urbanization
the movement of people to cities
Where/When is urbanization happening?
- most developed countries became urbanzied around the 19th & 20th centuries - shift from rurual to urban is largely complete
- processs of is now happening in developing countries
The movement of people to cities was promoted by 3 key developments
- Mechanization - use of machinery, displaced workers in mining, farming logging and fishing
- Industrialization - switch to an economy dependent on manufacturing industires, encouraged the concentration of manufacturing at sites which became destinations for workers leaving rural areas
- Technological change in fuel sources - from firewood to coal then petroleum meant energy supplies could be hauled long distances to cities to be consumed by the facctories
in-migration
people moving into cities
millionaire cities
- more cities have more than 1 million people (way more than before)
- number of huge cities in the developing countries demonstrates the rapid rate of urbanization in those parts of the world
Dealing with rapid urban growth
- lrg cities in developing countries are experiencing a lot of difficulties in managing their rappid growth
- many settle in shanty towns other settle on the street
- these cities have few resources to accomodate these extra people and the many new arrivals overload the city’s infrastructure
- demands of pop put strain on water supplies, sewage facilites, mass transit, power grids, health/social services
- efforts of cities to improve conditions (ex. turn of electricity) are usually futile because of the large # of migrants coming daily
- growth of these citites are haphazard
shanty towns
makeshift neighboruhoods/towns were squatters live`
The Plight of Street Children
- flood of migrants to cities has produced street children
- est. 100 mill worldwide - city in Brazil - 10% pop
- abbandoned by families struggling with poverty or fleeing abusive homes the children have to make their own way - begging, peddling inexpensive goods, stealing or prostitution
- often they become victims of street violence, sexual predetors or substance abuse
Push Factors
- people are driven to cities by certain factors (called push factors) which encourage them to leave their rural homes
ex. might find rural areas lacking in places such as adequeate food supplies or jobs
pull factors
- people are drawn to cities because of these factors, these factors attract them
ex. cities are seen as places of opportunity
urban functions
why cities are established and grow
- are established over time, and function might change
ex montreal - early function: act as central location for fur trade, now: a cultural centre among other things
- in general - larger pop , more functions it can offer
site
refers to the physical characteristics of the land in which the city is built
- descriptions usually include details about landforms, drainage, natural vegetation
Situation
describes the relationship between the city and its wider surroundings.
details about surrounding landforms may be included as well as information about the population and economic patterns
why might a location be picked
- if the site and situation of a location accomadate the kinds of activites that people want to engage in then a community may be established
ex. fertile soil and acess to places for trade = a market town could grow
basic activites
also reffered to as town-forming activites
- in some cases industries are the basic activites (ex mines,mills factories)
- other ex include tourism, military facilites, public admin, transportation
- these urban facilites serve a large pop than just the community and bring wealth into the area
non bastic avctivites
also reffered to as town-serving activites
- they exist to meet the needs of the local pop
ex grocery stores, places of worship, municipal services like parks
- these activites circulate the wealth within the community but do not generate new wealth (which is why they are seldom the reason to begin a community)
Multiplier Effect
- as basic avtivites grow in a community the additional wealth simulates the expansion of the nonbasic sector, for every job created in basic activites three are simulated somewhere else in the economy
- also works in reverse: job losses in basic sector produce even greater job losses in non basic activites within the community
- leads to unequal growth among dif. communites
- communites that have a locational advantage enjoy growth in basic activites and then multiplier effect produces more employment in non basic sectors
- poor locations result in few basic activites which do not attractic economic activites and may lose some to more vibrant communites
- success of large cities produce prob of depopulation of rural areas which gets rid of many small comunites and makes rural life difficult
City Forms (5types)
- Political and religeous
- Organic
- Planned
- Transit cities
- Automobile cities
Political and Religeous city forms
cities designed to serve important religious or political functions
elements are usually centred on a temple or religeous significance or important public boulevards arranged in a structured way according to a model or plan
Residential land use
where people live
- single family homes
- apartments and condos
- townhouses and duplexes
industrial land use
places that make goods
- light industry often organized into ‘industrial parks’
- heavy industy including steel mills and car assembly plants
commercial land use
places that sell goods and services
- single shops
- strip malls
- shopping malls
- central financial districts
transportation land use
land used to provide facilites to move goods and people
- roadways
- railways & stations
- airports & terminals
- harbours and port facilites
institutional land use
land used to support the culture of the people
- places of worship
- educational facilites
- libraries
