urbanization. section i a. defining urban center united nation’s classification of different...
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Urbanization
Section I A. Defining Urban Center
United Nation’s classification of different definitions of urban center
Concepts of suburban, rural urban fringe and urbanism B. Defining Urbanization C. Five stage process of population concentration: Gibbs
Model D. Degree of Urbanization and its measure
A. Defining Urban Center
Urbanists define urban areas by their high population density. They maintain that this characteristic makes cities physically and sociologically distinct from rural areas.
However, cities/urban areas/ urban centers/ urban settlements are defined differently in each country
Census organization of different countries classify their population into rural and urban population on the basis of the definition of an urban center which takes into account the local conditions.
No standard definition of an urban center.
Problem of recognizing urban regions
Within each nation, we can delimit formal and functional culture regions separating urban and rural domains
There is no agreed-upon international definition of what constitutes a city India defines an urban center as 5,000 inhabitants,
with adult males employed primarily in nonagricultural work
The United States Census Bureau defines a city as a densely populated area of 2,500 people or more
South Africa counts as a city any settlement of 500 or more people
United Nation’s classification of different definitions of urban center Those countries which define and urban settlement on the basis
of
Group I - Historical, political and administrative status. Example: any districts, communes.
Group II - Statistical criterions. Example: a minimum size of the population is a basic criterion.
Group III – Some local self government such as municipality, borough, chartered town.
Group IV – Layout and amenities. Example: street plan, contiguously aligned buildings, public utility services like electricity, water supply, sewerage system, school etc.
Group V – Functions. Examples: Certain percentage of workers to be engaged in non agricultural activities.
Examples from different countries
Venezuela: less than 1000 pop. – Rural, More than 2500 pop. – Urban
Japan: Minimum settlement size 30,000 population
Sweden: Minimum settlement size 200population
U.K. : Urban designation on the basis of local governments such as country, boroughs, municipal boroughs and urban districts.
Canada: more than 400 people per square kilometer and has more than 1,000 people.
USA: Extra Credits – Homework
Urban areas are more than cities.
An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. This term is at one end of the spectrum of suburban and rural areas. An urban area is more frequently called a city or town.
A urban agglomeration (metropolitan area) includes a city, its suburbs and its labor market from which people commute.
Some other concepts
Suburbs: Are commonly defined as residential areas on the outskirts of a city or large town. Most modern suburbs are commuter towns with many single-family homes. Many suburbs have some degree of political autonomy and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods.
The urban rural fringe: Also known as the outskirts or the urban hinterland, can be described as the "landscape interface between town and country", or alternatively as the transition zone where urban and rural uses mix and often clash. Alternatively, it can be viewed as a landscape type in its own right, one forged from an interaction of urban and rural land uses.
Urbanism: The process by which a section of population adopts an urban way of life even while residing in the country side.
B. Defining Urbanization
Urbanization is the increase in the population of cities in proportion to the region's rural population.
Geographers use the term urbanization more commonly to refer to the process of transformation.
Transformation in three aspects Behavioral: experience of elders over time and the
changes to the pattern of their behavior. Structural: changes in economic structure of the
economic activities of the whole population. Demographic: process of population concentration.
Riessman, 1964 defined Urbanization as the whole process of change and its consequences when a society gets transformed from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy and from a small homogenous society to a large heterogeneous mass.
Geographers are more concerned with the spatial implications which the process carries rather than the process itself.
C. Five stage process of population concentration: Gibbs Model
Stage I: The urban settlements emerge, but the percentage increase in the urban population is either equal to or less than the percentage increase in rural population.
Stage II: The rate of increase in urban population exceeds the rate of increase in rural population, largely because of rural urban migration.
Stage III: Rural depopulation takes place because of increased magnitude of rural-urban migration. The natural increase in rural areas also gets wiped out. The rate of urban concentration excels further.
Stage IV: The requirement of big cities become more sophisticated and oriented towards specialization. Big cities starts attracting migrants from small towns. Small towns starts stagnating. Big cities grow rapidly at the cost of small towns. The volume of rural urban migration declines.
Stage V: There is a decline in the territorial divisions with
regards to population density, that is, a change towards more even spatial distribution of population. Improvement in transport and communication reduce the physical and time distance and enable the pop to live without high level of concentration. Satellite town emerge on the periphery of huge metropolitan areas.
