The Origins and Evolution of Cities

Settlements and cities Settlement / settlement node A permanent agglomeration of buildings and people. City / urban area A settlement with a large population

Origin of cities First originated around 3500 BC Emerged from agricultural villages built next to rivers The 5 hearths of urbanization Mesopotamia (between Tigris & Euphrates Rivers of Iraq’s Fertile Crescent) Nile River Valley (Egypt) Indus River Valley (Pakistan) Huang He and Wei River Valleys (e. China) Mesoamerica (s. Mexico, Guatemala). What else were these places hearths for?

Why and How did Cities Develop? Agricultural Surplus Near rivers = good for farming Irrigation—Allowed for high yields and surplus of food Labor specialization People could now work in non-agricultural activities (writing, religion, and metal working, which allowed for larger urban areas) Stratified social system Upper class and lower class developed based on value of different jobs No art without labor specialization! No wonderful teachers without labor specialization!

Pre-industrial cities were mostly trading cities near water

Colonial city Built to export goods to mother country. Located near water (usually coast). Roads to help get exports out. Usually became primate cities.

The Industrial Revolution generated massive urbanization The growth of factories and urban jobs was a huge pull factor from rural areas. Created a steady rural-urban migration pattern. Cities expand exponentially

The Industrial Revolution Chicago

Global Urbanization—Don’t need to write 1800--5% of the world’s population was urban 1950--16% of the world was urban Today, more than 50% of the world’s population lives in cities. In the future, the world will be more urban.

Industrial cities By 1900 most large cities were American or European industrial cities, such as Manchester, Chicago, and Barcelona. Accompanying this high pollution levels overcrowding exploitation of children in factories.

New Transportation Innovations in transportation in the 19th and 20th centuries (railroads, autos) drastically changed cities: Cities more connected to each other now Don’t need to be near water because things can be transported More air and water pollution More suburbs/edge cities (people have cars) Ghettoes form (near train tracks) Some cities disappear (not on highways, like the movie CARS)

Do you think American cities are industrial cities?

Post-industrial cities Shift in core countries from manufacturing to service industries old factories are being converted to shopping malls waterfront industrial ports into parks warehouses into art galleries.

Urbanization in the Southern USA Southeast and Southwest US are urbanizing New technology like… AC! Net-in migration (Rust Belt to Sun Belt) Also increased migration from Latin America

Rise of megalopolis! Megalopolis—An urban area that results from cities getting so big that they reach each other, create one massive urban area Example—New England—Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia all one big urban area

Mechagodzilla!!!! I really don’t know why I put this…

How do levels of urbanization between MDCs and LDCs compare?

Which regions of the world are the least urbanized?

Review! Where did original cities develop? Why? Identify one pro and one con of an industrial city. What might be a problem for countries with colonial cities after those countries gained their sovereignty? Explain. How did an agricultural surplus lead to economic inequality in society? Explain three ways that railways and highways changed the structure/organization of American cities. Why does a city change from an industrial to a post-industrial city? What does that change look like? What part of the United States do you think will have the largest megalopolis in the future? Why? Look at the graphs of urbanization. What regions are most urbanized? Least? What do you think will be the next country in the world that will start to see post-industrial cities? Why?

Timeline! On the blank sheet of paper attached, create a timeline of the history of urban development. Your timeline should have at least 7 steps, and each step should have a 1-2 sentence description of the type of city, a picture, and approximate dates for each city. Add color for 10 extra points!

Asian City Model, p.349

African city model, p. 353

Matching Warm up! Industrial Revolution Islamic City Feudal City The movement of African Americans from the Southern United States to the Northern United States Largely centers of military power characterized by poverty and a lack of culture Skyscrapers located on the outskirts of the city A mixture of indigenous American and European architecture Led to tremendous population growth and urbanization Entry points for foreign exports Contains a church as the city center and densely packed streets Contain a mosque in the city center and densely packed streets Cities created by a foreign power—many have become megacities Industrial Revolution Islamic City Feudal City Gateway City Great Migration Medieval City European Cities Colonial Cities Latin American City

What does this urbanization mean for the future of Texas What does this urbanization mean for the future of Texas? What are some positive and negative effects that you predict will happen because of this change? Answer in one paragraph.

New Urbanism Movement Architects in the 1990’s that sought to make cities more livable. Revitalized areas, create more walkable neighborhoods Also trying to slow urban sprawl (the spatial growth of urban areas into rural areas)

World Cities Cities of global importance culturally and financially All post-industrial, service based, wealthy cities London, Paris, New York, Tokyo

Edge Cities Suburban cities that have become large centers for businesses and have all the goods provided in downtown areas Can lead to counter-commuting—People driving out to suburbs to work Ex.—Sugarland, Katy Sugarland Town Square

Urban Planning Local governments try to control the use of land and group things together that are logical Try to make cities “walkable” Ex.—Museum district in Houston, sidewalks and bike lanes to make travel easy

Urban Sustainability To decrease pollution, many cities have developed mass transit systems Try to decrease pollution and traffic Difficult in areas with large suburban sprawl because there are so many areas to connect