Urban Environments. -What is “Urban” -Centrifugal and Centripetal movements - Megacities

Cities and Urban Geography §In /3 of the world lived in a city. §Today 1/2 of us live in cities and the number is increasing.

What is Urban?? CountryMin. Pop.Urban Pop. Sweden20083% Denmark20085% South Africa50057% Australia100085% Canada100077% Israel200090% France200074% United States250075% Mexico250071% Belgium500097% Iran500058% Nigeria500016% Spain10,00064% Turkey10,00063% Japan30,00078% Sources Urban areas are defined differently by different countries and groups. This makes calculating total “urban” population for the world difficult.

Urbanization vs. Urban Growth Urbanization: A increase in the percentage of people in cities. 1/3 to ½ population of the world becoming urbanized show urbanization Urban Growth: Increase in the number of people in cities There were 8,000 people in New York now there are 9,500. This shows urban growth. Growth could happen even if an increased number of people are choosing to live in rural areas due to natural increase.

But what is a city? Louis Wirth says a city: 1)Is Large 2)Has High Density 3)Has a Heterogeneous Population

Largest World Cities Ten Most Populous Today

Largest World Cities Ten Most Populous in A.D Tokyo 19.8 million 2. New York 15.9 million 3. Shanghai 11.4 million 4. México 11.2 million 5. São Paulo 9.9 million 6. Osaka 9.8 million 7. Buenos Aires 9.1 million 8. Los Angeles 8.9 million 9. Paris 8.9 million 10. Beijing 8.5 million Source: U.N., 2001 * Note that five of these cities are in the Core or more developed world.

Largest World Cities Ten Most Populous by A.D 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!

Why are LEDC urban areas growing and MEDC areas shrinking? Centripetal force: Movement toward the center. Centrifugal force: Movement away from center

Centrifugal in MEDCs U.S. population has been moving out of the city centers to the suburbs : suburbanization and counter-urbanization U.S. intraregional migration during 1990s. Developed Countries: suburbanization  wealthy move to suburbs  automobiles and roads; ‘American Dream’  better services Counter-urbanization  idyllic settings  Small towns are growing  cost of land for retirement  slow pace, yet high tech connections to services and markets

Urban Blight/Urban Decay Urban Blight or Urban Decay occurs when people leave an urban area and the only ones left are the ones who can’t afford to move. This leads to abandoned buildings, rise in crime (particularly vandalism) infrastructure issues, etc.

Centrifugal Issue SPRAWL!

Urban Sprawl in MEDCs Urban Sprawl: Urban growth moving unchecked into surrounding areas. MEDC: Where does the DC Metro area end? Where does NOVA end? Are Baltimore and DC one big Metro area?

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.

LEDC Sprawl Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil

Centripetal in LEDCs 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 outside cities Lagos, NigeriaMumbai, IndiaMexico City, Mexico

Changes in Cities in LEDCs Populations of cities in the less developed world have been surging mostly due to migration, NOT NATURAL INCREASE! Urbanization in LDCs:  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 near CBD  crime on the rise Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

MEDC Centripetal Gentrification: Middle class buys old buildings and homes in cities to renovate Revitalization Programs: London Docks, p.589.

Remember this?

Largest World Cities Ten Most Populous Today

Megacities Megacities are cities with population greater than 10,000. Mostly in LEDCs and more so in future!

Dual world of LEDCs… Mumbai, India Rural India