Urban Foundations in Urban Geography - Lecture Slides | GEOG 4210, Study notes of Urbanization

Download Urban Foundations in Urban Geography - Lecture Slides | GEOG 4210 and more Study notes Urbanization in PDF only on Docsity! 1/28/2009 1 Urban Foundations City Origins and Influences on Cities Today Historical Context for Cities This week: looking at some of the historical context for cities today We will take virtually the entire class today to view a video case study that does an excellent job of helping us to expand our thinking on cities and human development – What were early cultures like? – What challenges did they face? – Why did some cultures succeed and prosper, while others failed? Historical Context for Cities In particular, this video helps us to begin to answer where and how people began to come up with the “city” idea – What was the context, both historical and geographical I will hand out a question sheet to help guide your viewing as we watch this video (brief discussion at the end) Fundamental Issues It’s tempting to think of our city problems as unique, and our plans as highly developed However, we’re dealing with the same issues people have grappled with for thousands of years – Technologies are different, but problems are the same Fundamental Issues Issues faced by early city-builders – 1. Site Selection: most suitable location for new cities and communities • Is defense a high priority, or should we give more weight to amenity (liveability) or transport potential (good links to outside)? • Site selection was a key issue in the development of Dallas (trading routes, rail lines) Fundamental Issues Issues faced by early city-builders – 2. Community Purpose: what is the function of the city? • Center of commerce, political capital, recreation destination, resource extraction center, other functions • Q: How might “function” have an impact on plans for a community? 1/28/2009 2 Fundamental Issues Issues faced by early city-builders – 3. Land Use Allocation: how do we lay out the various activities of the city for proper/ efficient function? • Reduce/eliminate conflicts between uses • Residential, business, politics, trade/transport • Q: Why is “layout” important? How do we decide on this in Denton and other cities? Fundamental Issues Issues faced by early city-builders – 4. Accommodating Growth: where do we put new people and businesses as the city grows? • How do we value our urban and rural land? • Compact city (Europe) vs. Spread city (North America) Fundamental Issues Issues faced by early city-builders – 5. Circulation of Goods and People: how do we move around the city? • Challenges are different with evolving transport technology, but the problem is the same as it was thousands of years ago • Promote easy transport around city, or develop city for life based in local communities • Q: What choices are we making in D-FW? Fundamental Issues Issues faced by early city-builders – 6. Community Form: how are society’s values reflected in the layout of the city? • Utilitarian view: promote jobs and trade • Aesthetic perspective: value in parks, public facilities • Q: How do you think we see society’s values in Denton’s city form today? (or any other city you are familiar with) City Origins It has also been tempting to think that it was the brightest people groups that came up with cities and other advanced ideas first, with others following later (or not at all) G G– eographer Jared Diamond, in the uns, Germs, and Steel video case study we saw, does a good job of refuting this kind of thinking – Diamond’s Basic Idea: innovation (including city building) occurred in regions that allowed for innovation (a test of regional environments, not the intelligence of people) City Origins Your text outlines the basic environmental conditions necessary for organized agriculture and city growth (p. 23) – Climate, water supply, topography, natural il ditiresources, so con ons – Regions with these favorable conditions are the regions that hosted the earliest cities – Even with these conditions in place, people needed further breakthroughs (technology, farming practices, and social organization) before cities began to grow 1/28/2009 5 Roman Cities The Roman city center in Pompeii: note the ll ti fco ec on o important temples etc. around the central Forum Cities in the Middle Ages Medieval times saw a continuation of the importance of class and the development of large public buildings symbolizing the power of the upper classes Cities in the Middle Ages Medieval times saw a continuation of the importance of class and the development of large public buildings symbolizing the power of the upper classes The walled city of Carcassonne from the air Castle Cathedral Cities in the Middle Ages Public Square and Cathedral in Delft, Netherlands Renaissance and Baroque Cities The period AD 1400 – 1800 was particularly important in shaping European cities as we know them today (and by extension, the modern cities of North America) Three key factors account for changes in European city development through this period – 1. The emergence of new technologies – 2. A revival of interest in Greek and Roman city design principles – 3. Social and economic expansion Renaissance and Baroque Cities European city development of this period is known for its dominant characteristics – Wide, straight avenues for main city routes – Gridiron pattern for local streets – Monuments/squares as focal points for cities 1/28/2009 6 Renaissance and Baroque Cities Example of Paris: development of wide i lprocess ona routes and monumental focal points Renaissance and Baroque Cities More Paris: Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe Renaissance and Baroque Cities More Paris: Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe Renaissance and Baroque Cities More Paris: Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe Renaissance and Baroque Cities Q: – Have you ever been in Paris, or a city with these grand kinds of features? What were your impressions? – What do you think might be the advantages of this kind of city that previous cities did not have? Any particular group(s) benefit from such cities? Renaissance and Baroque Cities The cities of this period differed fundamentally from earlier cities (think of our original “six city-building issues”) – More focus on commerce and transportation, less on defense – More accommodating of growth and change – More circulation of people and goods around the city 1/28/2009 7 Renaissance and Baroque Cities This orientation toward transportation, growth, and circulation led to further expansion and the growth of European empires S f– pain and Portugal were the irst to connect the world’s periphery to the European urban system – European city growth was spurred on in the 1500-1900 period by trade with the colonies Renaissance and Baroque Cities Key concept in the functioning of this core- periphery system: gateway cities – Links between an individual region and the rest of the world I th l i f E i th– n e co on es o uropean emp res, ese gateway cities acted as transportation centers to facilitate trade (sea port and land transport facilities) – Often based on existing towns/cities, but greatly magnifying their importance through a new imperial function Renaissance and Baroque Cities Key concept in the functioning of this core- periphery system: gateway cities – In a colonial setting, these cities were also important as on-the-site administrative centers for resource extraction in the colonies (fur trade , forestry, mining) – Rio de Janeiro and gold mining; Accra and cocoa – These centers fulfilled command and control functions, usually in both an economic and a military sense – The site of major fortifications and naval bases Renaissance and Baroque Cities Key concept in the functioning of this core- periphery system: gateway cities – At the other end of the system, gateway cities in Europe were also greatly changed by this imperial development – Cities like London, Paris, and Lisbon displayed wealth and power that would have been unattainable without their empires – Legacy of this growth is still visible in the architecture and city form of these European capitals (think of the Paris example) Renaissance and Baroque Cities Trafalgar Square, London Renaissance and Baroque Cities Such city development and growth provided a foundation for the modern, industrial city