There are some darn big cities
Keep in Mind
The Urban is an important object of analysis because
Cities are agglomerations of people and economic activities, and
foci of administration, power and political change.
Because of this, the richest and the poorest can often be found
there
Cities are places where people traded goods and services for (and
exerted control over) raw materials from the countryside
In fact, most major Third World cities originated as colonial
designated ports for moving goods out of the country
Tenochtitlan had 150,000-200,000
Also cities are the interface between global and local, where
international trends first touchdown
Geography was mostly a rural discipline until the late 1960s,
when a focus on urban issues emerged along with statistical modeling
Today most cultural geographers are also urban geographers
Rise of Cities
Cities in Europe grew following an agricultural revolution which
meant fewer people needed to work the land/the rise of industrialization which
needed lots of laborers
Some old agricultural centers stagnated, others close to resources
(falling water, coal, iron) rose
Most urban growth rural to urban migrants and their children
But 50 million Europeans left for the New World, meaning that if
no out migration
Ireland 12 million; Europe 1.6 billion
Parts of Europe (Britain, France) first predominantly urban regions,
but
First cities in Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Nile Valley (Egypt)
At any given time, the most important cities likely to be outside
of Europe
Now, the majority of urban dwellers live in the developing world
once again
Comparative City Populations
Largest
Cities, 1000
Cordova,
Spain 450,000
Kaifeng,
China 400,000
Constantinople
(Istanbul), Turkey 300,000
Angkor,
Cambodia 200,000
Kyoto,
Japan 175,000
Cairo,
Egypt 135,000
Baghdad,
Iraq 125,000
Nishapur (Neyshabur),
Iran 125,000
Al-Hasa,
Saudi Arabia 110,000
Patan (Anhilwara),
India 100,000
Largest
Cities 1500
1. Beijing,
China 672,000
2. Vijayanagar,
India 500,000
3. Cairo,
Egypt 400,000
4. Hangzhou,
China 250,000
5. Tabriz,
Iran 250,000
6. Constantinople
(Istanbul), Turkey 200,000
7. Gaur,
India 200,000
8. Paris,
France 185,000
9. Guangzhou,
China 150,000
10. Nanjing, China 147,000
Largest
Cities 1800
1. Beijing,
China 1,100,000
2. London,
United Kingdom 861,000
3. Guangzhou,
China 800,000
4. Edo
(Tokyo), Japan 685,000
5. Constantinople
(Istanbul), Turkey 570,000
6. Paris,
France 547,000
7. Naples,
Italy 430,000
8. Hangzhou,
China 387,000
9. Osaka,
Japan 383,000
10. Kyoto, Japan 377,000
Comparative City Populations
1900
London,
UK 6,480,000
New
York, US 4,242,000
Paris,
France 3,330,000
Berlin,
Germany 2,707,000
Chicago,
US 1,717,000
Vienna,
Austria 1,698,000
Tokyo,
Japan 1,497,000
St.
Petersburg, Russia 1,439,000
Manchester,
UK 1,435,000
Philadelphia,
US 1,418,000
Now
Shanghai,
15,434,642
Mumbai,
13,073,926
Tokyo
12,678,395
Karachi
11,608,000
Delhi,
11,505,196
Sao
Paulo, 11,016,703
Moscow
10,654,000
Seoul
10,297,004
Istanbul
10,291,102
Lagos,
9,229,944
Largest
Urban Areas
Some Pre-Colonial City Types
Islamic City: from
Spain to Philippines, reflects Quranic values
Center is the main mosque (Jami), which provides religious,
educational, and welfare functions.
Smaller mosques are built just out of earshot
City is walled with the central fortress (Kasbah)
Souqs and bazaars line street from major wall gate
To protect privacy (esp. of women) street doors do not face each
other, no eye level street windows, cul-de-sacs
Twisting streets to provide maximum shade, wind towers
East Asian Emperor's City
Heart of city is for emperor, forbidden to almost all others
City Photos
But Colonialism made some cities
Usually located on a navigable river or port
Built from scratch: Singapore, Manila, Saigon, Mumbai
Modified existing settlement: Mexico City, Shanghai, Lagos
Usually had four types of functional districts:
Colonial Administration and Commerce:
containing offices, warehouses and port facilities.
