How do People Make Cities? EQ 9.4: How do People Make Cities?

they create the cultural landscape of a city! Powerful social and cultural forces shape the character of a city… they create the cultural landscape of a city!

Making Cities in the Global Periphery and Semiperiphery (LDCs) sharp contrast between rich and poor - Often lack zoning laws or enforcement of zoning laws

Slums, Ghettos, or Shanty towns or squatter settlements? Slum: poor area of housing, overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people. Ghetto: poor area of housing that has specific ethnic and cultural connotations Shantytown: are where people build what they can when they can. Often disorganized. Squatter Settlement: where people live in housing they do not own. Usually illegal or unauthorized.

Making Cities in the Global Core (MDCs) Redlining – financial institutions refusing to lend money in certain neighborhoods. The goal is to keep certain groups out. Blockbusting – realtors purposefully sell a home at a low price to an African American and then solicit white residents to sell their homes at low prices, to generate “white flight.” White people moving away from the city to the suburbs.

Making Cities in the Global Core Gentrification – individuals buy up and rehabilitate houses (usually in the central city) , raising the housing value in the neighborhood and changing the neighborhood. Commercialization – city governments transform a central city to attract residents and tourists. The newly commercialized downtowns often are a stark contrast to the rest of the central city.

Tear-downs – houses that new owners buy with the intention of tearing it down to build a much larger home. McMansions – large homes, often built to the outer limits of the lot. They are called McMansions because of their super size and their similar look, just like McDonalds. Hinsdale, Illinois (25% of houses have been torn down in last 20 years).

Urban Sprawl Unrestricted growth of housing, commercial developments, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for urban planning. Henderson, Nevada

New Urbanism Development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs. some geographers are concerned over privatization of public spaces some are concerned that they do nothing to break down the social conditions that create social ills of the cities some believe they work against urban sprawl

Celebration, Florida

Celebration, Florida

Gated Communities Who are gated communities for? How do the goals/purposes of gated communities differ across the world?

Ghettoization: creating an impoverished, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged residential area of a city What is the difference between ghettoization and gentrification? How are the outcomes of ghettoization and gentrification similar? What are the conflicts associated with both practices?

What Role do Cities Play in Globalization? EQ 9.5 What Role do Cities Play in Globalization?

World Cities Cities that function at the global scale, beyond the reach of the state borders, functioning as the service centers of the world economy.

Spaces of Consumption The transformation of the city into an entertainment district, where major corporations encourage the consumption of their goods and services. For example: Berlin, Germany New York City

Times Square New York City

World cities Imagine you live in one of the world cities listed on p. 296-297. Write an email/letter to someone living in the country or suburbs. You are trying to convince them of the benefits of moving to a world city. Think about what your book says about world cities and use those as points of interest.