D. Degree of Urbanization and its measure
The extent to which an area is urbanized
Percentage Distribution: The percentage of urban population to total population is considered an index of degree of urbanization.
Size and spacing: Average size of the urban center coupled with average spacing has been used as a measure of degree of urbanization. This is calculated by dividing the total urban population of the concerned region by the number of urban places. Average spacing is calculated by diving the total area of the region by the total number of urban centers.
Urban densities: Total urban population divided by the total area of the region.
Gini concentration ratio:
Rank size rule: This implies a inverse correlation between the number of places and the size category. It means that the number of small sized urban places in a fairly large sized country and it goes on declining with the increase in the size level.
Primacy index: Primate city is the one which is several times larger than the second ranking city.
Some more information on Rank size rule:
The Rank Size Rule notes the relationship between the ranks of cities and their populations.
It was advanced by Zipf in 1941
The formula is Pn=P1/n where Pn is the population of towns ranked n, P1 is the population of the largest town and n is the rank of the town.
For example, if the largest town has a population of x, the second largest town will have a population of x/2, the 3rd largest will have a population of x/3 and so on.
Primate city — a settlement city that dominates the economic, political, and cultural life of a country Factors that affect high primacy include
Having an underdeveloped economy Having an agriculturally dominant economy A rapidly expanding population A recent colonial history
Example of Mexico City — far exceeds Guadalajara, the second-largest city in Mexico, in size and importance
Primate cities are also found in developed countries —London and Birmingham; Paris and Marseilles.
Some more information on Primate city:
Section II A. Determinants of urbanization B. World pattern of urbanization C. Origin and Diffusion of the City
The first cities
Models for the rise of cities
Urban hearth areas
The diffusion of the city from hearth areas
A. Determinants of urbanization
Broadly three categories
Economic
Social
Demographic
Economic
Type of economy
The degree of commercialization of agriculture
The extent of diversification of economy
The changing size of agricultural landholdings
The stage of economic advancement
Degree of development of means of transportation and communication
Social
Degree of socio economic awakening Desire for higher living standard Appreciation of benefits of urban living
The social value system The break up joint family system
The stage of technological advancement
The public policies
The government decisions
Demographic
The rate of population growth
Magnitude of migration
Pressure of population on agricultural resources
B. World pattern of urbanization
Imagine humankind’s sojourn on Earth as a 24-hour day
Settlements of more than a hundred people are only about a half-hour old
Towns and cities emerged only a few minutes ago
Large-scale urbanization began less than 60 seconds ago
Problem of recognizing urban regions
Some countries revise definitions of urban settlements to suit specific purposes.
China revised its census definitions with criteria that vary from province to province causing their urban population to swell by 13 percent in 1983.
Generalizations
Generalizations made about the differences in the world’s urbanized population
Highly industrialized countries have higher rates of urbanized population than do less-developed countries
Developing countries are rapidly urbanizing Caused by massive migration away from the country People flock to the cities searching for a better life
World cities
Over half of the world’s 20 largest cities are in the developing world.
Thirty years ago, the list of world cities was dominated by Western, industrialized cities.
Now the list is even more dominated by the developing world.
Urbanization in the last 200 years has strengthened links between culture, society, and the city
“Urban explosion” has gone hand in hand with the industrial revolution
Estimates demonstrate the world’s urban population more than doubled since 1950
Urban population doubled again by 2000
Urbanization
In 1950 29.7% of the world population lived in urban areas. 83 metropolitan areas with one million population. 8 areas with 5million pop.
By 2000 nearly 50% of the world population lived in urban areas. 372 metropolitan areas of a million pop. And more than 45 areas with above 5 million pop.
By 2025 almost 65% people will live in urban areas.
75% of Americans live in urban/suburban environment.
World urbanization: Continuing to Increase
Percentage of population residing in urban areas, 1975 - 2030
Data source: UN Population Division, 1999
0102030405060708090
% Urban
Africa Asia Europe N. Am. LAC
Region
2030
2000
1975
Urban PopulationPercent
29
15 17
53
47
37 37
76
55
42
74
85
54
61
82
World Africa Asia Latin Americaand the
Caribbean
MoreDeveloped
Regions
1950 2000 2030Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision (medium scenario), 2004.
