1. North American metropolization
dr. László Jeney
associate professor
Economic and Human Geography
Bachelor study programmes (BA)
Spring term 2017/2018.
CUB Centre of Economic Geography and Futures Studies

2. Population change of Chicago, 1831–1930
residents 2

3. N-Am: cities on peripheries, EU: in the centre3

4. Economic Importance of Cities in North America
Urban – rural duality
Share of cities
country
population
GDP
USA, SMA
38%
49%
Canada, CMA
45%
54% 4

5. New York – Manhattan 1.5 mn citizens, but 1.8 mn workplaces
Skyscrapers
Empire State Building (381 m, World Record from 1931)
World Trade Center (412 m, till 2001)
Polarization in incomes
Average is 2x higher than national average
1/5 of population is under poverty rate (slums, criminality)
Mixed population (melting pot):
30% Spanish-speaking (Puerto Rico), 27% Afroamerican, 10% Asian
Jewish (mostly from East Europe, 2nd largest community after Israel)
Segregation: Little Italy, Chinatown 5

6. Tallest cities of the world (by the average height of their 10 tallest buildings)
Rank
City 2001
Feet
City 2011 1.
New York
1010.4
Dubai
1176.1 2.
Chicago
995.1
Hong Kong
1080.9 3.
Kuala Lumpur
852.1
1036.5 4.
839.6
Shanghai
1010.3 5.
Houston
809.8
Guangzhou
945.7 6.
Toronto
776.3
940.8 7.
Singapore
772.3
Shenzhen
907.1 8.
Los Angeles
767.1
897.7 9.
Tokio
754.3
835.8
10.
747.1
Pusan
834.5 6

7. Toronto On the bank of the Lake Ontario (seat of Ontario state)
19th century: „Canadian Chicago”: starting point of industrial diffusion + economic centre
5 mn (largest Canadian city)
One of the most multicultural cities of the world (100 ethnics)
Best place for living in the world (Economist, 1994)
Leading metropolis of industrial, commercial and financial life
Industries: metallurgy (agricultural machines, airplanes, electronic equipments, heating elements for nuclear plants), chemical firms, automotive industry)
First electronic managed stock exchange (Bay Street)
Landscape: CN Tower (553 m) 7

8. Urban Landscapes based on studies of Chicago (1900 to 1950)8

9. Concentric zone model of Burgess & Park (1922–1925)
Concentric zones of urban land use
CBD (Central Business District): Loop tracks of elevated railroads, skyscrapers, turism
Wholesale, light manufacturing: zone in transition (mid 19th cent., strong ageing, inner industrial, outer residential zone‚ Ghetto’ ≠ residental clusters of African Americans)
Lower-class residential: zone of industrial workingmen’s homes (late 19th cent., tenement houses with 2 flats)
Middle- and higher-class residential: apartment houses (middle) and single family dwellings (high)
Residential suburbs: commuters zone
Agricultural zone: supplier belt
Gravitation zone: hinterland of metropolis
„L” tracks 9

10. Sector model of Hoyt (1939) Location of the high-rent residental areas
Based on the model of Burgess
For 64 American cities, 3 dates
Results
Sectors instead of/besides concentric circles
Impact of railroads and highways on the location of different land uses
Sectors are separated from each other by the avenues
Sectors are moving towards the edge of the cities on a long run (suburbanization)
Urban districts/sectors:
CBD
Wholesale, light manufacturing (industry)
Lower-class residential
Middle-class residential
Higher-class residential 10 10

11. Multiple nuclei model of Harris & Ullman (1945)
Policentric: outer centres besides the CBD
Single center + commercial and manufacturing districts not in close proximity to it
Parts of cities:
CBD
Wholesale, light manufacturing (industry)
Lower-class residential
Middle-class residential
Higher-class residential
Heavy manufacturing
Outlying business district
Residential suburbs
Industrial suburbs 11