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MEGALOPOLIS (Chapter 4) Ellis Island Physical Geography • Physiography – Atlantic-Gulf Coastal Plain for the most part but goes to the “Fall Line” of the eastern Appalachian Upland • Climate – Humid continental with warm summers – Importance of maritime influences and natural hazards, e.g., hurricanes Physical Geography • Vegetation – Originally Mixed Broadleaf Deciduous and Needleleaf Evergreen – Introduced Species and Reforestation • Soils – North: Spodosols – Central: Inceptisols – South: Ultisols Historical Cultural Geography • Indigenous Population – Historic role of the various Algonquian tribes • Colonial to 1825: Emergence of Regional Foci – New England: Boston – Middle Atlantic: Key Competitors • New York City • Philadelphia – Chesapeake: Baltimore Megalopolis • Term initially coined by French geographer, Jean Gottmann (1961) for the large population agglomeration from Boston to Washington, D.C. • Now, any agglomeration of large, coalescing super cities A region called Megalopolis (Text, Ch. 7) • • • • • • Origin of the term (Jean Gottmann) Examples: Boston to Washington (“Boswash”) Chicago to Pittsburgh (“Chippits”) San Francisco to Santa Barbara (“SanSan”) Seattle to Portland to Eugene (?) Other examples? Spread and Merging of Cities in Megalopolis Megalopolis Region • Consists of 5 major cities, their suburbs, nearby smaller cities, and surrounding rural areas: – Boston, MA – New York, NY – Philadelphia, PA – Baltimore, MD – Washington, DC • Expanded so much to become a single metropolitan area. Megalopolis A small region Comparatively, 50,000 Sq. mi. Greatest concentration Of wealth and power In the history of the World. (page 65) Megalopolis Today • Urbanness the dominant theme, but rural areas persist • 10 major metropolitan areas of over 1 million people, plus numerous smaller cities • 17% of the total U.S. population • 1.5% of the total land area • 17% of all U.S. export trade through its six major ports • Higher than average proportion of white-collar employment • A region of international significance Megalopolis • Area of concentrated population between rest of U.S. and western Europe • High population density – Interesting fact re: population density of Megalopolis • New Jersey = 1000 people per sq. mile • Oregon = about 30 people per sq. mile. Potential new megalopolis – on the East Coast and elsewhere… Urban Environment • Characteristics of urbanism – – – – – Tall buildings Crowding Busy streets Industrial plants Cultural institutions • Metropolitan coalescence – Merging of urbanized areas of separate metropolitan centers, occurring early in history – A process of canalized growth (along transportation corridors) Albany-Schnectady-Troy Conurbation (“Mohawk Corridor”) Figure 8-9 Levittown: Suburbs Site Characteristics The features of the immediate environment or setting • Coastal location • Numerous estuaries (drowned river mouths), forming good harbors • Moderate but not exceptionally mild climate • Variable soils • Relatively flat or gently rolling terrain Fall Line Cities • Cities along the border between the Piedmont and the Atlantic coastal plain physiographic regions • Rapids and falls as rivers flow from hard rocks of the higher Piedmont onto the softer rocks of the coastal plain Sub-regions of Megalopolis… • Merrimack Valley (NH and MA) • Boston • Narragansett Basin (Providence, RI) • Lower Connecticut Valley (western MA) • Albany/SchenectadyTroy (upstate NY) • NY City • Philadelphia • Baltimore • Washington Galactic Cities: Southeastern New England Merrimack Valley Metropolitan Boston Narragansett Basin Lower Connecticut Valley Figure 8-5 Situation Aspects of the region’s location relative to other places • A good location relative to Europe for trade and immigration • Fortuitous location along the Europe– Caribbean and South American trade route • Good accessibility – Good harbors – Routes to the interior (natural and man-made) – A great stop-off/service point for others conducting trade Megalopolis at the Continental Hinge Accessibility resources: Naturally occurring features that facilitate movement in and out • • • • Harbors for trade Immigration Rich hinterland Agglomeration (clustering) (page 70) (page 69) Urban Environment • Characteristics of urbanism – – – – – Tall buildings Crowding Busy streets Industrial plants Cultural institutions • Metropolitan coalescence – Merging of urbanized areas of separate metropolitan centers, occurring early in history – A process of canalized growth (along transportation corridors) Components of Urban Landscape • Spatial interaction: movement between places – People – Information – Utilities • Spatial complementarity – Places import what they lack from places that have a surplus – Closer places have the advantage for filling needs • Functional complexity: land use variations and conflict – – – – Residential Industrial Commercial Recreational Components of Urban Landscape • Public services – Water, sewage, garbage pickup – Public safety – Welfare • Accessibility – Demanded by high level of interaction – Shaped by spatial arrangement of land uses – Early cities less concerned with accessibility – Post–World War II construction of bypasses, beltways, parkways, and limited access expressways