URB - Introduction to Urbanization Lesson

Introduction to Urbanization Lesson

Early Urbanization

  • The definition of an urban area is constantly changing based on time and geography
    • In ancient times cities ranged from 2,000 - 20,000 people and one of the most massive cities, Ur, had a population of 200,000
    • In comparison Tokyo has more than 35 million people (modern-day)

Modern Urbanization

  • Urbanization grew rapidly in MDCs due to the Industrial Revolution and movement towards the tertiary sector (but actually has its earliest roots in the Neolithic Revolution)
  • The development of cities grew from urban hearth areas to the rest of the world
    • During the Industrial Revolution and Second Agricultural Revolution farmers went to cities for jobs
    • Growth in the tertiary sector has caused movement to cities for work in the service industry
  • LDCs are urbanizing at a higher percentage each year because MDCs are near their capacity (there are no more large groups migrating to cities that haven't already created a migration stream)
  • ¾ population in MDCs are urban
  • 2/5 population in LDCs are urban

Location of Urban Centers

Photo Slum Life in Jakarta Indonesia

  • Originally the largest cities in the world were located in western MDCs (due to the earlier Industrial Revolution), but most are now in LDCs
    • Some believe this is a sign that LDCs are moving along the same path as MDC nations, but the movement to those cities is not always positive
      • There are not enough jobs and most of the growth is from high RNI
      • This overcrowding in the outer-regions of cities (different than in US) has led to squatter settlements (favelas) without basic needs or services
        • In Africa up to 80% of the population of cities may reside in a squatter settlement
        • Many of the jobs performed in these areas are in the informal sector, meaning they do not contribute to the official economy and are not taxed or under any government protection

Defining Cities

  • Social requirements for a city:
    • Large size
    • High density
    • Social heterogeneity (different types of people)
    • Economic diversity
  • Physical requirements for a city:
    • Legal boundaries
    • Government system
    • An urbanized area surrounding the central city (suburbs)
      • 75% of Americans live in either a central city or a suburb

Settlement Sizes

  • Unincorporated areas have only two or three families living there and exist on the fringe of suburbs
  • Hamlets have a few dozen people and limited services
  • Villages are a little larger and offer more services
  • Towns have 50 to a few thousand people and are usually considered an urban area
    • They are considered central areas with hinterlands surroundings them (or urban influence zones - areas affected by the city)
  • Cites are large, densely populated areas with tens of thousands of people
  • Metropolises have large populations (over 50,000), incorporate large areas and are focused on one large city (this includes the suburbs) can create urban heat island
    • Biggest urban areas converge to create a megalopolis (conurbation)
      • i.e., Bosnywash

US Definitions

  • The US Census Board tracks urban areas by creating census tracts of 5,000 people living in cities (usually meets neighborhood boundaries)
    • Can give information about the race, per capita income, education, etc. of people in that area
  • The US Census Bureau established a population of over 50,000 in a central city and its immediately linked counties as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
    • Many MSA's overlap with one another which is known as a megalopolis (Washington to Boston was the first - BOSNYWASH- several large cities that are difficult to differentiate because of their growth and overlapping services )
  • A central city (and immediately linked counties) with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 is known as a micropolitan statistical area

Rural Settlements

  • Clustered rural settlements are found in LDCs where people (who rely upon agriculture) live close to one another and fields surround houses and farm buildings
  • Dispersed rural settlements are found in MDCs where farmers live on individual farms and are isolated from their neighbors

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS (Images are available in the Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)