Trends in Urbanization, by Region
Trends in Urbanization, by Region
• Currently, world regions differ greatly in their levels of urbanization. In more developed regions and in Latin America and the Caribbean, over 70 percent of the population is urban, whereas in Africa and Asia, under 40 percent of the population is urban. By 2030, however, the urban proportion of these two regions will exceed 50 percent.
• By 2030, roughly 60 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas.
Millions
Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision (medium scenario), 2004.
1950 2000 2015
Largest Cities, Worldwide
811 12
17 18
34
2123
36
London Tokyo New York
Sao Paulo
MexicoCity
Tokyo Delhi Mumbai(Bombay)
Tokyo
Largest Cities, Worldwide
The largest cities in the world are growing rapidly, and they are shifting from the more developed regions to the less developed regions. In 1950 the three largest cities were in more developed countries; by 2000, only Tokyo remained in the top three.
In 1950, New York was the largest city in the world, with a population of about 12 million. By 2015, the largest city worldwide is projected to be Tokyo, with triple this population size: 36 million.
Urbanization in Central AmericaPopulation Living in Urban AreasPercent
39 3936
29
47 48
6462
49 49
60 60
Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama
1970 2010
Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision (medium scenario), 2004.
Urbanization in Central America
Central American countries are urbanizing rapidly, at a pace similar to that of their South American neighbors 20 years earlier. Sixty percent or more of the population in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama is projected to be urban by 2010; the projection for Central America as a whole is 71 percent.
South America has nearly the highest rate of urbanization of any world region, projected to achieve 84 percent by 2010 (virtually tied with Northern Europe).
Urbanization: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Urbanization: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sao Paulo epitomizes the dynamics of urbanization, especially capitalism. Starting as a coffee exporting center, it had less than 32000 inhabitants by 1872. Today metropolitan Sao Paulo is a primate city of more than 20 million. Economic development and flat land engendered population increase and sprawl, rising land costs in the center, and a boom in construction.
Urbanization: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Economic success is denoted by the high-rises which are a mix of industrial, commercial and professional office blocks, as well as apartment complexes. City planning is only a recent phenomenon. Rural to urban migration is a serious problem and the city’s rapid growth has outstripped its ability to provide jobs, housing and adequate services.
http://www.openhistory.net/
C. Origin and Diffusion of the City
The earliest towns were around the Mediterranean Sea.
Babylon is the oldest recorded town.
The first cities
In seeking explanation for the origin of cities, we find a relationship between: Areas of early agriculture Permanent village settlement The development of new social forms Urban life
Early people were nomadic hunters and gatherers who constantly moved
The first cities
As they became increasingly efficient in gathering resources, their campsites became semi-permanent
As quantities of domesticated plants and animals increased settlement became more permanent
The first cities appeared in the Middle East Developed about ten thousand years ago Farming villages modest in size, rarely with more than
200 people Probably organized on a kinship basis
The first cities
The first cities appeared in the Middle East Probably organized on a kinship basis Jarmo, one of the earliest villages
Located in present-day Iraq Had 25 permanent dwellings clustered near grain
storage facilities Lacked plows, but cultivated local grains — wheat
and barley Domestic dogs, goats, and sheep may have been
used for meat Food supplies augmented by hunting and gathering
The first cities
In agricultural villages, all inhabitants were involved in some way in food procurement
Cities were more removed, physically and psychologically, from everyday agricultural activities Food was supplied to the city Not all city dwellers were involved in actual farming Another class of city dwellers supplied services —
such as technical skills, and religious interpretation
The first cities
Two elements were crucial to this social change Generation of agricultural surplus prerequisite for
supporting non-farmers Stratified social system
Meaning the existence of distinct elite and lower classes
Facilitates the collection, storage, and distribution of resources
Well-defined channels of authority that exercise control over goods and people
These two set the stage for urbanization
Models for the rise of cities
Technical The hydraulic civilization model, developed by Karl
Wittfogel Large-scale irrigation systems as prime mover
behind urbanization Higher crop yields resulted Food surplus supported development of a large
nonfarming population Strong, centralized government, backed by an
urban-based military Farmers who resisted new authority were denied
water
Models for the rise of cities
Technical The hydraulic civilization model, developed by Karl
Wittfogel Power elite needed for organizational coordination to
ensure continued operation of the irrigation system Labor specialization developed
