Urbanization and Rural-Urban Dynamics: Characteristics, Contrasts, and Processes - Prof. F, Study notes of Urbanization

Download Urbanization and Rural-Urban Dynamics: Characteristics, Contrasts, and Processes - Prof. F and more Study notes Urbanization in PDF only on Docsity! I. division of urban and rural areas a. characteristics to define an urban area: i. a minimum population 1. in the United States = 2,500 i. minimum population density ii. percentage of residents that are engaged in non-agricultural activities i. contiguity constraint 1. spatially including suburban and commuter areas 2. the amount/density of people on the border i. designated by administration 1. i.e. a corporate limit 2. a political or administrative boundary i. the change between rural and urban is gradual and continuous a. division between urban and rural i. urban and rural contrasts 1. urban areas rural areas high density low density high price of land low price of land high intense use of land low intensity of land use industry and services agriculture fast lifestyle - daily schedule is fixed farming, herding, forestry, fishing better access to activities slow seasonal lifestyle I. the dynamics of urbanization a. urbanization is the process of moving from the rural area to an urban area i. primacy cities = the largest city with in a nation that dominates not only in size, but in influence as well 1. rise of primary cities could be attributed to its importance next to a fort 2. usually occur in less developed nations a. urbanization does NOT mean rural depopulation ---> it just means that the urban population is rising faster than the rural population i. suburban area = urban a. urbanization S-curve i. I. II. mathematical model: a. assumption = difference of population growth rates in urban and rural areas are constant over time i. 1 U t ∗( dUdt )− 1 Rt ∗( dRdt )=k I. logistic function = U t U t+Rt = 1 1+ae−kt a. backwash v. spreading i. backwash = the growth of the city comes at the cost of the rural land being pushed further and further away a. centralization at a national level v. decentralization at a regional level i. a. system of cities: i. addresses the relationships between cities? 1. defines how large each city is and why? a. is there an optimal size for the city? 1. where are the cities located and why? a. the physical environment meaning: i. closeness to a river mouth ii. mountain foot iii. fort and trade posts a. transportation network b. central place 1. example Chicago: a. close to a lake and a river mouth i. therefore, land-water transshipment has two locations ii. there are two outlets to the sea a. has a radial railroad network b. fits the model of the central place theory i. a. urban areas in the US i. MSA = metropolitan statistical area 1. to define the MSA we use: a. the county/parish as a geographical unit b. the central city has to have a population over 50,000 people c. over 20% of the population has to be community workers 1. consists of a region with a dominant city a. the largest urban concept concerning area 1. has a substantial population nucleus a. is surrounded by adjacent counti9es that have significant commuting linkages with the central nucleus i. is the more spacious region where land is not all built up i. CMSA = consolidated metropolitan statistical areas ii. PMSA = primary metropolitan statistical areas iii. to define an urban area: 1. (UA) urbanized area a. consists of a central city and its surrounding, THICKLY settled area b. population is >= 50,000 c. population density is >= 1,000 people per sq. mile 1. urban place a. more dense in population compared to rural places b. are more crowded in terms of space c. have higher order economies i. not just primary, but secondary and tertiary as well a. engages in little, if any agriculture or production of raw materials i. receives them from outside sources a. has a large labor market that extends far beyond the main city b. has a large and complex transportation system c. defined as places with >=2,500 people 1. (UC) urban cluster a. encompasses densely settled territory based on: i. core census block groups that have a population of >= 1,000 people per sq. mile ii. surrounding census blocks that have an overall density of >= 500 people per sq. mile a. rank size model: US v. China i. ii. general observations about the rank size model: 1. there are only a few very large cities, plenty of medium sized cities, but a majority of small cities 2. was created by George Zipf in 1949 i. equations 1. Pr=P1r −q a. Pr=population of city ranked "r" b. P1= population of largest city c. r = rank