Unit 2: A Brief History of Urban Expansion

The student should be able to:

understand that urbanization is an ongoing process gain a historical and global perspective on the evolution of cities identify the three distinct phases of urban expansion identify and explain the conditions that led to the development of cities at different points in history understand that the largest cities of the world have always been significant cities understand that urbanization is a global phenomenon and is not an issue in one part of the world

Unit 2: A Brief History of Urban Expansion

To change life, we must first change space

Henri Lefebvre, French writer, philosopher and educator With their industries, traffic jams and sleek buildings, cities are often seen as new developments in history. In fact, the origin of cities goes back thousands of years and passes through at least three distinct phases. The first phase began between 5 to 6 thousand years ago with settlements that grew into what we call the river valley civilizations of Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), Egypt, India and China. Early on, the settlements depended largely on agriculture and domesticated animals. However, as the civilizations grew in size and trade routes grew in number, these settlemetns became centers for merchants, craftspeople, traders and government officials. The division between "town" and "country", "urban" and "rural" had begun. A similar path was taken by later civilizations such as the Greek, Iranian, Roman and the Great Zimbabwe.

The second phase in the development of cities came much later with the industrial revolution in Europe around the middle of the 18th century. Factories needed a large labour force and a rise in commercial activity created new opportunities in cities. Looking for employment and a better life, people moved from rural areas into cities in greater numbers than ever before. The third phase began after the Second World War. The largest and fastest growth in the world's urban population has taken place in the decades since 1950 (Table 2). As the world economy became more international and grew in size, cities all over the world began to grow larger at a very fast pace. Most of this growth has been concentrated in Asia, Latin America and Africa, although some U.S. cities such as Phoenix and Los Angeles have been growing at the same pace.

Unit 2: A Brief History of Urban Expansion

Cities have existed for millennia. Their fortunes have risen and fallen along with the fate of the
civilizations to which they were joined. Some disappeared altogether and are now no more than the sites of archeological digs -- Moenjodaro, in Pakistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one

example. Others -- such as Cairo (Egypt) and Beijing (China) -- have been important cities for thousands of years. If not for millennia, then most of today's important cities have at least been around for the past 200 years. Nevertheless, over the course of human history cities have changed dramatically. To understand how cities developed into what they are today and to explore solutions to the problems they face and possibilities they offer, one must look back to the evolution of urbanization.

Phase I: River Valley Civilizations The first phase in the development of cities began around four thousand B.C. Settlements developed along the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq), the Nile in Egypt, the Ganges in India, and the Yellow River in China. These have been called the river valley civilizations. The physical landscape played an important role. The early cities were located on fertile flood plains next to large rivers and had access to pasture land for raising animals. They also benefited from a warm climate and a permanent supply of water. These conditions were necessary for the transformation to a settled and organized society. They helped settlers domesticate animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, and cultivate cereal crops such as rice, wheat, and maize (corn). Over time, small and simple settlements grew into larger and more complex centers for a variety of activities, from agriculture to trade to manufacturing. A greater volume of trade and a slowly growing settled population, encouraged labour to became more specialized. Families and individuals dedicated themselves to a specific task or profession, such as shoemaking or trading in grains. This made production more efficient and society more organized, while at the same time providing greater collective security for a city's inhabitants. Consequently, cities flourished and grew in size. That early shift to an organized, specialized urban environment is one of the important changes in the history of human development. Many known and unknown civilizations followed the early ones, but the pattern of settlement stayed the same through the years, until the Industrial Revolution in Europe changed our methods of production and urban lifestyles. Phase II: The Industrial Revolution "Unreal city, under the brown fog of a winter dawn...

