1.

Human Geography: Places andRegions in Global Context, 5e Chapter 10:

Urbanization Paul L. Knox & Sallie A. Marston PowerPoint Author: Keith M.
Bell
2. OverviewThe world is becoming increasingly urbanized, and cities have
come todominate even more aspects of modern life than they did in
previous times.Whether we live in one or not, cities have a strong influence
on our livesespecially, perhaps, for Americans. Most of the products
people buy, theservices they use, and the fashions and cultural tastes they
follow originate incities.This chapter examines the impact and influence of
cities and the factors leadingto their growth. Urban systems are ancient in
origin, but became especiallyimportant in Medieval Europe, where they
were associated with the rise ofcapitalism. The rise of merchant capitalism
helped prompt colonialism, furtherhelping to spread the urban model to
many other places around the world. Afterconsidering the growth of
urbanization, this chapter turns to the contemporaryurban process, looking
at central place theory as well as the economic base ofcities and the
problems of increasing urbanization.
3. Chapter Objectives The objectives of this chapter are to: Examine the
roots of European urban expansion Explore todays urbanization, looking
at regional trends and projections, and their urban systems Investigate
urban growth processes
4. Chapter Outline Urban Geography and Urbanization (p. 390) Functions
of urban settlement Urban Origins (p. 392) European urban expansion
Industrialization Imperialism and colonial cities Urban Systems (p. 401)
City-size distributions Primacy and centrality World cities Rapid growth
of the worlds cities Overurbanization and megacities Mature cities and
deindustrialization Globalization and Splintering Urbanism (p. 417)
Differences between core and peripheral cities Conclusion (p. 419)
5. Geography Matters 10.1 Visualizing GeographyShock City: Manchester
(p. 402) Manchester, England, was an early industrial city 10.2 Window
on the WorldUrban Terrorism (p. 408) Cities have become the sites of
terrorism 10.3 Window on the WorldPearl River Delta: An Extended
Metropolis (p. 412) How the greater Hong Kong area has become a
megacity

6. Urbanization The urban areas of the world are the linchpins of human
geographies at the local, regional, and global scales. The earliest towns and
cities developedindependently in the various hearth areas of the first
agricultural revolution.The expansion of trade around the world established
numerous gateway cities.The Industrial Revolution generated new kinds of
cities. Today, there is a striking difference in trends and projections between
core andperipheral regions in global urbanization.A small number of world
cities occupy key roles in the organization of global economies and culture.
Many megacities of the periphery are primate and highly centralized.
7. Urban Geography and Urbanization The study of urban geography is
concerned with the development of towns and cities around the world, with
particular reference to the similarities and differences both among and
within urban places. Experts on urbanization point to four fundamental
aspects of the role of towns and cities in human economic and social
organization: The mobilizing function of urban settlement The decisionmaking capacity of urban settlement The generative functions of urban
settlement The transformative capacity of urban settlement
8. Urban Population/Urban Settlements Towns and cities must be viewed
as part of the economies and societies that maintain them. Geographers
analyze and conceptualize urban systems to understand the patterns and
regularities they find. (e.g., French urban system, African urban system,
Islamic urban system, etc.). Urban form refers to the physical structure
and organization of cities in their land use, layout, and built environment.
9. Urbanization Growth Rates, 2000 2005 Urban form refers to the
physical structure and organization of cities. Urban ecology is the social
and demographic composition of city districts and neighborhoods.
Urbanism concerns peoples attitudes and behaviors about the city in which
they live.
10. The Roots of European Urban Expansion Greek and Roman influenced
Feudalism gave rise to a fragmented landscape of inflexible, introverted
world-empires Economic and social organization based on the communal
chiefdoms of Germanic tribes An elaborate urban system developed, the
largest of which became nodal centers in a global world-system Selfsufficient regarding food and resources Existence of towns depended on
their role: Ecclesiastical or university centers Defensive strongholds
Administrative centers (for the upper tiers of the feudal hierarchy)

