What cities do and why they exist?
WHAT CITIES DO AND WHY THEY EXIST.
“Cities are the most important human made
feature on the Earth’s surface.” Urbanization
has been the major trend in the 20th century.
Cities exist to provide?
The development of agriculture some 10,000
years ago made cities possible.
With a surplus of food, not all people had to be
concerned about growing food. This allowed
“specialization of labor.” Different people could
produce different products and trade.
People could
produce shoes,
clothes, swords,
etc… and barter for
food and other
products.
Urban settlements
The “urban
revolution” began
in the Fertile
Crescent.
Other cities in that age group could be found in Egypt,
the Indus Valley, and in China.
By 2,500 BC there
were cities in
Knossos, Crete and
Mycenae in Greece.
These were trading
centers that
developed into citystates which
governed the city
and farmlands
around them.
The physical geography of the region is a major
determinant in place people choose to settle.
Site: has to do with
the physical
characteristics of a
place or its
absolute location.
Situation has to do
with a place’s
relationship with
other locations, or
its relative location.
There is an hierarchy in urban development
A settlement
may have less
have 500
people or less.
Most of the people will be
involved in a single
economic activity.
A village will have a population of 500-2500.
People of a
village may be
tied to one
economic
activity, but…
there will also
be a few low
level services
to support the
local economic
activity.
A town will have a population of 2,500 to 20,000
A town may have a
major employer, but
there will be several
other companies or
businesses that
employ a number of
people.
There will be a
variety of nonbasic
industries
available.
A city will have a population from 20,000 to several
million.
The city will
have a
variety of
basic and
non-basic
industries.
Cities must “do something” to exist.
CITIES EXIST BECAUSE THEY ARE P.I.G.S.
PORTS
INDUSTRIAL CENTERS
GOVERNMENT CENTERS
SERVICES
New York City
Mexico City
London
Houston
Cities must have a reason to exist. What
happens when the mines are exhausted?
Central Place: provides goods and services
to the surrounding areas (hinterlands.)
Chicago sits on Lake Michigan, Chicago River, and a
vast system of rail lines. It is a central place for the
Midwest.
Amarillo serves as a “central place” for the small towns and
farms in the Panhandle (hinterlands.) How about Houston?
Wheat farms
Cadillac Ranch on I-40.
A central place provides goods and services for
a region.
Cites can exist because they are transportation
centers.
Technology
can change
the mode of
transpiration
.
A metropolitan area is made up of a central
business district and rings that include small
surrounding cities (exurbs-Hempstead), built up
areas around a central city (suburbs –Cy Fair),
and the central city (inside loop 610.
Houston Metropolitan Area
Suburbs
CBD
Cy Fair
Exurbs
Galveston
Cites are also “break of bulk” centers.
This means goods are moved from one mode of
transportation to another. Ships to trucks, trains or
trains to trucks. These goods are then shipped out
to stores and end users.
Houston grew into a major city because it is a
transportation center
Rail, two air
ports, the ship
channel and
interstate
highways.
Of course
Houston’s
growth is also
tied to…
The energy
capital of the
world (oil!)
Which American city grew into a great city
because of the automobile industry?
Detroit
NUMBER OF VACANT ADDRESSES IN DETROIT -- 2009
Cities exist for
special
purposes,
like……….?
This special purpose
city is the entertainment
capital of Texas.
Centers for special activities
may be the seat of
government (county, state, or
national.
They may also exist
because they are the
central place of a
religion
If the functions of a city or town increase in
number of importance, it will grow in
population.
When the functions decrease, or the basic industry
decreases, the entire economy of the city experiences a
downturn.
If a city
decreases in
importance,
its population
will decline
Timbuktu,
Mali, West
Africa
Over 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities
(much higher in the developed world.)