Where have Urban Areas Grown? URBANIZATION Increasing Percentage of People in Cities History LDCs MDCs Increasing Number of People in Cities MDCs vs. LDCs

Where have Urban Areas Grown? DEFINING URBAN SETTLEMENTS Social Differences Between Urban and Rural Settlements Social Behavior: Rural vs. Urban Large size High Density Social Heterogeneity

Where have Urban Areas Grown? DEFINING URBAN SETTLEMENTS Physical Definitions of Urban Settlements Legal Definition of a city Urbanized Area Metropolitan Statistical Area Micropolitan Statistical Area Overlapping Metropolitan Areas Megalopolis

Where are People Distributed Within Urban Areas? THREE MODELS OF URBAN STRUCTURE Concentric Zone Model (E.W. Burgess) Like rings on a tree Sector Model (Homer Hoyt) Like slices of pie Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris and Ulman) Multiple centers of activity

Where are People Distributed Within Urban Areas? Geographic Applications of the Models Social Area Analysis Census Tracts Can see where people congregate Can identify where people are more likely to live.

Where are People Distributed Within Urban Areas? USE OF THE MODELS OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA European Cities The Wealthy vs. The Poor Less Developed Countries Precolonial Cities Colonial Cities Cities Since Independence Squatter Settlements

Why do Inner Cities Have Distinctive Problems? INNER-CITY PHYSICAL PROBLEMS Process of Deterioration Filtering Home maintenance Redlining Where to loan money, not Who to loan money

Why do Inner Cities Have Distinctive Problems? Urban Renewal Public Housing In the U.S. a high percentage of inner city housing Unsatisfactory environments Renovated Housing Gentrification Reduce a centralized low income area

Why do Inner Cities Have Distinctive Problems? INNER-CITY SOCIAL PROBLEMS Underclass Lack of job skills Can’t compete Homeless Culture of Poverty Crime Ethnic and Racial Segregation

Why do Inner Cities Have Distinctive Problems? INNER-CITY ECONOMIC PROBLEMS Discontinue services vs. Raise taxes Annexation Not popular among those to be annexed by a city

Why do Suburbs Have Distinctive Problems? THE PERIPHERAL MODEL People like living in the suburbs Edge Cities Density Gradient Changes in Density Gradient Two changes People in the center has decreased Less density difference

Why do Suburbs Have Distinctive Problems? Cost of Urban Sprawl Suburban Development process Sprawl Costs of new infrastructure Greenbelts Suburban Segregation Residents here, manufacturing there Built for people of a specific social class

Why do Suburbs Have Distinctive Problems? CONTRIBUTION OF TRANSPORTATION TO SUBURBANIZATION Motor Vehicles Lots of land in a city is given to cars Public transportation Rush-Hour Commuting New Rapid Transit lines Service vs. Cost Public Transit in other Countries

Why do Suburbs Have Distinctive Problems? LOCAL GOVERNMENT FRAGMENTATION Metropolitan Government Federations Consolidations Growing Smart Smart Growth Maryland, Oregon, Tennessee