URBANIZATION

• Urban geography is the study of urban areas.

• Urban areas have a high concentration of buildings and infrastructure.

• These are areas where the majority of economic activities are in the secondary sector and tertiary sectors.

• They often have a high population density.

URBANIZATION• Urbanization – Growth and diffusion

of city landscapes and urban lifestyles. (ruralurban)

• Urban areas provide;• Protection• Services & products (marketplace)• Employment • Cultural Features (Landmarks, Food)• Educational Opportunities • Transportation/Communication Hub

• Urban areas first developed when people stopped hunting and gathering, and became sedentary rather than nomadic.

Urbanization in the World's More Developed and Less Developed Societies

Emerging city – urban areas that are experiencing population growth as well as increasing their economic and political power throughout their region.– Shanghai, China – Hanoi, Vietnam– Bangkok, Thailand– Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dubai, U.A.E.– Singapore, Singapore – Mumbai, India – Jakarta, Indonesia

Gateway city – urban areas that connect two or more areas and serve as a gateway among them.– Boston – New York City– San Francisco – St. Louis– Miami – Toronto– Vancouver– Mumbai– Sydney– Istanbul– Cape Town– Hong Kong– Amsterdam– Barcelona– Dublin

GLOBAL CITIES • A Global city (or world city) is a city deemed

to be an important nodal point in the global economic system

• 2008 U.N. study – business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, & political engagement.

1 New York City

2 London

3 Tokyo

4 Paris

5 Hong Kong

6 Los Angeles

7 Singapore

8 Chicago

9 Seoul

10 Toronto

URBAN HIERARCHIES• Hamlet – may only include a

few dozen people and offer very limited services. The people in the hamlet are clustered around an urban center – which may consist only of a gas station or general store.

• Village – larger than hamlets and offer more services. Instead of just a general store, there may be stores specializing in the sale of food, clothing, furniture, etc.

URBAN HIERARCHIES• Town – may consist of 50

to a few thousand people. The meaning of a town varies from State to State & Nation to Nation.

• City – Large, densely populated areas that may include tens of thousands of people.

• Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, transportation, etc…

URBAN HIERARCHIES• Metropolis – large city, large populations

incorporating large areas. US Government states that a metropolis must have over 50,000 people.

URBAN HIERARCHIES• Megalopolis – an area consisting of several metropolitan

areas linked together that forms one huge urban area.

• Canada – Mainstreet• Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa,

Montreal, & Quebec City

• USA–Bosnywash

• Boston, Mass.• Providence, R.I.• Hartford, Conn.• NYC• Newark, NJ• Philadelphia, PA• Dover, DE• Baltimore, MD• Washington DC.

• USA –ChiPitts • Green Bay, Milwaukee,

Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Buffalo

• USA –San San• San Diego, San

Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento, Napa, Freemont, Oakland, San Francisco

• Europe – Blue Banana• Dublin, Lon-Leeds-Chester,

Paris, Flemish Diamond, Randstad, Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Munich, Basel, Zurich, Milan, Torino

• Japan – Tokaido corridor

(Taiheiyo Belt) (Pacific Belt)

• Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi

• Australia – The Boomerang • Melbourne, Canberra,

Sydney, Brisbane

• Brazil – Golden Triangle • Sao Paulo,

Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte

Why Do Services Cluster Downtown?• CBD land uses

– Central business districts (CBDs)– Retail services in the CBD

• Retailers with a high threshold• Retailers with a high range• Retailers serving downtown workers

– Business services in the CBD

CBD of Charlotte, NC

Figure 13-1

Why Do Services Cluster Downtown?• Competition for land in the CBD

– High land costs• Some of the most expensive real estate in the world

= Tokyo• Intensive land use

– Underground areas

• Skyscrapers – “Vertical geography”

Why Do Services Cluster Downtown?• Activities excluded from the CBD

– Lack of industry in the CBD• Modern factories require large, one-story parcels of

land

– Lack of residents in the CBD• Push and pull factors involved

• CBDs outside North America– Less dominated by commercial considerations.