The hydraulic model cannot be applied to all urban hearths
Urban civilization blossomed without irrigation in parts of Mesoamerica
The question of how or why a culture might first develop irrigation
Models for the rise of cities
Religious Paul Wheatley suggests religion was the motivating
factor behind urbanization Knowledge of meteorological and climatic conditions
was considered to be within the domain of religion Religious leaders decided when and how to plant crops Successful harvests led to more support for this
priestly class Priestly class exercised political and social control that
held the city together In this scenario, cities are religious spaces functioning
as ceremonial centers First urban clusters and fortification seen as defenses
against spiritual demons or souls of the dead
Models for the rise of cities
Multiple factors Distinction between economic, religious, and political
functions were not always clear A king may have functioned as priest, healer,
astronomer, and scribe In some ways secular and spiritual power was fused Attempting to isolate one trigger to urbanization is
difficult, if not impossible It would be wiser to accept the role of multiple factors
behind the changes leading to urban life Technical, religious, and political forces were often
interlinked
Urban hearth areas
Where the first cities appeared, for example: Mesopotamia The Nile Valley Pakistan’s Indus River Valley The Yellow River valley (or Huang Ho) in China Mesoamerica
Next slide gives general dates of urban life emergence for each region
Early urban life emergence
Urban hearth areas
Generally agreed first cities arose in Mesopotamia River valley of the Tigris and Euphrates in what is now
Iraq Cities, small by current standards, covered one-half to
two square miles Populations rarely exceeded 30,000 Densities could reach 10,000 per square mile —
comparable to today’s cities Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities, exhibited
three spatial characteristics
Urban hearth areas
Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities, exhibited three spatial characteristics Great importance accorded the symbolic center of the
city, which was thought to be the center of the known world
Often demarcated by a vertical structure of monumental scale representing the point on Earth closest to the heavens
This symbolic center, or axis mundi, took different forms
The ziggurat in Mesopotamia The palace or temple in China The pyramid in Egypt and Mesoamerica The Stupa in the Indus Valley
Cosmomagical City: Beijing, China
Cosmomagical City: Beijing, China
This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most important ceremonial building in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The hall is set upon an auspicious number of three tiers. From the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the emperor would be carried on his palanquin above the “dragon pavement,” carved with his dragon and other auspicious symbols such as waves, mountains and clouds.
Cosmomagical City: Beijing, China
The Forbidden City marked the inner sanctum of the Imperial city, a model of harmony and moral order expressing the Will of Heaven.
Ritual and cosmic correctness was imbued in city form through divination and orientation; cardinal axiality and concentricity; and, square configuration defined by walls and gates.
Urban hearth areas
Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities, exhibited three spatial characteristics In Mesopotamia, this area was known as the citadel
and housed the elite who lived in relative luxury Streets were paved, drains and running water were
provided Private sleeping quarters, bathtubs, and water
closets were provided Privileges did not extend to the city as a whole
Urban hearth areas
Early cities, also called cosmomagical cities, exhibited three spatial characteristics The city was oriented toward the four cardinal
directions Geometric form of city would reflect the order of the
universe Walls around the city delimited the known and
ordered world from the outside chaos Attempt to shape the form of the city according to the
form of the universe Thought essential to maintain harmony between
human and spiritual worlds Example of Angkor Thorn in India and Cambodia
Urban hearth areas
Life in Mesopotamia’s early cities from archaeological evidence Dense housing, located just outside the citadel, was
one or two stories tall composed of clay brick, and contained three or four rooms
Narrow unsurfaced streets had no drainage, and served as the community dump
At Ur, excavations show that garbage levels rose so high, new entrances were cut into second stories of the houses
Just inside the city wall, huts of mud and reed housed the lower classes
Urban hearth areas
Early cities of the Nile were not walled, suggesting a regional power structure kept cities from warring with each other
In the Indus Valley, Mohenjo-Daro was laid out in a grid that consisted of 16 large blocks
The most important variations in living conditions occurred in Mesoamerica Cities were less dense and covered large areas Cities arose without benefit of the wheel, plow,
metallurgy, and draft animals Domestication of maize compensated for technological
shortcomings Maize yields several crops a year without irrigation in
tropical climates
The diffusion of the city from hearth areas
The two hypotheses of how cities spread in prehistoric times Cities evolved spontaneously as native peoples
