Urban Areas US

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Urban Areas
United States and Canada
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Urban Areas
Urban having something to do with cities.
People make a living in ways other than
farming. Urban areas grouped by - population
or - economic activities
Kinds of Urban Areas
Cities are defined differently in different
areas of the world. Suburbs areas around a
city large central city Metropolitan Area
land of a central city and all of its suburbs.
Urban Functions (Eco. Activities)
Manufacturing
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Roman Suburbs
Urbs inside the city walls Suburbs outside
the city walls
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Government national, state, provincial
capitals. Transportation Trade/office
generally will be located in a central
area. Other functions - recreation ctrs -
educational ctrs - religious ctrs
History of Cities
Started about 6,000 years ago. First cities -
Mesopotamia (SW Asia)
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along the Tigris/Euphrates Rivers - 4,000 BCE
Specialization started to develop - artisans -
merchants - farmers - ruling elite (military or
religious leaders)
Sketch a map
Running the cities (usually the ruling
elite) - wrote the laws - levied taxes -
supervised public building
Rome ctr of Roman Empire - built all over
Europe - roads still used today
Earliest Great City
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- developed the grid system to lay out their
cities (later spread all over Europe) - brought
water from the mountains by aqueducts
Fall of the Roman Empire - invasion of Germanic
tribes
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Middle Ages
Villages and cities started to increase again
after the Dark Ages Trade between the villages
would develop into large cities. Two of the
largest cities would be Paris and London.
Industrial Revolution
Next large growth of cites started in Europe
and would spread to N. America in the late 1700s.
Immigration 2nd Agricultural Revolution
Helped spread urbanization in the 20th
c. Dramatically increased the size of cities in
North America.
Urban Environment
Shaped by human activities - cities have to
deal with problems and increasing population
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Urban Landscape
Site and situation -influence whether people
will settle in certain area - 2 factors
influence this
Exact location
Site -actual physical features (landforms,
waterways, climate, etc.)
Situation -position of a place in relation to all
places around it.
Relative location
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These are characteristics of Site.
What factors do we need for a city?
Water (fresh) Abundant food source Fertile
land Good climate Natural protection
These are characteristics of Situation
Confluence
Near a trade center River for
transportation Located near natural
resources.
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A citys good situation guarantees its influence
over the area

• A city has areas around it that supply it with
  raw materials and farm products called the
  HINTERLAND.
• The hinterland gets its manufactured products
  and services from the city.
• The central part of a city with a concentration
  on businesses is the Central Business District
  (CBD)

CBD
Hinterland
Impact of Urban Development
People change the natural landscape to build the
city. - animal/plant habitats are destroyed -
arable land being used for development
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Cities climates are warmer than rural
areas. Cities are URBAN HEAT ISLANDS (can be
up to 3º warmer)
Urban Climate
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Buildings change wind patterns.
Urban Life
Common urban problems - unemployment -
providing services - racial/religious
conflict - environmental pollution - decline of
the CBD
World Patterns of Urban Development
45 of the worlds people live in urban
areas. Industrialized (DCs) 75 LDCs 35
live in cities Last 20 years in DCs rapid
population growth
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seems to be in smaller cities and smaller
metropolitan areas (suburbs) By 2025 60 of
the worlds population will live in cities. All
but one of the largest cities in the world will
be in LDCs.
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• Infrastructure
• A cities support system which includes
• Transportation (roads, railroads, ports,
  airports)
• Water supply
• Sanitation system
• Power supply
• Education system
• A citys infrastructure is under stress during
• Rapid urbanization
• City is growing faster than infrastructure
• Economic decline
• Taxes fall less money to repair the
  infrastructure

Impact of Urban Development
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Better Farming Techniques
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Better Farming Techniques
The Plow
Irrigation
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The First CitiesCause Effect
Agricultural Revolution
Migration to River Valleys
More People
Better Farming Techniques
More People
More People
Specialization Some people dont need to farm
First Cities Bunch of non-farmers