SUBJECT OVERVIEW
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Defining Urbanism
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SETTLEMENTS
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ORIGINS OF SETTLEMENTS
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TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS
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DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
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CITY HISTORY
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URBAN PATTERNS
What is Urbanism?
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Depends on time and culture:
The size of the stationary population is part of the picture… but it varies according to the historical context and location
The size of a city varies geographically;
Portugal=10,000, Ethiopia=2,000, Norway=200
Therefore, urbanism usually is qualified by a population considered large for its time and place
What makes a City a City?
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Population alone does not make a city; a stadium may hold many people, but is it a city?
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There must also be government of some kind.
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There must also be definable boundaries ; even if they change over time.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) used to calculate a city’s boundaries: a city center and its immediately interacting counties
What makes a City a City…
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The economy is another layer in classifying it as rural or urban… economic diversity
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A cultural layer also plays a role in defining a place’s degree of urbanity or “cityness”… cultural diversity
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So, a clear definition of urban or city more of a process of comparison than a sentence or two… it depends!
Hearths of Urbanization
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Where did cities and urbanism, or urban life begin?
The earliest cities were born around 3500 BCE spawned from agricultural villages:
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Mesopotamia
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Indus River region
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Nile Valley
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Huang He River valle
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Mexico
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Peru
Settlement
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Settlement - a permanent collection of buildings and inhabitants
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE OF
SETTLEMENTS
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Geographers are interested in the patterns of settlements and the interrelationship of settlements
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How do the patterns of settlements explain human culture?
ORIGINS OF SETTLEMENTS
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Religious - graves, churches, temples
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Cultural - schools, libraries
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Political/Military - leader’s house, walls
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Economic - stores, food
TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS
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Rural Settlements - agriculture as the predominant occupation.
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Urban settlements - principal industries are secondary and tertiary.
RURAL SETTLEMENTS
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Clustered rural settlements -grouped settlements in rural areas to minimize travel
RURAL SETTLEMENTS
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Dispersed rural Settlements - isolated farms with enclosed continuous fields
RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN THE
EASTERN U.S.
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New England - clustered villages of the colonists
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Mid Atlantic - dispersed isolated farms of the Dutch, Swedes, Irish and
Germans
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South - plantations (mansions surrounded by plantation services)
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DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
Prior to modern times most settlements were rural
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First Urban Settlement
UR (modern day of Iraq)
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Other Early Cities
Mycenae,Troy, & Isle of Crete in Greece
Settlements along the world’s great rivers
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
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Athens - first city over 100,000
by the 5th century BC over 300,000
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Rome - center of an empire 200 BC-400 AD
“all roads lead to Rome”
Paris, London, Vienna - all old Roman sites
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Mid-Evil Europe - after the fall of Rome
urbanization decreased
patterns of castles, walls & narrow streets
compact space surrounded by walls
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
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Renaissance-Baroque Cities
Renaissance 15-16th centuries
Baroque 16-18th centuries
development of wide avenues & monuments
Paris & London rebuilt, Washington D.C.
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Industrial City
19th century to present
city designed around industry and transportation
most modern cities
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
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Megalopolis -
conurbation of a number of cities blended together without separation
“The Blob” Lewis Mumford
SMSA- Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
40% of the world’s population lives in urban areas
URBAN SMSA’s
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First city with 1 million - London in 1810
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Over 1 million - 180+ cities
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Over 10 million - LA, Buenos Aires, London,
Bombay, Jakarta, Mexico City, New York City,
Osaka, Paris, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo,
Seoul
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Over 30 million - Tokyo
DEFINITION OF THE CITY
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Physical Definition of the City - Nonrural settlement that is, built up , economically functional, has a local government, and a legal boundary .
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Environmental Definition of the City
urban dust domes
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(defined by pollution)
heat island
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(defined by increased temperatures)
GROWTH OF THE CITY
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Skyscrapers - using vertical space
intensive use of land
► shops at street level
professional offices at higher levels
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Outward Expansion
advent of the automobile & transportation routes
decline of public transport
OUTWARD EXPANSION (con’t)
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Squatter Settlements - illegally erected shacks, cardboard structures and tents, due to rapid growth in cities of developing countries
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De-urbanization of the City
suburbanism cities legally independent
cluster cities
rural areas- preferable to urban lifestyle
telecommuting - economic activity from a distance
Sao Paulo squatter settlement
DISTRIBUTION OF CITIES
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Physical Restraints
Manufacturing - North & East
Retail Cities serving farmers - Mid West
Resorts & Retirement - Southwest
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Economic Functions
site & situation factors
International Trade - Port Cities
Entertainment Centers - Las Vegas
DISTRIBUTION OF CITIES
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International Distribution
Developed countries have a higher population living in urban areas
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Two thirds live in urban areas
Developing countries have the greatest increases in the number of large urban settlements
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One quarter live in urban areas
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Most of the largest cities are in the developing regions
URBAN PATTERNS
URBAN PATTERNS
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City Center
best known area, most visually distinctive
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San Francisco, London
original site of settlement
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Central Business District
retail & office space
assessable
often a focal point with skyscrapers
specialized stores for the office workers
URBAN PATTERNS
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Zones in Transition
mixed use with light industry
transition from business to residential
older neighborhoods (slums)
► home to ethnic groups not culturally integrated
► ghettos vs. ethnic neighborhood
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Suburbs
residential
nodes of retail services
CENTRAL PLACE THEORY
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Threshold - number of people to support
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Range - distance people will travel for service
SUBJECT REVIEW
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SETTLEMENTS
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ORIGINS OF SETTLEMENTS
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TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS
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DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
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CITY HISTORY
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URBAN PATTERNS