created new technologies and social institutions Preconditions for urban life are too specific for most
cultures to invent without contact with other urban areas
People must have learned these traits through contact with city dwellers
This scenario emphasized the diffusion of ideas and techniques
The diffusion of the city from hearth areas
Diffusionists believe ideas and techniques from Mesopotamia were shared with people in the Nile and the Indus River valley Archaeological evidence documents trade ties between
the three regions Soapstone objects made in Tepe Yahyã, 500 miles
east of Mesopotamia, have been found in ruins of both Mesopotamia and Indus Valley cities
Indus Valley writing and seals have been found in Mesopotamian urban sites
An alternate view is that trading took place only after these cities were well established
The diffusion of the city from hearth areas
There is evidence of contacts across the oceans between early urban dwellers of the New World and those of Asia and Africa Unclear if this means urbanization was diffused to
Mesoamerica Maybe some trade routes existed between these
peoples
The diffusion of the city from hearth areas
Little doubt diffusion is responsible for the dispersal of the city in historical times City used as vehicle for imperial expansion Urban life is carried outward in waves of conquest as
empires expand Initially, military controls newly won lands and sets up
collection points for local resources As collection points lose some military atmosphere
they begin to show the social diversity of a city Native people are slowly assimilated into the
settlement as workers and may eventually control the city
The process repeats itself as the empire pushes outward
The diffusion of the city from hearth areas
Imposition of a foreign civilization on native peoples was often met with resistance
Examples of imperial city building dot history Alexander the Great established at least 70 cities The Roman Empire built literally thousand of cities,
changing the face of Europe, North Africa, and Asia minor The Persians, the Maurya Empire of India, the Han
civilization of China, and the Greeks performed the same city-spreading task
In more recent times, European empires have used city resources to expand and consolidate their power in colonies in the Americas, Africa, and Asia
Expansion diffusion has been critical in dispersing urban life over the surface of the Earth
Section IIIA. Impacts of rapid urbanization
Socio-cultural impacts
Cities have strong socio-cultural impacts on their surrounding rural areas. The mass media depicts city life as superior to rural life, the "standard" language is deemed that of the national capital, and better services are received in the city due to its wealth (Fogarty, 1995).
National symbols and values are generally more evident in urban than rural areas, since they attempt to bind otherwise isolated city dwellers.
The fertility rate in cities is often lower than in rural areas due to the absence of agriculture, the cost of children, food and living space in cities, and family planning.
Socio-economic impacts
As a city grows, the cost of housing and infrastructure also grows, since there are less water, land and building material available, and greater congestion problems (Cunningham and Saigo, 1990).
As a city decays in this way, governments often do not meet the service needs of residents and urban development is dominated by private capital.
Unemployment grows, as do drug abuse, crime, and homelessness.
Wealthier citizens move out of the city to reside in the suburbs, leaving behind a concentration of social minorities .
Where the government does not meet the service needs
of the people, the "informal" sector is very important in providing, food, transport, cleaning, and other services, despite the government trying to ban them (Cunningham and Saigo, 1990).
Environmental impacts
Wastes are a major problem in large cities (Cunningham and Saigo, 1990).
Air pollution results from over-dependence on motorized transport, and from the burning of coal to supply energy.
Water pollution results from poor sewerage facilities and disposal of industrial heavy metals into waterways.
Vast quantities of solid waste are produced as a result of packaging and consumption patterns, with very little landfill space available for disposal.
Traffic congestion, and noise pollution are also major environmental impacts of large cities.
Effect on the hydrosphere
Increasing Urban heat islands
Urbanization and Air Pollution
A breath of fresh air?
Upper Parramatta River catchment: Water pollution
Solid Waste: Landfills
Traffic Congestion
Urbanization and the Hydrosphere
Roads, parking lots and buildings do not absorb precipitation as well as vegetation and soil, increasing the potential for runoff and severe flooding.
Much of this water is then used in the process of evapotranspiration which cools the Earth's surface.
In many urban areas, water often quickly drains from streets into storm sewers reducing its ability to cool the local environment.
Often wetlands are completely altered in urban environments. Wetlands have a natural ability to regulate water flow and act to purify water of pollutants and sediment. Example: ?
Environmental Impact: Urban Heat Island Effect
Urban boundary layer, or heat dome with temperatures 10°F (6°C) higher than the surrounding areas, which extends vertically above the city is Known as Urban heat island.
Heat Island Premises
Urban climates are altered significantly.
