Download settlement patterns/ urban geography

SETTLEMENT
PATTERNS/
URBAN GEOGRAPHY
SUBJECT OVERVIEW
► Defining
Urbanism
► SETTLEMENTS
► ORIGINS OF SETTLEMENTS
► TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS
► DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
► CITY HISTORY
► URBAN PATTERNS
What is Urbanism?
► Depends
on time and culture:
 The size of the stationary population is part of
the picture… but it varies according to the
historical context and location
 The size of a city varies geographically;
Portugal=10,000, Ethiopia=2,000, Norway=200
 Therefore, urbanism usually is qualified by a
population considered large for its time and
place
What makes a City a City?
► Population
alone does not make a city; a
stadium may hold many people, but is it a
city?
► There must also be government of some
kind.
► There must also be definable boundaries;
even if they change over time.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) used to
calculate a city’s boundaries: a city center
and its immediately interacting counties
What makes a City a City…
► The
economy is another layer in classifying
it as rural or urban… economic diversity
► A cultural layer also plays a role in defining
a place’s degree of urbanity or “cityness”…
cultural diversity
► So,
a clear definition of urban or city more
of a process of comparison than a sentence
or two… it depends!
Hearths of Urbanization
► Where
begin?
did cities and urbanism, or urban life
 The earliest cities were born around 3500 BCE
spawned from agricultural villages:
►Mesopotamia
►Indus
River region
►Nile Valley
►Huang He River valle
►Mexico
►Peru
Settlement
► Settlement
- a permanent collection of
buildings and inhabitants
GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE OF
SETTLEMENTS
► Geographers
are interested in the patterns
of settlements and the interrelationship of
settlements
► How
do the patterns of settlements explain
human culture?
ORIGINS OF SETTLEMENTS
► Religious
► Cultural
- graves, churches, temples
- schools, libraries
► Political/Military
► Economic
- leader’s house, walls
- stores, food
TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS
► Rural
Settlements - agriculture as the
predominant occupation.
► Urban
settlements - principal industries
are secondary and tertiary.
RURAL SETTLEMENTS
► Clustered
rural settlements -grouped
settlements in rural areas to
minimize travel
RURAL SETTLEMENTS
► Dispersed
rural Settlements - isolated
farms with enclosed continuous
fields
RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN THE
EASTERN U.S.
► New
England - clustered villages of the
colonists
► Mid
Atlantic - dispersed isolated farms
of the Dutch, Swedes, Irish and
Germans
► South
- plantations (mansions
surrounded by plantation services)
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
► Prior
to modern times most settlements
were rural
► First Urban Settlement
 UR (modern day of Iraq)
► Other
Early Cities
 Mycenae,Troy, & Isle of Crete in Greece
 Settlements along the world’s great rivers
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
► Athens
- first city over 100,000
 by the 5th century BC over 300,000
► Rome
- center of an empire 200 BC-400 AD
 “all roads lead to Rome”
 Paris, London, Vienna - all old Roman sites
► Mid-Evil
Europe - after the fall of Rome
 urbanization decreased
 patterns of castles, walls & narrow streets
 compact space surrounded by walls
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
► Renaissance-Baroque




Cities
Renaissance 15-16th centuries
Baroque 16-18th centuries
development of wide avenues & monuments
Paris & London rebuilt, Washington D.C.
► Industrial
City
 19th century to present
 city designed around industry and transportation
 most modern cities
DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN
SETTLEMENTS
► Megalopolis
-
 conurbation of a number of cities blended
together without separation
 “The Blob” Lewis Mumford
 SMSA- Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
 40% of the world’s population lives in urban
areas
URBAN SMSA’s
► First
city with 1 million - London in 1810
► Over 1 million - 180+ cities
► Over 10 million - LA, Buenos Aires, London,
Bombay, Jakarta, Mexico City, New York City,
Osaka, Paris, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo,
Seoul
► Over 30 million - Tokyo
DEFINITION OF THE CITY
► Physical
Definition of the City - Nonrural settlement that is, built up,
economically functional, has a local
government, and a legal boundary.
► Environmental Definition of the City
 urban dust domes
►(defined
by pollution)
 heat island
►(defined
by increased temperatures)
GROWTH OF THE CITY
► Skyscrapers
- using vertical space
 intensive use of land
►shops
at street level
 professional offices at higher levels
► Outward
Expansion
 advent of the automobile & transportation
routes
 decline of public transport
OUTWARD EXPANSION (con’t)
► Squatter
Settlements - illegally erected
shacks, cardboard structures and
tents, due to rapid growth in cities of
developing countries
► De-urbanization of the City
 suburbanism - legally independent
cities
 cluster cities
 rural areas- preferable to urban lifestyle
 telecommuting - economic activity from a
distance
Sao Paulo squatter settlement
DISTRIBUTION OF CITIES
► Physical
Restraints
 Manufacturing - North & East
 Retail Cities serving farmers - Mid West
 Resorts & Retirement - Southwest
► Economic
Functions
 site & situation factors
 International Trade - Port Cities
 Entertainment Centers - Las Vegas
DISTRIBUTION OF CITIES
► International
Distribution
 Developed countries have a higher
population living in urban areas
►Two
thirds live in urban areas
 Developing countries have the greatest
increases in the number of large urban
settlements
►One
quarter live in urban areas
►Most of the largest cities are in the
developing regions
URBAN PATTERNS
URBAN PATTERNS
► City
Center
 best known area, most visually distinctive
►San
Francisco, London
 original site of settlement
► Central




Business District
retail & office space
assessable
often a focal point with skyscrapers
specialized stores for the office workers
URBAN PATTERNS
► Zones
in Transition
 mixed use with light industry
 transition from business to residential
 older neighborhoods (slums)
►home
to ethnic groups not culturally integrated
►ghettos vs. ethnic neighborhood
► Suburbs
 residential
 nodes of retail services
CENTRAL PLACE THEORY
► Threshold
- number of people to
support
► Range
- distance people will travel for
service
SUBJECT REVIEW
► SETTLEMENTS
► ORIGINS
OF SETTLEMENTS
► TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS
► DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
► CITY HISTORY
► URBAN PATTERNS