11. Major Cities in A.D. 1000

12. Ecclesiastical or University Centers: Chartres, FranceChartres was an
important ecclesiastical center. The cathedral, built in thethirteenth century,
is widely considered to be the finest gothic cathedralin France.
13. Defensive Strongholds: Aigues-Mortes, FranceThis walled medieval town
in southern France is one of the best-preserved examples of thirteenthcentury military architecture. The townof rectilinear streets is surrounded by
a wall with five towers and tenfortified gates.
14. Defensive Strongholds: Urbino, ItalyAn important strategic center in the
thirteenth century with a classichilltop defensive site, Urbino became a
principal artistic center during theRenaissance.
15. Administrative Centers: Cologne, GermanyIn the late 1400s, Cologne
had a population of less than 25,000 but wasalready a critical commercial
and manufacturing center, with animportant cathedral and a university that
was more than 100 years of age.
16. The Towns and Cities of Europe, ca. 1350 Cities with more than 10,000
residents were uncommon in medieval Europe except in northern Italy and
Flanders, such as the cities of Florence and Delft (Netherlands), where the
spread of cloth production and the growth of trade permitted relatively
intense urbanization.
17. Towns and Cities of Europe, ca. 1350Ghent, Belgium Venice, Italy The
regional specializations and trading patterns that emerged provided the
foundations for a new phase of urbanization based on merchant capitalism.
18. Towns and Cities of Europe, ca. 1350Florence, Italy Prague, Czech
Republic Merchant capitalism (e.g., the Hanseatic League in the North and
Baltic Seas) increased in scale and sophistication; economic and social
reorganization was stimulated by the Protestant Reformation and the
scientific revolution.
19. Gateway Cities
20. Growth of ChicagoChicagos growth in the nineteenth century followed
the arrival ofrailroads, which made the city a major transportation hub.
21. Urbanization Process: Core Regions

22. Imperialism and Peripheral UrbanizationColonial cities are those that

were deliberately established or developed asadministrative or commercial
centers by colonial or imperial powers. Thispainting of the Indian Peninsular
Terminus in Mumbai (Bombay) showsthe influence of Victorian British
architecture.
23. Shock City: Manchester A shock city is one that embodies surprising and
disturbing changes in economic, social, and cultural life.
24. The Spanish Urban SystemSmaller cities tend to be linked to middleorder cities, which are in turnlinked to regional metropolises, then national
metropolises. Theselinkages represent major flows of capital, information,
and goods.
25. Functional Specialization Within an Urban System
26. Slum Housing in Peripheral CitiesThroughout much of the world, the
scale and speed of urbanization,combined with the scarcity of formal
employment, have resulted in veryhigh proportions of slum housing, much
of it erected by the squattersthemselves.
27. The Pearl River Delta: An Extended Metropolis
28. World Cities and the Global Urban System World cities provide an
interface between the global and the local. They are also sites of: Most of
the leading global markets Clusters of specialized, advanced business
services Concentrations of corporate headquarters Concentrations of
national and international headquarters of trade and professional
organizations Most of the leading NGOs and IGOs that are international in
scope The most powerful and internationally influential media
organizations
29. Urban TerrorismThe wreckage of a public train near Atocha train station
in Madrid, Spain,March 11, 2004. Thirteen bombs on four packed commuter
trains killed191 people and wounded more than 1500. The attack was
attributed tothe Islamic militant group al-Qaeda.
30. World Cities in the Global Urban SystemThe sphere of influence of world
cities, based on an analysis of the regionalheadquarter functions of the
worlds largest advanced business services firms.

