Cities and Urban Geography
• Historic Cities and City
Functions
• Geographic
Observations of City
Location and Size
• The World’s Largest
Cities
• Suburbanization and
Edge Cities
• Urban Problems
Cities and Urban
Geography
• In 1950 1/3 of the world
lived in a city.
• Today 1/2 of us live in
cities and the number is
increasing.
Historic City Functions






Commercial Centers - Fresno, Venice, New York
Industrial Cities - Manchester, Detroit, Los Angeles
Primary Resources - Scotia, Minas Gerais, Nevada City
Resort Cities - Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, Marseille
Government / Religious Centers - Monterey, D.C., Brasilia
Education Centers - Palo Alto, Berkeley
Ancient World Cities
Oldest cities are found in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and
Indus Valley.
Mesopotamia (Jordan/Iraq)
Ancient Ur in Iraq
Jericho 10,000 B.C.
Ur 3,000 B.C. (Iraq)
Walled cities based
on agricultural trade
Ziggurat (stepped temple)
Ancient World Cities
Oldest cities are found in
Mesopotamia, Egypt, China
and Indus Valley.
E. Mediterranean
Athens 2,500 B.C.
1st city to exceed 100,000
Many cities organized into
City-States
Ancient Athens
Medieval World Cities
After collapse of Roman Empire in
5th Century, Europe’s cities were
diminished or abandoned.
European Feudal Cities
Begin in 11th Century
Independent cities
formed in exchange for
military service to feudal
lord.
Improved roads
encouraged trade
Dense and compact
within defensive walls
Paris, France
Cittadella, Italy
Medieval World Cities
Cittadella, Italy
Cittadella, Italy
Location is a key factor in urban growth
• Climate, topography, and
waterways help determine
urban growth.
• Many well-located cities are
linchpins in trading networks.
– Resources from
agricultural regions enter
cities.
– Products are shipped to
distant markets.
U.S. Urban Growth Stages
Industrialization has driven urbanization
• Since 1950, urban populations have quadrupled.
– Due to a growing human population and
increased movement to cities
– By 2050, urban populations will grow by 94%.
• In developed nations, urbanization has slowed.
– Suburbs: the smaller communities that ring
cities
• Developing nations are urbanizing rapidly.
– People are searching for jobs and urban
lifestyles.
Major Cities of the World
Today, for the first time ever, over ½ of the world’s
population lives in urban areas.
Intraregional Migrations in U.S.
For about 100 years the U.S. population has been moving out of the city
centers to the suburbs of the cities: suburbanization and
counterurbanization
Developed Countries:
suburbanization
 automobiles and
roads
‘American Dream’
 better services
 lower taxes
U.S. intraregional migration during 1990s.
Migration by Major Metropolitan Areas in the United States, 199098 (in 1,000s)
-1750
-1250
-750
-250
250
750
New York
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Chicago
Miami
Atlanta
Las Vegas
Immigration
Net domestic
migration
Phoenix
Portland
Denver
Slide graphic courtesy of Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Hofstra University
1250
Interregional Migrations
U.S. population has been moving Westward and Southward
 Gold Rush (1849) and Donner Party just the most dramatic
examples of hardship.
– Wells, Pumps, Aqueducts, Mosquito Control and Air Conditioning have
allowed this move which otherwise would be impossible.
 Loss of Industrial Jobs in east compliments increase in Sunbelt (AZ,
FL, CA, etc.) service sector (biotech, communications).
The Ten Fastest-Growing Metropolitan Areas, 1990–2000
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000; 1990 Census. Web: www.census.gov
Metropolitan area
Las Vegas, Nev., Ariz.
Naples, Fla.
Yuma, Ariz.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex.
Austin-San Marcos, Tex.
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
Boise, Idaho
Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
Laredo, Tex.
