Manchester Community College
Social Sciences Division
Urban Geography
Chapter Fifteen
Lecture 2. Cities of the Less Developed and
Developed World
Adjunct Lecturer:
Donald J. Poland, MS, AICP
Cities of the Less Developed World
E-mail: dpoland@mcc.commnet.edu
Web: www.donaldpoland.com
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
The New Urban Majority
The Worlds Largest Cities
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„ The New Urban Majority: The majority if the world’s current urban dwellers
live in developing cities. Cities in less developed countries have mushroomed
while cities in the developed world have remained largely stable, at least in
terms of population if not consumption of land. Developing world cities now
constitute 21 of the world’s 26 largest cities.
„ How the Cities Have Grown: Europe and North America were the first
regions to urbanize, primarily as a result of a shift from agrarian to an industrial
economy. Throughout the world, urbanization percentages roughly followed
rates of economic development. Thus, cities in the less developed world
remained overwhelmingly rural well into the 20th century. In 1950, fewer than
one in six people in the developing world lived in urban areas; now more than
one in three do. Urban growth rates in these developing cities can be as high as
5% compared to 1% in the developed world.
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„
Urbanization refers to the percentage of people who live in cities and generally
results from a shift in population from countryside to the city.
Urban growth simply refers to the overall growth in the population that lives in
cities.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Demographic Factors Involved in Urban Growth
Demographic Factors Involved in Urban Growth
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Three demographic processes
contribute to urban growth in less
developed countries:
„ Natural Increase: The gap
between the number of births and
the number of deaths. Developing
countries are in the midst of a
demographic transition dating to
the later part of the twentieth
century during which their death
rates have declined rapidly while
their birth rates have remained
high. High rates of natural
increase means these cities are
growing independent of migration.
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Three demographic processes
contribute to urban growth in less
developed countries:
„ Urbanization Curve: Most
developing world cities are now at
the acceleration phase of the
urbanization curve. The
urbanization curve represents an
“S” shape moving from a rural
society, where less than 20
percent of the population lives in
cities, to an urban society, where
more than 75 percent lives in
cities. The acceleration phase
links these two phases and
represents a period of tremendous
rural-to-urban migration. Once a
society reaches urban saturation,
increases in city size are often
more a function of urban-to-urban
migration.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Demographic Factors Involved in Urban Growth
Demographic Factors Involved in Urban Growth
Three demographic processes
contribute to urban growth in less
developed countries:
„ Primacy: Intense urbanization in
developing countries often
focuses on a single primate city
that provides the fuel that enables
that city to grow into a megacity.
Many developing countries
contain a single primate city that is
disproportionately large. A simple
rule of thumb is that a primate city
is significantly greater then twice
the size of the next largest city.
For example, Mexico City is a
primate city with 17 million people;
Guadalajara, the next largest city,
contains 1.6 million. There is more
to primate cities than their
population size.
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Primacy:
„ Primacy also indicates a
disproportionate share of
economic activity, cultural
dominance, and political control.
„ Primate cities tend to overwhelm
their countries, become the only
destination of choice for ambitious
people and acting as the primary
fulcrum of growth and
development.
Primate cities are not only found in
developing countries—Vienna,
London, and Paris are examples of
developed world primate cities.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Population Growth (World)
Fertility Rates and Doubling Time
„ Fertility Rates
„ Doubling Time
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Origins of Third World Urbanization
Origins of Third World Urbanization
„
„ International Political Economy
Modernization Perspectives: The
modernization perspectives derives
from neo-classical economics, and it
dominated the way we viewed
developing countries for many
decades following World War II. The
Modernization perspective argues
that the less developed countries
are, in fact, “developing”; that is,
they are in a process of transition
from pre-industrial to industrial
society.
Perspective: proposes several theories to
explain third world urbanization.
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The primary element these theories have in
common is a consensus concerning the
inadequacies of the modernization perspective.
The main critique is that the modernization
perspective tends to view economic
development and urbanization as isolated with a
particular country.
It does not consider the links between the
economic development of country or region and
the economic development of other countries.
Just as the economic system operates as an
integrated global unit—and has done so for more
than a century—so explanations of urbanization
need to take into account the interdependence of
regions.
In addition, the historical conditions of countries
vary tremendously. Moreover, the internal
structures of countries vary a great deal as well.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
International Political Economy Perspective
International Political Economy Perspective
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Most of the largest third world cities began as colonial capitols. In most areas
the colonial powers built the bulk of the cities themselves, in a manner that
best suited their economic and political needs.
