Urban Areas United States and Canada

Urban Areas Urban – having something to do with cities. People make a living in ways other than farming. Urban areas grouped by: - population or - economic activities Kinds of Urban Areas Cities are defined differently in different areas of the world. Suburbs – areas around a city – large central city Metropolitan Area – land of a central city and all of its suburbs. Urban Functions (Eco. Activities) Manufacturing

Roman Suburbs Urbs – inside the city walls Suburbs – outside the city walls

Government – national, state, provincial capitals. Transportation Trade/office – generally will be located in a central area. Other functions: - recreation ctrs - educational ctrs - religious ctrs History of Cities Started about 6,000 years ago. First cities: - Mesopotamia (SW Asia)

Specialization started to develop: - artisans- merchants - farmers- ruling elite (military or religious leaders) along the Tigris/Euphrates Rivers - 4,000 BCE Running the cities – (usually the ruling elite) - wrote the laws - levied taxes - supervised public building Earliest Great City Rome – ctr of Roman Empire - built all over Europe - roads still used today Sketch a map

Better Farming Techniques

The Plow Irrigation

The First Cities Cause & Effect Agricultural Revolution Migration to River Valleys Better Farming Techniques More People Specialization Some people don’t need to farm First Cities Bunch of non-farmers

- developed the grid system to lay out their cities (later spread all over Europe) - brought water from the mountains by aqueducts Fall of the Roman Empire - invasion of Germanic tribes

Middle Ages Villages and cities started to increase again after the Dark Ages Trade between the villages would develop into large cities. Two of the largest cities would be Paris and London. Industrial Revolution Next large growth of cites – started in Europe and would spread to N. America in the late 1700s. Immigration & 2 nd Agricultural Revolution Helped spread urbanization in the 20 th c. Dramatically increased the size of cities in North America. Urban Environment Shaped by human activities - cities have to deal with problems and increasing population

Urban Landscape Site and situation -influence whether people will settle in certain area - 2 factors influence this: Exact location Site -actual physical features (landforms, waterways, climate, etc.) Relative location Situation -position of a place in relation to all places around it.

What factors do we need for a city? Water (fresh) Abundant food source Fertile land Good climate Natural protection These are characteristics of Site. Confluence Near a trade center River – for transportation Located near natural resources. These are characteristics of Situation

Transportation Routes Establishing a new transportation route to exchange goods.

Houston Ship channel Meets the railroads Railroads Ship Channel

A city’s good situation guarantees its influence over the area CBDHinterland A cities “downtown” is called the Central Business District (CBD). A city has areas around it that supply it with raw materials and farm products – called the HINTERLAND. The hinterland gets its manufactured products and services from the city. Impact of Urban Development People change the natural landscape to build the city. - animal/plant habitats are destroyed - arable land being used for development

Modern Urban Structure Where do people live and work? Different cities are built on different models –Concentric Zone Model –Sector Model –Multiple Nuclei Model These models may be used to look at the same city in different ways

Concentric Zone Model Theory – cities grow outward in rings –Zone of transition is industrial and poor quality housing

Dallas as a Concentric Zone Model More home ownership away from city center % of households that own their own home

Sector Model Theory – cities grow in a series of wedges or corridors which extend from the CBD

Dallas as a Sector Model High income housing in northern sector House values

Suburbs and inner cities Income Disparity

Multiple Nuclei Model Theory – city is a collection of individual centers around where people cluster

Dallas as a Multiple Nuclei Model African Americans and Hispanics occupy different nodes in the city

The Egg Model Tongue in cheek –Ancient cities has walls (like a hard egg shell) High density urban areas Low density suburbs

Impact of Urban Development Infrastructure: A cities support system which includes: Transportation (roads, railroads, ports, airports) Water supply Sanitation system Power supply Education system A city’s infrastructure is under stress during: Rapid urbanization City is growing faster than infrastructure Economic decline Taxes fall – less money to repair the infrastructure

Urban Climate Cities’ climates are warmer than rural areas. Cities are “URBAN HEAT ISLANDS” (can be up to 3 º warmer)

Buildings change wind patterns. Urban Life Common urban problems - unemployment - providing services - racial/religious conflict - environmental pollution - decline of the CBD World Patterns of Urban Development 45% of the world’s people live in urban areas. Industrialized (MDCs) – 75% LDCs – 35% live in cities Last 20 years in MDCs rapid population growth

seems to be in smaller cities and smaller metropolitan areas (suburbs) By 2025 – 60% of the world’s population will live in cities. All but one of the largest cities in the world will be in LDCs.