Provo-Orem, Utah
Population
April 1, 1990
April 1, 2000
852,737
1,563,282
152,099
251,377
106,895
160,026
383,545
569,463
846,227
1,249,763
210,908
311,121
295,851
432,345
2,238,480
3,251,876
133,239
193,117
263,590
368,536
Change, 1990–2000
Number Percent
710,545
83.3%
99,278
65.3
53,131
49.7
185,918
48.5
403,536
47.7
100,213
47.5
136,494
46.1
1,013,396 45.3
59,878
44.9
104,946
39.8
The Ten Fastest-Growing Metropolitan Areas, 2001-2006
Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2006: Census. Web: www.census.gov
The Ten Fastest-Growing Metropolitan
Areas, 2008-2009
(plus four previous top ten cities that have slowed their growth)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2006: Census. Web: www.census.gov
Interregional Migrations in LDCs
Populations in the less developed world are rushing to cities in search of
work and income.
Urbanization
 migration from rural areas
 lack of jobs in countryside
 lack of services in cities
 Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York only MDC cities on top 10 list
Lagos, Nigeria
Mumbai, India
Mexico City, Mexico
Rank-Size Rule
Rank-Size Rule: n thlargest settlement is
generally 1/n the
population of the
largest settlement. In
other words, 2nd
largest is 1/2 the size
of largest. Works best
in most developed
countries that have full
distribution of services.
Primate City Rule
If the largest settlement in a country has more than twice
the number as the second ranking city, it’s called
primate. These cities tend to represent the perceived
culture of the country and have a disproportionate
influence on the country.
Largest City
Paris
London
Population
9 million
9 million
Second-largest City Population
Marseille
Birmingham
2 million
2 million
Skyscrapers
• Why build up?
• Why copy Western
model?
• Where are the
world’s tallest
buildings?
Megalopolis
Illustrates the difference
between strict city proper
definitions and broader
urban agglomerations.
To define urbanized areas,
the U.S. Census Bureau
uses the term Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) or
Consolidated MSA (CMSA) if
two of them overlap.
Today’s urban centers are unprecedented
• Today, 20 cities are home to more than 10 million residents.
– Tokyo, Japan has 35 million residents.
– New York City has 18.7 million residents.
• But the majority of urban dwellers live in smaller cities.
Largest World Cities
Ten Most Populous in A.D. 1975
1. Tokyo
2. New York
3. Shanghai
4. México
5. São Paulo
6. Osaka
7. Buenos Aires
8. Los Angeles
9. Paris
10. Beijing
19.8 million
15.9 million
11.4 million
11.2 million
9.9 million
9.8 million
9.1 million
8.9 million
8.9 million
8.5 million
Source: U.N., 2001
* Note that five of these
cities are in the Core or
more developed world.
Largest World Metropolitan Areas
Ten Most Populous Today
Rank
City
1 Tokyo, Japan
Population
28 million
2 New York City, United States 20.1 million
3 Mexico City, Mexico
18.1 million
4 Mumbai, India (Bombay)
18 million
5 Sao Paulo, Brazil
17.7 million
6 Los Angeles, United States
15.8 million
7 Shanghai, China
14.2 million
8 Lagos, Nigeria
13.5 million
9 Kolkata, India (Calcutta)
10 Buenos Aires, Argentina
12.9 million
12.5 million
Largest World Cities
Ten Most Populous by A.D. 2015
1. Tokyo
28.7 million
2. Bombay
27.4 million
3. Lagos
24.4 million
4. Shanghai
23.4 million
5. Jakarta
21.2 million
6. São Paulo
20.8 million
7. Karachi
20.6 million
8. Beijing
19.4 million
9. Dhaka, Bangladesh 19.0 million
10. México
18.8 million
Source: U.N., 2001
* Note that only one of
these cities is in the
Core of the more
developed world!
Urbanization in developing countries
• Most fast-growing cities are in developing
countries.
– Less need for farm labor due to
industrialization
– Wars, conflict, and ecological degradation are
driving people to cities.
