When and Why did People Start Living in Cities? Key Question: When and Why did People Start Living in Cities?

Cities City – a conglomeration of people and buildings clustered together to serve as a center of politics, culture, and economics.

Urban: The buildup of the central city and the suburban realm – the city and the surrounding environs connected to the city (the functional region).

Percent Urban Population Fig. 13-1: Percent of the population living in urban areas is usually higher in MDCs than in LDCs.

Shenzhen, China The Modern Process of Urbanization a rural area can become urbanized quickly in the modern world The tools and technologies needed for urbanization are already there.

Shenzhen, China Shenzhen changed from a fishing village to a major metropolitan area in just 25 years. 25 years ago, all of this land was duck ponds and rice paddies.

The First Urban Revolution Two components enable the formation of cities: 1. an agricultural surplus 2. social stratification (a leadership class) Answer: Why?

Five Hearths of Urbanization Mesopotamia, 3500 BCE Nile River Valley, 3200 BCE Indus River Valley, 2200 BCE Huang He and Wei River Valleys, 1500 BCE Mesoamerica, 200 BCE

Five Hearths of Urbanization In each of these hearths, an agricultural surplus and social stratification created the conditions necessary for cities to form and be maintained.

The Second Urban Revolution A large scale movement of people to cities to work in manufacturing. Made possible by: 1. second agricultural revolution that improved food production and created a larger surplus 2. industrialization, which encouraged growth of cities near industrial resources

Industrialized regions of Europe, 1914

During the second half of the 20th century… Nature of manufacturing changed and locations changed so sites of factories changed (much like our water factories turned to steam… where did they move? Why?) Many factories have been abandoned, creating “rust belts” out of once-thriving industrial districts. Duisburg, Germany

The US Rust Belt