1. Human Settlement PatternsUrban Geography

4. Questions Why Urbanization? Factors that Determine Location of Cities? Functions of an Urban Area? Effects of Urbanization on Culture?

6. Central Place Theory • Central Places –cities and town Centralization of goods and services • Places are related to each other

7. Central Place TheoryAssumptions • Towns provide goods & services, surrounded by agriculture • Farms are dispersed in an even pattern • Each product or service has a minimum number of consumers to support supply • Consumers obtain goods and services from nearest supply

8. Central Place Theory • Heirarchy of central places • Fairly regular spacing and size • Hexagonal arrangement • Validated in many cases

11. Rank Size Rule • The nth largest city in a region will have 1/n to population of the largest city • Suppose the largest city is 100,000 persons, then the 5th largest city will have 1/5 x (100,000) or 20,000 persons

12. Rank Size (1/n) Rule

13. Rank Size Rule (1/n)

14. Early Urban Societies • Holland - 17th century • Global shipping, banking • Supported by highly productive agriculture • Pre-industrial revolution • Britain • Occurred during industrialization • World’s first model of urbanization • Terrible hardships • Emigration

16. Structure of Cities • Four models of internal patterns • Concentric zone • Sector • Multiple-nuclei • Peripheral • Social factors • Government • Environmental concerns

21. City Structure • Economy • Basic sector: production of goods • Non-basic: sector services • Ratio of persons employed in basic to non-basic sector is similar for same sized cities • As cities grow the % of persons employed in the non-basic sector increases

22. Inner City Processes • Competitive bidding for land • Usable land becomes scarce and more expensive • Cheaper to build up than out • Outlying areas become relatively cheaper • Poorer Individuals cannot afford transportation, remain in inner city • Growth of Suburbs

24. Growth of Suburbs • U.S. phenomenon due to prosperity • Early suburbs • Cultural preference for rural living • Government policies • FHA loan program • Tax incentives • Returning veterans

25. Suburban Infrastructure • Sprawl • High costs • Energy • Commute / transportation • Leapfrogging • Environmental • Farmland • Green space

26. Social Consequences • New Types of Residential housing • Job movement and creation • Commuting patterns • Rush hour

27. New Patterns • New urbanism • Recreate small town America • Less dependence on cars • Telecommuting • Virtual shopping • Internet

28. Central Cities Decline • 1970-1995 • Economic decline • Population loss • Deteriorating housing and neighborhoods • Loss of entry level jobs

29. Central Cities New Growth • Service sector economy • Increased white collar jobs • Finance, IT, bio-tech • Gentrification • Rediscovering urban living • Yuppies / empty nesters • Immigrants

30. Redistribution of Jobs & Housing • Urban enterprise zones • Reclaiming “brownfields” • Relocate subsidized housing • Transportation to suburban jobs