• Many of these cities face overcrowding,
pollution, and poverty.
– Their economic growth does not match their
population growth.
Suburbanization:
in the wealthiest countries people have moved to suburbs
• By the mid-1900s, the U.S. and other countries had
accumulated more people than jobs.
– Unemployment caused poverty and crime.
– Affluent city dwellers moved to cleaner, lesscrowded suburbs.
• Suburbs had advantages of space and privacy.
– More space, better economic conditions, cheaper
real estate, less crime, and better schools
• But natural space decreases with increasing suburbs.
– People have to drive everywhere, increasing traffic
congestion.
People in suburbs take up more space
On average in the U.S., each suburban resident takes
up 11 times as much space than a city dweller.
Cities in Crisis,
Urban Problems
U.S. City Problems
Sprawl
 commutes
 environmental problems
 tax flight (bankrupts cities)
Racial and Economic Segregation
 schools
 taxes
 democracy
School Segregation
Sprawl
• Houses and roads supplant more than 1 million
ha (2.5 million acres) of U.S. land per year.
• Sprawl: the spread of low-density urban or
suburban development outward from an urban
center
– Physical spread of development is greater
than the rate of population growth.
– Phoenix, Arizona’s population grew 12 times
larger between 1950 and 2002, while its land
area grew 27 times larger.
Several types of development lead to sprawl
Sprawl has several causes
• Human population growth
• Rising per capita land consumption: more land per
person
– People like their space and privacy: “The American
Dream?”
– Interstate highways make it easier to commute.
– Technologies (telecommunications and the Internet)
free businesses from dependence on the centralized
infrastructure, and workers can live wherever they
desire.
• Economists, politicians, and city boosters have
encouraged it.
– “Growth is good”
– Increases a community’s economic well-being and
political power
What is wrong with sprawl?
• Transportation: people are forced to drive cars
– Pressure to own cars and drive greater
distances
– Increases dependence on non-renewable
petroleum
– Increases stress, injuries, deaths.
• Pollution from sprawl’s effects on transportation
– Carbon dioxide, nitrogen- and sulfurcontaining air pollutants
– Motor oil and road salt from roads and parking
lots
What else is wrong with sprawl?
• Health: promotes physical inactivity because driving
cars replaces walking
– Increases obesity and high blood pressure
• Land use: less land is left as forests, fields, farmland,
or ranchland
– Loss of ecosystem services, recreation, aesthetic
beauty, wildlife habitat
• Economics: drains tax dollars from communities
– Money goes to new communities for roads, water
and sewer systems, electricity, police and fire
services, schools in new developments
Phoenix, Arizona
City and regional planning
• City (urban) planning: the professional pursuit that attempts
to design cities to maximize their efficiency, functionality, and
beauty
– Planners advise policymakers on development options,
transportation needs, public parks, etc.
• City planning grew throughout 20th century
– Expanding urban populations, inner cities decayed, and
wealthier residents fled to suburbs
• Regional planning: deals with same issues as city planning,
but with broader geographic scales that must coordinate with
multiple municipal governments
Zoning
• Zoning: the practice of classifying areas for different
types of development and land use
– Homeowners and businesses know what can
and cannot be located nearby.
• Opponents say that zoning’s government restriction
violates individual freedoms.
• Proponents say government can set limits for the
good of the community.
Urban growth boundaries (UGBs)
• Limits sprawl: keeps growth in existing urbanized
areas
– Revitalize downtowns
– Protect farms, forests, and their industries
– Ensure urban dwellers some access to open
space
– May reduce infrastructure costs
• Disadvantages:
– Increases housing prices within their boundaries
– Restricts development outside UGB
– Increases the density of new housing inside the
UGB
• Relentless population growth may thwart even the
best anti-sprawl efforts.
How to Make a Great City
Famous Planned Cities
 Canberra, Australia
 Brasilia, Brazil
 Washington, D.C.
