The City and Urbanization and Urbanism

1
The City and Urbanization and Urbanism
2
The City

• A city can be any urban place of 2,500 people or
  more that is incorporated as a municipality
• In Pennsylvania there are 2,566 municipalities in
  four categories
• Cities (57)
• Boroughs (961)
• Towns (2)
• Townships (1,546)

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The City

• Cities (57)
• First Class Cities - Cities with populations over
  one million Philadelphia is the only city in
  Pennsylvania in this class.
• Second Class Cities - Pittsburgh with a
  population over 250,000 is the only officially
  designated second class city.
• Third Class Cities - All of the remaining cities
  with populations below 250,000 are classified as
  third-class cities.

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The City

• MMR Multi-Centered Metropolitan Region
• Cities can become important politically because
  of
• Self governance
• Service provision
• Seat of culture
• Mayors can be nationally known

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The City

• Site of urban culture
• Unique streets and can walk
• According to Wirth Cities have
• Size
• Density
• Diversity
• Wirth identified different kinds of relationships
• Primary face to face personal
• Secondary infrequent but direct personal
• Tertiary indirect relations and contacts

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The City

• Mumford and the City as the Site of Civilization
• He believed that the primary relations in a city
  lead to innovations that drive civilizations and
  culture
• Based on archaic view of a few ancient cities
• Has not held up over time (Silicon Valley)

7
The City

• The city has colonized the night time creating
  personalized spaces of participation
• Skylines and architecture are important to cities
  as part of identity in an increasing global world

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Urbanization and Urbanism

• Concerned with such questions as
• How did cities first form?
• What conditions produced them?
• What were early cities like?
• What are the essential forms of social
  organization necessary for the development of a
  city?

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Urbanization and Urbanism

• Ten Traits of Early Cities
• Densely populated large territory
• Supported craftspeople full time
• Farmer produce surplus controlled by rulers
• Monumental public buildings
• Ag surplus controlled by elite
• Cities center for ideas and recording them
• Centers for the arts
• Centers for predictive sciences
• Organization based on residence not kinship
• Cities imported and exported (trade)

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Urbanization and Urbanism

• The view of early city development has been an
  Evolutionary Model. Recent evidence suggest
  growth was discontinuous, sporadic, and uneven.
  Often several forms life an ag-based economy
  co-existed with the emergence arts and crafts,
  science, or a trade based economy.

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Urbanization and Urbanism

• Contemporary Urbanization
• 2.8 billion people live in cities, 47 of the
  global population
• Often no distinction between a compact urban form
  and an expansive region of urbanization
  associated with a Central Place
• Most of the growth in global urbanization is
  taking place in Less Developed Nations

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Urbanization and Urbanism

• There has been a rise in megacities particularly
  in Less Developed Nations
• A megacity has a population of 10 million or more
• In 1950 only New York City met this definition
• There are now 19 megacities and 15 are located in
  less developed nations
• The number of cities with over one million
  residents has grown from 80 in 1950 to 365 in
  2000. 242 of these cities are in Less Developed
  Nations.

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Urbanization and Urbanism

• Urbanism
• Typified by high consumption lifestyles
• Greater sophistication in arts, fine dining,
  entertainment, and fashion
• Participation in an advanced information-based
  economy
• See more so-called deviants
• Diversity
• Nurtured entertainment and dining districts