The urban system was developed in order to serve colonial demands and
drove the establishment of cities and determined the roles of colonial cities
were quite clear: Cities were the specific conduits through which European
powers extracted raw materials from the hinterland.
Politically, colonial cities were established as administrative centers that
represented imperial power on colonial soil. The nature of the colonial impress
varied depending on whether the city was new or has existed prior to
colonization. The underlying economic principles, however, were remarkably
similar throughout the colonial world, and they produced an urban system that
was skewed toward the West.
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Colonialism: One theme of the international policy economy perspective
specifically examines the conditions of colonization, which shaped the
economies, the roles, and the distribution of cities.
Economic Disparity: Following national independence, colonialism
was replaced by a relationship termed neocolonialism, in which the
ex-colonial economy continued to provide raw materials to the former
colonial power. This relationship created a continued dependency on
the former colonial power and worked to the disadvantage of the
satellite because manufactured products are far more valuable than
primary products. Early dependency theories were later recast in terms
of a world system composed of core, periphery, and semiperiphery
regions.
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Cores are those areas of the world that control the economic capital
essential to economic development.
Periphery areas are those areas that are economically dependent on
the core.
Semiperiphery areas are an intermediate category that lends a bit
more sophistication to later dependency theory.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
International Political Economy Perspective
International Political Economy Perspective
Urban Bias: Urbanization is a consequence of economic development. In
the absence of industrialization, there is no motivation for large-scale
urban growth. An economy developed solely for the demands of
extraction can accommodate only a tiny percentage of its population
within cities, and it is for this reason that third world cities remained so
small up until the 1960s. When the economies attempted to industrialize,
then large-scale urban growth could begin. Many scholars, however,
claim that urban growth tends to reinforce existing divisions within a
country. They argue that the global relations that typify colonies and later
independent but economically dependent nations divide a country into
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The urban bias goes beyond this. The decision-making elite within third
world countries live in the main cities. The urban bias argument suggests
that they are far more concerned with the well-being of the urbanites and
of cities they inhabit than they are with rural areas. As a consequence,
the overwhelming majority of capital investment, public spending, and
high-quality labor is found with the cities. Part of this focus on cities—
above and beyond the economic incentives that cities generate on their
own—may explain why third world cities tend to be healthier, better
educated, and more prosperous populations than do rural areas.
However, urban bias is hard to measure.
(1) an expoert-oriented region that, although still poor by the standards of
the developed world, is wealthy relative to the rest of the country; and
(2) a traditional, subsistence-oriented region that does not participate in
economic growth. Most urban development, population growth, and
capital investment are concentrated within the first region.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristics of Third World Cities
Characteristics of Third World Cities
„ What are the characteristics of these cities?
„ Richer cities usually have enough jobs-rapid population growth is
„ How similar are they to cities in North America, Europe, and Japan?
usually spurred by a heightened demand for workers—and they have
the wherewithal to build enough housing and to provide adequate
services, leading to the expanses of newly constructed subdivisions
seen in almost every American boomtown.
„ These options are not available in third world cities. Village dwellers
migrate to the big cities in search of opportunity, but they encounter
enormous difficulties in finding regular, full-time, paid work. They must
resort to other approaches in order to eke out a living.
„ Neither the commercial private sector nor the already strapped public
sector in such cities can possible build enough housing for the new
arrivals, especially because what we consider established housing is
affordable for only a small fraction of the populace.
„ Housing and jobs, therefore, are the chief challenges faced by third
world cities, accompanied in come cases by ethnic conflicts and
governmental corruption.
„ Is it possible to generalize about them, or must we consider each
region independently?
„ What we think of as “third world” or “less developed” cities encompass
a range of wealth and per capita purchasing power from $12,000 per
year to less than 50 cents a day. Nonetheless, some challenges are
faced by all of these cities that help to set them apart and that create a
unique urban character.
„ Many of the challenges faced by third world cities revolve around the
fact that they are unable to accommodate their massive growth. Third
world cities suffer from their own popularity, and in this regards they
bear some resemblance to the fast growing cities in the developed
world.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristics of Third World Cities
Characteristics of Third World Cities
„ Effects of Growth: As is true of all cities, third world cities grow for a
„ Housing: The lack of adequate housing is the first thing that visitors to
reason—people are seeking a better life. In the process, they swell the
physical and civil infrastructure beyond the breaking point and exhibit high
levels of problems, such as poverty, pollution, crime, and inadequate
housing.