European Housing: Walled with gardens and large estates
Military Security: a fort
or cantonment, surrounded by large amounts of open space
Indigenous Commerce and Residence: where
servants, merchants, others who came to live of colonialism lived
After independence, these cities receive multinational
corporations, migrants
More recently, so has trade
Brazil frontier cities
Building cities in areas of low population density in the interior
Manaus built during rubber boom
More recently timber, cattle
Export Processing Cities
Older small settlements which grow rapidly do to proximity to
bigger markets/free trade
North Mexico (Nuevo Laredo), Johar Bahru,
Persian Gulf Oil Cities
Formerly mostly nomadic societies, some fishing, pearl diving,
regional trading, pilgrimage sites
Now former villages have become cities due to unprecedented
building boom
Welfare state with housing, cushy jobs for many nationals
Huge numbers of guest workers from South Asia, Philippines
Exurbanization and Gated Communities
Hypothesis that Western Europe/U.S. has gone through an urban
transition in which urbanization has reached its peak
In many 3rd World countries, people continue to move
from provincial cities to primate cities
In West, movement from colder, post-industrial cities to warmer
cities
Also, as housing prices rose, exurban areas (with 45 minute plus
commutes, on farmland beyond first and second ring suburbs) were growing
rapidly
Think Homestead, everything around Orlando
These are places worst hit by housing crash.
Increasingly the gated community with private infrastructure
(sewer, water, internet, phone, police, school) is spreading to the 3rd
World as a way to isolate upper middle class/wealthy from the poor masses
Emaar Properties in Dubai is a leading provided in SW Asia/North
Africa
World Cities
The control centers of the world
economy, which are able to effect economic, cultural and political issues
beyond their borders, as measured quantitatively
Shows not all cities have similar impact on economy; cities
compete (not states) for control and investment
Includes high order business services (finance, marketing);
corporate HQ; trade associations, NGOs and IGO headquarters; media and culture
industries
Top Tier: New
York, London, Tokyo
2nd Tier:
Brussels, Chicago, Frankfurt, L.A., Paris, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Washington,
Zurich
3rd Tier:
Amsterdam, Bangkok, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Houston, Johannesburg,
Madrid, Manila, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, Mumbai, Osaka, Rio, San Fran, Seoul,
Sydney, Taipei, Toronto, Vancouver
Global City
Concept introduced by urban sociologist Saskia Sassen, which
emphasizes the networked nature of cities
Miami is one of her primary examples, as a capital of Latin
America
Miamis role in the economy of Latin American countries is at
least equal to its role in the U.S. economy
Also city w/ worlds highest % of foreign born citizens
Dubai, a city in the tiny UAE is attempting to become capital of
Middle East/South Asia
Like Miami has busy seaport, airport, tourism; little industry
with lots of service, trade and real estate speculation
Dubai also big gap between rich and poor
Most workers are guest workers who can never become citizens; only
recently own real estate
Shantytowns
The population of cities has increased rapidly (most of worlds
population growth occurs here)
Young Migrants & baby booms caused by young migrants
People come from the country, where there are no good jobs, little
good land, fewer services, fewer consumer goods
Even though urban unemployment higher, take chance they might get
a good job
Shantytowns (cont.)
Cities unable to expand services
or housing, or choose not to through benign neglect
Any available land gets taken by squatters
Sometimes planned in advance, with title; often developed by
landlords who charge rent
Land invasions by large groups, at night/holidays
Often marginal: steep slopes, flood-prone areas, bare rock,
derelict land, cemeteries
Built of cardboard, mud, tar paper, corrugated iron
No streets, little water, no sewer, infrequent garbage collection
= poor air quality, long commutes, health problems
Responses to Shantytowns
Elimination
Bulldozed before settlements become too established
In richer countries, people moved to gov. housing
In poorer countries, new slums emerge elsewhere in city
Some people in historic buildings moved for gentrification
Process of converting poor neighborhoods near the city center to
housing for the well to do
Responses (cont.)
Accommodation
Some shantytowns run by neighborhood council, which provides forum
for discussion, policing, dispute mediation
With just a little financial assistance from government or NGOs,
communities able to improve themselves through collective labor on water, sewers,
toilets
Overtime building materials improve (from tar to cement), get
established stores, schools, bus service
Some argue for provide titles, which means housing becomes capital
But also means people can borrow against, and possibly lose houses