure in the CBD could be relatively old or outdated because Europeans are less likely to destroy historically significant buildings. 4. Why is infrastructure important to the growth and development of a city? Infrastructure enables trade, powers businesses, connects workers to their jobs, creates opportunities for struggling communities and protects the nation from an increasingly unpredictable natural environment. 5. Explore Brazil’s favelas by using the link provided to take a mototaxi tour of Sao Carlos. Describe the patterns of residential housing density and infrastructure that you see as you ride. The housing density seems to be very compact, with houses being jam packed close together to conserve space. The houses are mostly one story, and their close proximity to one another makes the streets very narrow. There also seems to be a densely populated area, as the streets are very busy and crowded. The infrastructure seems to be more traditional and a bit outdated by modern standards. You can see a low hanging system of electrical wires, while the roads seem very old. There are also many street shops on the roadside. 6. How does the location and quality of a city’s infrastructure affect its economic and social development? Because if a location looks good and functions well, as well as has good infrastructure, then that location will attract businesses, trade, and tourists which could boost economic and social development. On the other hand, if an area has bad infrastructure, it is less likely to bring in economic growth.