 Irvine, CA
 Seaside, FL
 Poundbury, England
Smart Growth
 Pedestrian Friendly
 Public Transit
 Increase Density
 Mix Ethnic and Income
Groups
 Mix Residential,
Commericial, and
Recreational Uses
Urban Planning
Building Better Cities
What kinds of cultural values are reflected in this
landscape?
Smart growth
• Smart growth: urban growth boundaries and other
land use policies to control growth
• Proponents promote:
– Rejuvenating older existing communities
– Building “up, not out”
– Focusing development in existing areas
– Favoring multistory shop-houses and high-rises
New urbanism
• New urbanism: neighborhoods are designed on
a walkable scale
– Homes, businesses, and schools are close
together
• Functional neighborhoods in which most of a
family’s needs can be met without using a car
• Zoning rules must cooperate with new urbanism.
– Denser development must be allowed.
Mass transportation
• A key in improvement of quality of urban life
– Public buses
– Trains and subways
– Light rail: smaller rail systems powered by electricity
• Cheaper, more energy efficient, and cleaner
• Traffic congestion is eased.
– Traffic jams cost the U.S. economy $74 billion yearly.
– The average American household spends over $8000
a year on automobile-related expenses! Median
household income in 2009 was below $50,000.
Parks and open spaces are key elements
• City dwellers want escape
from noise, commotion, and
stress.
• Natural lands, public parks,
and open space provide
greenery, scenic beauty,
freedom, and recreation.
– Protect ecological
processes
• Parks originated in America
at the end of the 19th century.
• Even small spaces can make
a big difference.
– Playgrounds, community
gardens, greenways
The Geography of Nowhere
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/james_howard_kunstler_dissects_suburbia.html
Stewart Brand on Squatter Cities
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/stewart_brand_on_squatter_cities.htm
l
Intraregional Migrations in LDCs
Populations in the less developed world are rushing to cities in search of
work and income.
Urbanization
 migration from rural areas
 lack of jobs in countryside
 lack of services in cities
 Tokyo, Los Angeles, and
New York only MDC cities
on top 10 list
Lagos, Nigeria
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
City
Tokyo, Japan
New York City, United States
Mexico City, Mexico
Mumbai, India (Bombay)
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Los Angeles, United States
Shanghai, China
Lagos, Nigeria
Kolkata, India (Calcutta)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mumbai, India
Population
28 million
20.1 million
18.1 million
18 million
17.7 million
15.8 million
14.2 million
13.5 million
12.9 million
12.5 million
Mexico City, Mexico
Changes in Cities in LDCs
Populations of cities in the less developed world have been
surging: urbanization, migration, natural increase
Urbanization in
Developing Countries
 driven by changes in
global economy that make
farming more challenging
 the poor live in the
suburbs, rich live in CBD
 cities struggle to provide
jobs and housing
 services overtaxed
 squatter settlements
common
 crime on the rise
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Europe versus U.S. Cities: Sprawl
European cities, including this hypothetical U.K. example, tend
to restrict suburban development, thereby concentrating new
development in and around existing concentrations. This leaves
large rings of open space, so-called greenbelts.
What are the social costs of sprawl?
Toulouse, France
Ferrara, Italy
Sogne, Norway
Venice, Italy
Somewhere in France
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Florence, Italy
Copenhagen, Denmark
European Cities:
result of very long histories









Complex street patterns - prior to automobile, weird angles
Plazas and Squares - from Greek, Roman, Medieval
High density and compact form - wall around city or low-growth zoning
Low skylines - many built before elevators, others required cathedral or
monument to be highest structure
Lively downtowns - center of social life, not just office work
Neighborhood stability - Europeans moved less frequently than we do.
Scars of War - many wars , many cities originally defensive
Symbolism - gothic cathedrals, palaces, and castles
Municipal Socialism - many residents live in buildings that are owned by city
gov’t. Some of these are massive housing projects, others small scale apartment
buildings.