1. Why do Suburbs Face Distinctive Challenges?
Ch. 13 Key Issue 4
Why do Suburbs Face Distinctive Challenges?

2. FIGURE 13-20

3. Metropolitan Statistical Area
Another definition of a city that accounts for the wide zone of influence of major cities
What does it include?***
Urbanized area of 50,000+
County that city is located in
Adjacent counties w/ high pop density and large % of workers in the central cities county

4. Urban Expansion Overlapping Metropolitan Areas
Counties may send large number of commuters to large cities
BosNYWash megalopolis

5. FIGURE 13-21

6. Peripheral Model Chauncey Harris (mult. Nuclei guy)
Newest “transformation” on the city model
Inner city surrounded by suburbs and businesses tied together by beltway (ring road)
Shows problems of sprawl (edge cities) and segregation in suburbs

7. FIGURE 13-22

8. Density Gradient “Density Decrease”
Lower pop density as you move away from the center of the city
Recent changes give a more uniform density
Fewer people living in the center
“gap” in the center where few are living
Fewer differences in density w/in urban areas
Density decrease in center (abandonment); Density increase periphery

9. FIGURE 13-23

11. Cost of Suburban Sprawl
Not built contiguously with rest of built-up area
“Swiss cheese” development
Fixed with “Infill development”
Roads/utilities built to connect areas
Wasted land and energy
Greenbelts in UK
Smart growth in US

12. Would-be Infill Development
FIGURE 13-24

13. Suburban Segregation Segregated in 2 ways: Segregated social classes
Segregated land use

14. Residential Segregation
Vertical segregation turns to territorial segregation
Houses built to suit similar lifestyles
cost, location, size  excludes certain people
Zoning Regulations
Prevents mixing of land uses
Apartments separate from housing separate from industry/commercial

15. Effects of Residential Segregation
Older suburbs next to city = same issues seen in inner-city:
Gentrifying inner-city attracts middle class
Better tax base provides better services here
Low income pushed to inner suburbs
Deterioraitng tax base deteriorates services here
Middle class could move further out on the periphery in newer homes
“Sandwiching” the poor

16. New Urban Model?
Poor older suburbs
CBD
Gentrified inner-city ring: middle/upper class
Middle/upper class: Newer homes

17. Suburbanization of Businesses
Retail services moving to suburbs- where customers are
Automobiles are necessity to get to services
Larger malls situated near beltway
Contain specialty store normally found in CBDs
Anchor stores (Macy’s)
Corner stores in CBDs eliminated
Become centers for activity

18. FIGURE 13-26

19. Suburbanization of Business
Factories
Cheaper land- need to be long one-story buildings (factories)
Better highway access, no city traffic
Offices
Execs can drive from home to work w/o traffic
Low status workers may not have car to drive to suburbs from inner-city
Not a scenic or convenient (lunch) as CBD

20. Transportation and Suburbanization
Problems with congestion (delays, pollution)
Evolution of transportation (train-trolley-car) has accelerated suburbanization
Trains- only allowed for growth around station
Motor Vehicles
Policies to keep ownership and usage high
¼ of land dedicated to roads/parking lots
Rush hour from cars
England’s “congestion charging zone”

21. Transportation and Suburbanization
Public Transit
Takes less space/ more people than cars
European cities have extensive networks, connecting outer suburbs (RER and TGV)
In US
Primarily for rush hour commuters
Higher value placed on owning vehicle
Rapid transit has increased in some larger cities
Won’t subsidize as much as Europe