31. MegacitiesMexico City, Mexico Shanghai, China Megacities most

important common attribute is their sheer sizemost of which have ten
million or more in population. Other examples include Bangkok, Lagos,
Manila, Dhaka, New Delhi, Jakarta, So Paulo, and Teheran.
32. Globalization and Splintering Urbanism Enclaves of Internet and digital
multimedia technology development, mostly in core-country world cities.
Technopoles and clusters of high-tech industrial innovation. Places
configured for foreign direct investment in manufacturing, with customized
infrastructure, expedited development approval processes, tax concessions,
and in some cases exceptions to labor and environmental regulations.
Enclaves of international banking, finance, and business services in world
cities and major regional centers. Enclaves of modernization in the
megacities and major regional centers of peripheral countries. Enclaves of
back-office spaces, data-processing, e-commerce, and call centers. Spaces
customized as logistics zones.
33. End Chapter 10
34. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes What were some of the factors
that led to the formation of the earliest urban-based world-empires? What
factors might have contributed to the periodic collapse of these early
empires? Experts differ in their explanations of the first transitions from
subsistence minisystems to city-based world-empires. The classic
archeological interpretation emphasizes the availability of an agricultural
surplus large enough to allow the emergence of specialized, nonagricultural
workers. Some urbanization, however, seems to have been the result of the
pressure of population growth. This growth caused some people to move to
marginal areas, where they set up an urban economy based on trade,
religion, or defense. Wars and epidemics contributed to the periodic collapse
of these empires.
35. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes Compare and contrast lifestyles
in rural and urban areas. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each? Ask the students which environment they prefer, and why. Might their
response explain the rapid growth of urban areas in the late twentieth
century, as well as the corresponding back-to-the-land movement? Many
students may not have experienced life in rural areas, and they may have
romantic notions about rural life. Population trends in the United States

indicate a greater move from rural to urban environments, rather than the
other way around.
36. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes Give some examples of Medieval
European cities (especially those still flourishing today). What factors
contributed to the growth of these cities? Examples of Medieval European
cities include Cambridge (England), Bruges (Belgium), and Mainz (Germany)
among many others. Medieval towns were established for a variety of
reasons, including as ecclesiastical or university centers, as defensive
strongholds, and as administrative centers.
37. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes What is meant by a shock city?
Can you think of some examples of cities that might be considered shock
cities today? What makes them shocking? A shock city is a city that is
seen as the embodiment of surprising and disturbing changes in economic,
social, and cultural life. Examples might include Lagos (Nigeria) and Port
Moresby (Papua New Guinea). These cities have had to face rapid growth
and overurbanization, leading to squatter settlements and the inability of
the city government to provide even basic services. Tensions also result
from a constant stream of in-migrants from many different ethnic groups
who seek better economic conditions in the city.
38. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes Why were Manchester and
Chicago considered shock cities at one time? Are they still shock cities
today? Why not? Manchester and Chicago were both industrial cities a
new purpose for a city and one that led to rapid growth. They are no longer
considered shock cities today because they no longer embody surprising
and disturbing changes in economic, social, and cultural life. See also the
Geography Matters 10.1 boxed text for information about Manchester.
39. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes What are some of the distinctive
features of colonial cities? If the local community is a former colonial city,
what evidence of its colonial past is visible today? Colonial cities typically
contain areas established by the colonial power to fulfill colonial functions,
with ceremonial spaces, office, and depots for colonial traders, plantation
representatives, and government officials; barracks for a garrison of
soldiers; and housing for colonists. Structures included churches, city halls,
railway stations, palaces of governors and archbishops, and houses of
wealthy colonists. Colonial cities also contained areas for housing and

commercial uses for the indigenous population. See pages 400401 in the
textbook for further information.
40. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes How has the growth of cities in
the periphery been different from the experience of core cities? What
particular problems do peripheral cities face? Why are most of these cities
growing so rapidly? Cities in the periphery have grown much more rapidly
than cities in the core. Rural migrants to cities in the periphery have poured
into these cities out of desperation and hope, rather than being drawn in by
jobs and opportunities, leading to problems of overurbanization. See pages
409417 in the textbook for further information.
41. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes What is the nearest world city to
where you live? What impacts does this city have on life in the local
community? The nearest world city may be fairly distant. See pages 407
409 for a description of the characteristics of world cities.
42. Discussion Topics and Lecture Themes Can you think of some examples
of large cities that are not world cities? What factors, other than or despite
their size, deny them status as world cities? Some large cities, or
megacities, that are not world cities include Cairo, Jakarta, Lagos, and
Shanghai. These cities are not control centers of the world economy; they
are not places where critical decision-making and interaction take place with
regard to global economic, cultural, and political issues.