Unit VII: Services and Urban Patterns

Urbanization Process by which the population of cities grow Two dimensions Increase in # of people living in cities Increase in % of people living in cities

Why Have Cities Been Growing? 47% of people live in cities in the year 2000 compared to 30% in 1950 MDC’s 3/4 of people live in urban areas LDC’s 2/5 of people live in urban areas Latin America is only exception

Reasons for Growth of Cities Site and Situational Factors Agriculture, Government Policy, Economic Development Population Growth Migration Transportation and Communication

Site and Situational Factors Influence the origin, function, and growth of cities Origin Site characteristics create locations that were desired by early settlers (water, flat land, resources, etc.) Function Site – type of labor available Situation – proximity…. Ports, Harbors, Accesibility to rail lines or other transportation networks Growth Site – Climate Situation – Proximity to places deemed important to individuals

Agriculture, Government Policy, Economic Development Enclosure Movement… example of gov’t policy Increased agricultural efficiency in England due to less farmers Economic Development Job sectors Increases in the secondary and tertiary sectors lead to a drop in primary sector = more people living in cities and less in rural areas

In MDC’s over last 200 years, rural residents have migrated to work in factories and services concentrated in cities The need for fewer farmers have pushed people to cities MDC’s are now fully urbanized because the % of urban residents is so high, this is due to people have already left the rural areas leaving the others choosing to stay

Population Growth and Migration Demographic Transition and Migration Transition Stage 1 – no growth very rural Stage 2 – high growth… still rural but people are moving to cities looking for something other than agriculture. Primate cities are created due to lack of development in other parts of the country Stage 3 – moderate growth… urbanization still taking place Stage 4 – low growth…. Development is evenly dispersed and people have many locations to move to (growth of suburbs)

Transportations and Communication Borchert’s Epochs Developed by John Borchert in distinct periods of American urbanization/metro growth Each epoch (period) is characterized by impact of transportation technology Believed improved modes of transportation were the driving force behind the growth of U.S. cities

Sail Wagon Epoch ( All sizeable urban areas on Atlantic coast or navigable rivers Serve as ports w/ limited hinterlands and strong ties to Western Europe Small, compact centers based on walking and horses and wagons

Iron Horse Epoch ( ) Invention of steam- driven railroad Emergence of steamboat greatly increased the goods hauled on Great Lakes and major rivers River cities emerge w/ significant urban growth

Steel Rail Epoch ( ) Full integration of standardized rail system after 1870 Large industrial centers of NE and MW grow River cities decline (St. Louis, NOLA) Rail cities grow (ATL, Dallas, Chicago)

Auto-Air-Amenity Epoch (1920–70) Began w/ decline in railroads, coal based energy, and steam power Rise of Gasoline and diesel engine Growth of suburbs and rural locations Air and highway travel increase as rail declines

High Technology Epoch ( ??) Emergence of high speed trains and improved modes of transportation What effect does it have on urban growth???

Cities and Services With the Growth of Cities, society has also seen a need for a growth in services Types of services Consumer services Business services Public services Changes in number of employees Origin of services Services in rural settlements Clustered rural settlements Dispersed rural settlements

Consumer Services Principle Purpose: to provide services to individual consumers who desire them and can afford to pay for them Nearly ½ of all jobs in US 4 main types Retail/Wholesale Education Health Leisure/Hospitality

Business Services Principle purpose: to facilitate other businesses ¼ of all jobs in the US Comprised of: Financial Professional transportation

Financial Services 6% of US jobs Often called FIRE Finance (banks/financial institutions): 50% Insurance Companes: 33% Real Estate: 17%

Professional Services 13% of all US jobs 1/3 are management positions 2/5 in technical services law, accounting, architecture, engineering, design, consulting ½ in support services Clerical, secretarial, custodial

Public Services Purpose: provide security and protection for citizens and businesses 16% of all US jobs Variety working for federal/state/local governments

Percent GDP from Services, 2005 Fig. 12-1: Services contribute over two-thirds of GDP in more developed countries, compared to less than one-half in less developed countries.

Growth of Cities and Correlation of Services Due to the growth of cities and development MDC’s and LDC’s both have services but they cluster in different ways MDC’s – development is spread out so services are spread out as well LDC’s – development is clustered so services are clustered This creates enormous populations in one city and creates problems such as slums and favelas

Rank-Size/Primate City Primate City Rule Largest settlement has more than twice as many ppl as the 2 nd ranking settlement Typically found in LDC’s, but can be found in some MDC’s

Rank Size Rule Rank-size Rule Country’s nth largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement Typically found in MDC’s

Rank-Size Distribution of Cities Fig. 12-9: Cities in the U.S. closely follow the rank-size distribution, as indicated by the almost straight line on this log scale. In Romania, there are few settlements in two size ranges.

Rank-Size Rule Primate City Rule MDCs with larger settlements follow this Largest settlement has more than twice as many people as the second- ranking settlement

Hierarchy of Services and Settlements Small settlements limited to consumer services with small thresholds short ranges small market areas Market areas in MDCs Hexagons of various – physical feature interruptions Overlapping hexagons of different sizes Market areas in LDCs

Walter Christaller’s Theory Market Locations/Profitability of a Location

Central Place Theory Explains how services are distributed and why a pattern exists Walter Christaller – 1930s – German geographer August Losch and Brian Berry – 1950s – Germany and U.S. Theory applies best to the Great Plains Region of the US

Central Place Theory Market center for the exchange of goods and services by people attracted from the surrounding area Centrally located to maximize accessibility from the surrounding region Compete against each other Competition creates a regular pattern of settlements

Size of Market Area Market area varies Geographers need two types of information Range – maximum distance people are willing to travel for a service Threshold – minimum number of people needed to support a service

Market Area of a Service Hinterland Area surrounding a service Nodal Region Region with a core where the characteristic is most intense Consumers tend to obtain services from the local establishments Periphery of circle the greater the percentage of consumers will obtain services from other nodes

Market Area Analysis - Service providers use market studies to determine location of businesses/services  Profitability of a Location Range and Threshold determines the profitability of a service What about competitors? 3

When circles drawn to designate market areas of urban settlements – geometric problem – circles tend to overlap Overlapping not consistent with theory that people go to nearest sources If have gaps – outside the market area of service Hexagon-best compromise – no gaps

Market Area Analysis cont’d  Optimal Location Within a Market Location of service to maximize profit Minimize distance to the service for largest number of people. Linear Settlement -Location of service would be to minimize the distance to the potential customers -The Median-middle point -Half of customers on North and half on South

Market Area Analysis cont’d  Gravity Model Optimal location of a service is directly related to number of people in the area; inversely related to the distance people must travel to access it. Consumer behavior Greater number of people living in an area = greater number of potential customers Farther people are, less likely they will use service