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Consider the negative effects of rapid growth of towns in the U.S.:
overcrowded schools, pollution, traffic congestion, inadequate fire protection,
and perhaps high crime rates.
Less developed cities have to deal with far greater growth, with few assets.
The density of such cities can be staggering. In Cairo’s population densities is
300,000 people/square mile—four times that of Manhattan.
These cities struggle to provide basic services, water, sewer, waste collection,
and electricity.
Pollution is a significant problem. Only half of the dwellings in the third world
are connected to sewers. Groundwater is severely polluted, and rivers and
canals are turned into open sewers.
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a poor city notice. The ride from the airport often passes through acres
of shanties. The lack of decent housing affects a huge proportion of the
population in poor cities, perhaps a many as 50 percent of all urban
dwellers. The World Bank (2000) estimated that in the 1980s within
third world cities, only one housing unit was constructed for every nine
households in need of a dwelling.
„
Public Sector Housing: is constructed by the government for its citizens,
sometimes at a cost to the residents, but often subsidized. Public sector has
been tied in many third world cities, although it represents a relatively small
proportion of the total housing stock. It is very costly. Although the efforts
are laudable, public housing has generally been able to accommodate only
a very small proportion of the population.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Self Housing – Shanty Towns
Characteristics of Third World Cities
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Commercial Private-Sector Housing: Housing built for profit by a private
company falls under the category of commercial housing. Most housing in
North America is commercial housing. This is not true in most less
developed cities—due primarily to the high costs. In less developed cities
few residents can afford these houses. Housing prices can be four and six
times average incomes. There are four principal reasons why commercial
housing is so expensive: (1) land costs are quite high, (2) building costs are
high, (3) access to credit can be difficult, (4) most construction is driven by
the elite.
Self-Help Housing: Because assistance from the private and public sectors
is inadequate, the need for housing must be met in other ways. Self-help
housing refers to housing that is constructed informally by residents
themselves. In third world cities, self-help housing is a strategy of the very
poor, who seek to provide themselves with some shelter. It constitutes a
huge percentage of the total housing in these places. The primary
advantaged of self-help housing is its lower costs. It is estimated to cost at
most one-fourth as much to build this type of housing.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Employment Opportunities and the Informal Sector
Employment Opportunities and the Informal Sector
„ The reason cities these are growing is the perception among migrants
„ Formal Sector: is made up of those jobs, either in government or
that cities are places of hope, of opportunity.
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private companies, that provide a reasonably steady wage. The formal
sector consists of the large industries, services, and the government. It
also includes firms that employ people on a more temporary basis.
Migrates tend to be the best off of the peasantry, come from wealthier
places, are better educated, and have some experience in nonagricultural
occupations.
They also have means to finance the journey.
„
„ Migrants tend to pass over smaller cities since the huge primate cities
„
that exert the greatest magnetic pull.
„
Unfortunately, most third world cities have not generated the necessary
agglomeration economies to absorb all of the newcomers.
„ The disparity between the growth of good jobs and the population influx
has had several consequences. One is that these cities have a very
small middle class. This income inequality is reflected in the labor
market. Simply put, there are not enough regular jobs for all of the
people who want them.
„ This means that many cities in less developed countries are split into
two sectors:
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The number of people who find reasonable paying jobs in these new
industries is a small proportion of the total adult working population.
Workers in the formal sector usually started off with some advantage,
such as academic credentials, greater wealth, or good luck knowing
somebody with influence or through political patronage.
Formal sector employment in poor countries is often a consequence of
corporate shifting and the outsourcing of labor-intensive from countries.
The sweatshops have moved from the first to the third world, and it is in
these factories that people may earn only a few dollars a day for
unskilled or semiskilled work.
It’s important to keep in mind that although such conditions seem
horrific us, they represent opportunity to those doing the work.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Employment Opportunities and the Informal Sector
Great Economic Disparity
„ Informal Sector: Because the formal sector is never in a position to
employ more than a fraction of the urban workforce people are forced
to eke out a living in some other way. For some people, returning to the
village is an option, but most do not choose this path. They opt instead
to find work within the informal sector.
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The informal sector is hard to define because it refers to unaccountable
and unregistered activities.
Informal sector jobs exist on the margins, but make up much of the
employment in third world cities and therefore are very visible.
A large variety of jobs fall into the informal sector. Activities include
retail distribution, particularly food, fresh water, newspapers, and
jewelry; artisan who produce small items for household use; small
garden farming, personal services such as laundries, repair shops, and
gambling service; and, of course, scavenging and begging.