Temperature Soil moisture Cloud cover Lightning Rainfall Planetary boundary layer
Why the urban heat island is occurring:
Greater greenhouses that surround bigger towns:
Because of many dark buildings that swallows more energy then lighter-coloured materials and
Many big buildings that keep air not moving.
Urban Heat Island and Population
The effect of urban heat island are:
higher air and surface water temperature
smaller amplitude of temperature
less quantity of rain and snow
rain and snow contain more acid and
Urban Heat and Mitigation
More vegetation
More wetlands
Higher albedo pavements
More trees to cast shadows on pavement
Roof top gardens
Improve air quality
Reduce air temperature
Reduce water drainage problems
Increase area of agricultural land
Regional impacts
Urban sprawl decreases the amount of open space, agricultural land, and natural habitats in regions surrounding cities. These regions are affected by the waste and pollution produced by the city, and are also depleted natural resources used by the city. As people move out of the city into surrounding regions, the cities expands, and further pollution and resource depletion occurs as people travel longer distances from home to work.
Rural-urban migration also has a strong impact on the demography of rural areas. There is often a pattern in such migration with respect to age and gender, and this migration can act as a sort of "brain drain", whereby rural areas are left with the least educated people, placing them in a position of even lower social and political power (Hutchinson and Hirsch, 1996).
B. What could be done
Urban renewal
It is a process of land re-development in areas of previous moderate to high density urban land use.
With the environmental, socio-economic, political, and cultural problems in cities there have been many struggles for urban reform or urban renewal (Cunningham and Saigo, 1990). For urban renewal to be effective, it must address the social and economic problems underlying problems in cities. It should also not disrupt existing communities, and should support the community in taking care of its own life.
Urban re-design
Suburbs which are greatly spread out with a low population have little sense of community and an inefficient public transport system. There are few alternatives for those who do not live in a traditional nuclear family, and culture is limited.
Some of the ways cities could be redesigned.
land uses planned beforehand to avoid conflicts and environmental damage
social areas such as shopping malls, entertainment areas and pocket parks included
services and employment located closer to residential areas
city built to be human-scale, or the scale of bicycles or low speed vehicles
variety of housing to cater for the elderly, single parents, and share-housing as well as nuclear families
cluster housing and housing superblocks to use space and public transport efficiently and give a strong sense of community
city self-sustaining by growing food locally, recycling wastes and water, using renewable energy sources, decreasing noise and pollution
support public participation in decision-making, and encourage a sense of historical, cultural, and environmental identity
encourage coordinated regional planning between local councils
Zoning
Zoning and land use plans can be important tools in reserving open space, protecting the environment, and limiting the extension of services, so as to contain urban sprawl. Reclaiming waterways is a creative and effective way of renewing the urban environment and providing a sense of community (GSF, 1997).
Transportation
Transportation is an especially important aspect of planning for sustainable cities (Cunningham and Saigo, 1990). Ideally transport should be safe, cheap, reliable, convenient, regular, and environmentally benign. Reducing the distance between work and home can promote human-scale transport such as walking or cycling. Public transport can be more efficient and convenient than individual motorised transport - as is the case in many German and Scandinavian cities -, with light rail and buses being particularly efficient (GSF, 1997).
Changing View of City Life
Since the 1960s environmental movement, its become fashionable to think of wilderness as good and cities as bad.
This view is changing– people increasingly live in urban areas– people increasingly incorporate ‘natural’ beauty into cities– Rural and urban areas are linked economically.– Urban areas can be made more healthy and pleasing through urban planning.– Urban areas offer desirable cultural diversity.
Urban becoming the environment
New urbanism: Can it be solution to the negative effects of urbanization?
Design movement goal is to reform all aspects of real estate development and
urban planning.– urban retrofits– suburban infill
neighborhoods walkable diverse range of housing-denser open space balanced development of jobs and housing. Aim to reduce the time people spend in traffic
– rein in urban sprawl. historic preservation safe streets green building,
Examples:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thecommonspace.org/2002/12/pict/seaside.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thecommonspace.org/2002/12/stockton.php&h=118&w=171&sz=10&hl=en&start=68&um=1&tbnid=pgY86LHepJmMqM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnew%2Burbanism%2Bseaside%26start%3D54%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2005-33,GGLG:en%26sa%3DN
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/celebrationphotos/index.html
Question to ponder
Should rural – urban migration be stopped to reduce the high level of urbanization in many developing countries?
Is new urbanism a myth or truth?