The Megapolitan South

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The Megapolitan South
Comparing Atlanta, Dallas, and Miami
Robert E. Lang, Ph.D. Metropolitan Institute at
Virginia Tech October 22, 2004
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Talk Overview

• Talk Covers Megapolitan Growth in the Southern
  US by Comparing the Atlanta, Dallas, and Miami
  Metropolitan Areas
• New Concepts Introduced Include
• Megapolitan Areas (Lang-US Census)
• Boomburbs (Lang)
• Growth Counties (Lang)

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The Megapolitan South

• Three Southern Megapolitan Areas
• The I-85 Corridor
• The Texas Triangle
• The Florida Crescent
• Next is a Preliminary Map of These Places
• Metropolitan Institute is Also Developing
  County-Based Maps with Census

4
The Megapolitan South
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Southern Megapolitan Growth

• All Three are Booming, But Where and How Growth
  Occurs Varies by Megapolitan Area
• Where
• In Incorporated Suburban Cities Above 50,000 (or
  Boomburbs and Baby Boomburbs)
• In Growth Counties, on Mostly Unincorporated
  Land
• How
• At Low, Mid, and High Density

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What is a Megapolitan Area?

• Census Considered Term
• Largest Urban Unit of Analysis
• Minimum of 8 Million ResidentsOr at Least the
  Size of New York City
• Mostly Contiguous Urbanization
• Networked Cities in Region
• Organic Region in Climate, Culture and Migratory
  Patterns

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What is a Boomburb?

• Boomburbs are Incorporated Places That Had Over
  100,000 Residents by 2000 Census
• Are Not the Core City in Their Regione.g., Not
  Dallas, TX, But Plano, TX
• Have Maintained Double-Digit Rates of Population
  Growth for Each Census Since 1950
• Are Located in the Nations 50 Largest
  Metropolitan Areas as of the 2000 Census
• Babies Have Over 50,000 Residents

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What is a Growth County?

• Have Maintained Double-Digit Rates of Population
  Growth for Each Census Since 1950
• Are Located in the Nations 50 Largest
  Metropolitan Areas as of the 2000 Census
• Come in Three Sizes
• MEGA Over 800,000 People
• Edge Between 200,000 to 800,000 People
• New Metropolis Under 200,000 People

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Megapolitan Features

• Key Interstate Highways
• I-85 Corridor I-85 and I-20
• Texas Triangle I-45, I-35, and I-10
• Florida Crescent I-95, I-75, and I-4
• Population in 2003
• I-85 Corridor 13,902,688
• Texas Triangle 12,968,305
• Florida Crescent 12,073,792

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Megapolitan Differences

• Socio-Cultural Character
• I-85 CorridorScot-Irish, Upland Southern Culture
• Texas TriangleAnglo, Hispanic
• Florida CrescentVoluntary Region, Hispanic
• Climate and Terrain
• I-85 Corridor Highest Metro Elevation in East
• Texas TriangleFrom Semitropical to Semiarid
• Florida CrescentTropical/Semitropical, Low
  Elevation Coastal

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I-85 Corridor

• Boom is Captured in Growth Counties, with Very
  Few Boomburbs
• There is Lower Density Development, and Much of
  the Growth Occurs Outside Urbanized Areas
• Most Suburban Subdivisions are not Master-
  Planned Communities.
• Atlanta Metropolitan Area Provides an Example of
  these Patterns

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Texas Triangle

• Boom is Captured in Both Boomburbs and Growth
  Counties
• There is Low-to-Medium-Density Development, and
  Some of the Growth Occurs Outside Urbanized Areas
  
• There are More Master-Planned Communities Than in
  Georgialina
• Dallas Metropolitan Area Provides an Example of
  these Patterns

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Florida Crescent

• Boom is Captured in Both Boomburbs and Growth
  Counties
• There is Relatively High Population Density
  Development and Little Growth Occurs Outside
  Urbanized Areas
• There are More Master-Planned Communities Than in
  Texas or Georgialina
• Miami Metropolitan Area Provides an Example of
  these Patterns

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Atlanta Boomburbs and Growth Counties

• No Boomburbs
• Has 2 Baby Boomburbs
• Marietta and Roswell
• Has 11 Growth Counties
• 4 Edge CountiesClayton, Cobb, DeKalb, and
  Gwinnett
• 7 New Metropolis CountiesBarrow, Cherokee,
  Douglas, Forsyth, Harris, Paulding, and Rockdale

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Dallas Boomburbs and Growth Counties

• Has 7 Boomburbs
• Arlington, Carrollton, Garland, Grand Prairie,
  Irving, Mesquite, and Plano
• Has 3 Baby Boomburbs
• Denton, Flower Mound, and Lewisville
• Has 4 Growth Counties
• 2 MEGA CountiesDallas and Tarrant
• 1 Edge CountyDenton
• 1 New Metropolis CountyJohnson

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Miami Boomburbs and Growth Counties

• Has 3 Boomburbs
• Coral Springs, Hialeah, and Pembroke Pines
• Has 12 Baby Boomburbs
• Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Davie, Deerfield
  Beach, Del Ray Beach, Lauderhill, Margate,
  Miramar, North Miami, Plantation, Sunrise, and
  Tamarac
• Has 3 Growth Counties
• 3 MEGA CountiesMiami-Dade, Broward and Palm
  Beach

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Atlanta Population Density and Urbanized Area

• Population Density, 1982 to1997 (NRI)
• 1982 Density 3.20 People/Acre
• 1997 Density 2.84 People/Acre
• 1982 to 1997 Lost 11.4 of Density
• Urbanized Area, 1990 to 2000 (Census)
• 1990 UA 75.0
• 2000 UA 67.4
• 1990 to 2000 Lost 7.6 UA

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Dallas Population Density and Urbanized Area

• Population Density, 1982 to1997 (NRI)
• 1982 Density 3.92 People/Acre
• 1997 Density 3.78 People/Acre
• 1982 to 1997 Lost 3.5 of Density
• Urbanized Area, 1990 to 2000 (Census)
• 1990 UA 83.2
• 2000 UA 81.3
• 1990 to 2000 Lost 1.9 UA

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Miami Population Density and Urbanized Area

• Population Density, 1982 to1997 (NRI)
• 1982 Density 8.25 People/Acre
• 1997 Density 7.93 People/Acre
• 1982 to 1997 Lost 3.8 of Density
• Urbanized Area, 1990 to 2000 (Census)
• 1990 UA 98.8
• 2000 UA 98.3
• 1990 to 2000 Lost 0.5 UA

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Conclusions

• There is No One Southern-Style Metropolitan
  Growth Pattern
• Distinct Megapolitan Patterns Exist
• I-85 Corridor and Texas Triangle Seem to Have
  Their Own Pattern, Especially the Former
• Florida Crescent Pattern Looks More Like the
  Southwest USAn LA East
• All Three Megapolitan Areas are Booming

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www.mi.vt.edu