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Cities of the Developed World
Western European Cities
„ Western European Cities: those cities now found in the member
countries of the European Union plus Switzerland and Norway—lie
within a region that was first to fully urbanize and countries to be one of
the most urbanized places in the world.
Chapter Fourteen
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Lecture 3. Cities of the Developed World
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We use the terms Western and Eastern Europe as a matter of
convenience, stemming largely from developments since WWII.
This division is artificial and considers as “Eastern European” cities like
Prague and Budapest that were capitals of great central European
kingdoms and empires.
We preserve this categorization, however, because of the powerful role
played by Communist political economies in shaping these cities.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Urbanization and the European City
Urbanization and the European City
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Urbanization: refers to the proportion of the population that lives in
cities. A country is urbanized when more than half of its population lives
in urban areas.
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The first country to become urbanized was the United Kingdom, which
was mostly an urban society by 1850.
By 1910 a majority of the population in Italy, Belgium, and the
Netherlands lived in cities and Germany was on the verge of becoming
mostly urban.
By 1925 Europe had 11 cities with more than 1 million people (four of
these in Britain), out of a total of about 31 cities worldwide with 1 million
residents.
The two major reasons why Europe urbanized so early and so much
are industrialization and imperialism.
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Industrialization: The manufacture of textiles, steel, and chemicals in
midlands Britain, the coalfields of Belgium and France, and in the Ruhr
and Rhine valleys of Germany encouraged rural people to move into
urban areas to work in factories.
Imperialism: Many of the largest cities in Europe were capitals of vast
colonial empires. Such holdings required large administrative
apparatuses, and for this reason many European cities grew to
tremendous size. Today, Europe is mostly urbanized, but there are
some clear differences among countries. Britain, Germany, Belgium,
and the Netherlands are the most urban. They are followed by France,
Italy, Spain, and Greece.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristic Features of European City
Characteristic Features of European City
„ While European cities differ with regards to size, historical legacy,
•
available building materials, government, role of planning, and recent
economic trends it is still possible to point to specific aspects of these
cities that render them distinct from other cities in the world.
„ Of greatest importance is an economic environment of plenty. The
people in Western Europe are not only the most affluent in the world,
but they are the most highly taxed. Consider the proportion of the gross
domestic product spent by the public sector.
„
In the United States, roughly one-third goes toward public
expenditures. In Western Europe it is closer to half. As a result, public
coffers have more cash to spend on public projects.
Density and Compactness: European cities are fairly compact. In the
past, most cities were engirdled by a wall and if the population grew,
the extra population was crammed inside the wall, forcing more intense
usage of land.
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„ There are also differences in the allocation of public spending.
„
In the United States, much government spending goes to defense and
highway projects. In contrast, European government spends less in
these areas and more on urban development, mass transit, and
beautification.
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Suburbs emerged outside the city walls, but remained close to the city
proper.
Transportation posed another constraint. The reliance of all but the rich
on their own two feet for transportation meant that cities could not grow
beyond a couple of miles in diameter, and most were smaller than that.
Existing building stock from this pre-industrial period ensures that the
historical core of European cities is densely populated. There are a few
such cities in the United States—Boston and Charlestown come to
mind—but these are rare.
Except for some planned new towns, nearly all European cities were
established as walking cities.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristic Features of European City
Characteristic Features of European City
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Since the early nineteenth century,
European cities have grown
tremendously in area. Streetcars,
trains, trolleys, and subways all
appeared in the late 1800s and into
the 1900s.
Automobile ownership became
much more common as European
societies became more affluent.
Today, most households own a car,
and excellent mass transportation
system can be found throughout the
region.
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Nevertheless, European cities
continue to exhibit much higher
densities than American cities. In
the United States, only a few cities
have densities in excess of 20
people per acre. In European cities
by contrast, densities of more than
50 people per acre are common.
Reasons for this high urban density
have to do with urban
compactness, a measure of
concentration in the city.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristic Features of European City
Characteristic Features of European City
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In Europe, three basics factors contribute to compactness.
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1. Many city dwellers cannot spread out as far as American urbanities.
Factors related to this are land and transportation cost.
2. The higher costs of home ownership and home financing. Housing
prices are almost always higher in Europe because land prices are
higher as a result of its greater scarcity and because European builders
tend to use sturdier materials. Just as important, the cost of financing a
house is higher because most Europeans do not enjoy 30-year, tax
deductible, amortized mortgage available to Americans. Forty percent
down payments and 10 year payoff.
3. Planning is more stringent across European cities. Governments
employ a variety of growth control mechanisms that are intended to
contain urban populations within existing built-up areas and that
provide for carefully defined outlets for growth beyond city lines. Urban
growth boundaries, greenbelts, and new towns.
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Historical Legacy: Many
European cities combine different
historical periods, from antiquity to
present day. It is not uncommon to
see a 12th century Roman theater
next to a 500-year old apartment
building. European cities embrace
their history and preservation is a
more common desire than
renewal, as the newer demands of
society are blended into the older
urban fabric. The epic center of all
European cities lies in the oldest
section of the city.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristic Features of European City
Characteristic Features of European City
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This is termed the historical core,
and it is the portion of the city within
the ancient or medieval walls. Most
tourist spend all of their time within
this section. What distinguishes the
European core is that it still
functions as the nerve center of the
contemporary city. Here one finds
administrative functions, retail, and
financial institutions. Also, people
still live here, so the core still has
residents of means. Core areas also
have a very low skyline.
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Housing and Social Geography:
Compactness and the historical
legacy play major roles in the
distribution of housing markets and
the resulting social geography.
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Building materials used in European
cities are more durable—stone and
brick have even been mandated by
some governments. These materials
raises the cost of building, but also
ensures that housing quality does
not deteriorate nearly as rapidly.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Characteristic Features of European City
Aspects of Change
In the U.S., older structures are in the
center city, while new structures are
toward the periphery. In the U.S., where
the wealthy choose newer, more spacious
housing, Europeans prefer more centrally
located, older housing.
European cities have relatively low rates of
owner occupancy and a grater tendency
toward apartment living. Continental
Europe, in cities over 100,000 people, an
average of 80 percent live in apartments.
Mobility is much lower. In the U.S. roughly
one in six people moves each year, the
rate is less than half that in Europe. Lower
mobility means that people in rental
housing are more likely to maintain their
housing and that urban neighborhoods in
general are far more stable.
„ The most profound changes occurred as a result of World War II, which
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physically devastated several cities. In the aftermath, cities were given
the opportunity to create themselves anew though at a tragic loss to
their old architecture.
„ Changing Economic Circumstances: During the 1900th and 20th
century, European cities were clearly affected by industrialization.
Some places within England’s Midlands and Germany’s Ruhr Valley,
became cities as a result of the new industrial economy; many others
witnessed tremendous growth in their overall size and complexity. In
recent years, many European cities have changed along the same lines
North American cities. Although European cities as a whole continue to
retail more their office functions within a central district, several of these
office functions have moved to the urban periphery.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Aspects of Change
Aspects of Change
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Air traffic has played a major role in effect on core area economics. It
has become increasingly important for many businesses and services
to be located near airport. Therefore, warehousing, courier services,
and hospitality have clustered around major international airports, most
often outside the core.
An additional feature is the introduction of high-speed rail networks,
linking existing national systems and creating new systems. Access to
this network will become a key factor of urban growth, and those cities
left behind will likely suffer.
Globalization of European Cities: On the street, the influence of
globalization can be witnessed in stores and fast-food restaurants. This
has led some critics to refer to the “McDonaldization” of the world. It is
important to not that, although this homogenization seems dramatic to
European eyes, compared to most American cities it is still quite
restrained. Firms with one to nine employees make up 91 percent of all
firms and that two-thirds of all jobs are in businesses with less than 50
employees.
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Central London
„ Changes in the Political and Cultural Milieu: Immigration has
become a major part of European cities. Most cities attract immigrants
from former colonies.
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Great Britain draws Jamaicans, Indians, and Pakistanis; France
attracts Algerians and West Africans;
Italy lures Ethiopians and Somalians.
„ There is no district where a single ethnic group comprises 95 percent or
more of the population, as is true among African Americans in almost
every large American city.
„ At the same time, most minority populations are distributed unevenly
throughout the urban landscape and often cluster in specific
neighborhoods.
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The Old Core and Financial District
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Cars, Parking, and Congestion
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Greater London – M-25 Ring Road
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Congestion Zone Pricing
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London Underground (subway)
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New Towns
Globalization
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Windsor and Windsor Castel
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Eurostar – London to Paris
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Amtrak Acela
Spaghetti Junction
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities in Post-Communist Development
Cities in Post-Communist Development
•
Communist Urban Development: Unlike cities in Western Europe and
North America, Eastern European cities were not permitted to develop
according to market principles. Rather, their growth was directed by the
government and was guided by a few simple tenets.
•
•
•
The first was that land was owned by the state and property rights did
not exist because individual property was not sanctioned. The absence
of a bid-rent market meant that the distribution of functions was by
government decree.
Many cities were decentralized, with factories, shops, and residences
located in equal numbers throughout the urban area.
The egalitarian premise of socialist society meant that few class divisions
were allowed to exist, although the Communist elite generally fared quite
well when resources were allocated.
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This ideology was reflected in an
urban landscape that was
generally devoid of good or bad
neighborhoods. It also
discouraged the construction of
distinctive dwellings. Rather, most
people lived in apartment blocks,
essentially large-scale public
housing.
Governments tried to influence the
size of cities—controlling
migration. Planners wanted to
restrict cities to populations
between 50,000 and 100,000, but
it was realized this was not
possible and abandoned.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities in Post-Communist Development
Cities in Post-Communist Development
Planners sought to create
neighborhood units that would
provide residents with all of their
necessities—health care,
education, shopping—while
minimizing the journey to work.
These microdistricts were built,
but in reality they did not offer the
optimal rang of services.
Cities were viewed as centers of
production rather than centers of
consumption. The lack of market
for land resulted in confusion.
Communist societies thus
discovered what capitalist
planners already knew: It is simply
impossible to enforce a
jobs/housing balance such that all
people live where they work and
work where they live.
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Post-Communist Development:
Since the fall of Communism in the late
80s, Eastern Europe has implemented
new political and economic systems.
But experiences and levels of success
have been very different. Cities have
moved away from centrally planned
economies toward market
economies. This is evident in the land
market, where property is treated as a
commodity. Values of certain properties
have risen.
Inefficient industries—previously
protected government—have been
rapidly abandoned. Large tracts of
industrial land have been abandoned
and the workers laid off.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities in Post-Communist Development
Cities in Japan
„ Outside of Europe and North
Evidence suggests that socioeconomic
divisions within cities are increasing.
Many households who can it, have
move out of the Communist eras
housing estates, which may yet
become zones of urban bight.
There has been a strong shift away
from urban planning, a backlash
against the past central planning.
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America, the most populous
developed region is Japan.
„ Unlike most other Asian countries,
Japan was never victimized by
outside colonization. A closed
society for many years, Japan is
now the second largest economy
in the world.
„
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According to Fortune magazine, it
is the home of five of the world’s
fifty largest companies and of the
world’s 20 largest banks.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities in Japan
Cities in Japan
„ Structure of Japanese Cities: The primary
„ Tokyo is a top tier city along with
factor that must be considered in Japanese
urban morphology is that of density.
New York and London.
„ From 1945 to 1970 Japan went from
24 percent urban to 72 percent
urban.
„ By 1968 Tokyo was the largest city in
the world and still is today.
„ A densely woven urban landscape,
known as the Tokaido corridor, was
created among Tokyo, Nagoya, and
Osaka.
„
„
„
„
This area contains some of the
densest populations and highest land
values in the world.
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„
Only about 1/8 of the land is available for
agriculture and urban development due to
rugged terrain. Therefore, the Japanese have
had to devise ways of accommodating
urbanism within tiny spaces.
This has created very high land values—in peak
markets land price per unit area were 100 times
greater than that of the USA and office space in
Tokyo cost 10 times more than in New York.
Tokyo remains the world’s most expensive city.
As a result of density and cost, the Japanese
use all available land in an intensive manner.
The size of housing space is restricted by it
costs, $500 per square foot.
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Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities of the Less Developed World
Cities in Japan
Cities in Japan
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„ Cities are compact and monocentric. As a rule, cities have
„
„
„
„
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decentralized, but they continue to be intensely focused around the
CBD.
Because land is so expensive, residential uses have pushed outward to
give way to commercial uses. The average Tokyo commute is over 2
hours round trip and congestion is a major problem.
The Japanese neighborhood is a complex mix of different uses. The
functional separation so common in the USA is replaced by
functional integration of residential and commercial use.
Japanese cities are socially integrated. Overall, the distribution of
income is far more even in Japan than in the USA. Even heads of giant
corporations are paid relatively modest salaries, and there are far fewer
desperately poor people in Japan.
Despite the crowding and jumble of different uses, Japanese cities are
exceptionally clean and relatively crime free.
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