Falling towers Jerusalem Athens Alexandria Vienna London Unreal..." ---T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland When the American poet T.S. Eliot was writing his famous poem, "The Wasteland", in the 1920s, there was a sense of disillusionment with cities among many writers and artists in Europe and North America. Eliot and others lived at a time of great change in the development of cities. Before their eyes new sorts of cities were emerging -- cities that were more populated and less familiar than ever before; cities that were at the same time more automated and more chaotic than ever before; cities that were more efficient but also more polluted and wasteful; cities that offered contact with innumerable people and diverse work opportunities but also caused loneliness, unemployment and poverty. This new kind of city began to take shape during the second significant stage in urban development, which occurred as a result of the Industrial Revolution (1750-1890) in what are now considered to be the developed countries of Europe and North America. Two significant factors contributed to the rapid changes in the sizes and lifestyles of cities. The first factor was the development of large-scale manufacturing and mining industries which came about as a result of technical advances such as the steam engine, used to drive industrial machinery. Factories and mines required a large labour force, which migrated to the cities from rural areas and sometimes from other countries. As Charles Dickens' novels vividly illustrate, the new urban population did not live in the best of conditions, but the attractions of urban life and the prospect of employment "pulled" people into the city in greater numbers than ever before. The second factor was the expansion of trade routes and access to cheap raw materials acquired through European colonization of other lands. Raw materials fed the industries, but they also created a concentration of wealthy merchants, shopkeepers and bankers who made money trading in goods. The combination of wealth, a large population and a diversity of goods created a market for consumer goods, which slowly evolved into the urban consumer patterns we see today. Phase III: Global urban growth What distinguishes the current phase of urban growth from previous ones, is that urbanization is

not limited to a specific region. It is now a worldwide phenomenon. Looking at the rates of growth, it would seem that only cities in developing countries are growing fast. But keep in mind that the majority of the population in the developed countries already live in cities. Towards the end of the 19th century many European and North American cities had very high growth rates, often doubling their size in 20 years. Now, towards the end of the 20th century, many cities in the developed countries have stopped growing, but 75% of the population of those countries already live in urban centers. By contrast, the highest growth rates today are in the so- called developing world where only 37% of the population is urbanized. However, this is bound to change in the near future. Some cities in the developing world have tripled in size over the past 45 years. In the year 2015, it is estimated that of the ten largest cities in the world only one -- Tokyo -- will be in what is today called the developed world. The majority of large cities in Asia, Latin America and Africa have been important urban centers for a long time. A few only became important during colonialism when they served as administrative or trading centers for European powers. In either case, the rapid pace of urbanization only took off after the Second World War as the world economy became more global and as colonized lands gained their independence. Unfortunately, developing countries have limited resources to help new migrants to the cities. With the exception of some countries in East Asia, their economies and industries are not strongly developed, so that unemployment is high and many migrants live in poor conditions in shanty towns and slums. Urban problems are not confined to the developing world. Cities everywhere have problems of homelessness, drugs, violence and unemployment. Urban growth is not confined to the developing world either. For example, many cities in the south and southwest of the United States, such as Phoenix, are among the fastest growing cities in the world. Urbanization is a global phenomenon. The Future It is hard to predict what shape cities will take in the future. In many areas, including in the developing countries, many people are moving out of the city, to nearby areas often called "suburbs". Efficient transport systems such as rail links and highways have enabled people in more affluent cities to live outside the city and travel in, or "commute", to work. It is predicted that by the year 2025, 61% of the world's population will be urban. However, there could be changes in the world before then. Will people slowly move out of cities? Will computers and the Internet have an effect on how we work and, therefore, on where we live? What will

cities look like then?

Unit 2: A Brief History of Urban Expansion

Dont forget this weeks Ideal City activity. 1. List some of the physical conditions that have influenced the development of cities. Which one do you think is the most important in the rise of early cities? Explain. 2. Why would the cultivation of cereal crops and domestication of animals play an important part in the rise of the first human settlements? Why would cereal crops such as rice, wheat and maize be more important than vegetable crops such as tomatoes and lettuce? 3. Is your city located near any of the physical features you listed for number 1? Can you find out approximately how old your city is? During which phase in the development of cities did your city come into being? 4. What were some of the changes in the ways cities functioned and felt after the industrial revolution? 5. How do you think the cities of the industrial revolution set a precedence for the cities we see today? 6. The "site" and "situation" of a city are important factors in its development. "Site" describes the specific characteristics of the physical landscape where a town or city is located. For example many early towns were located on rivers for access to transportation or on high ground for defensive purposes. Another example of site is the location of mineral deposits. "Situation" refers to the influence of surrounding areas. For example, if a town is located where two rivers meet (confluence), this would be a "site factor". But the fact that the two rivers provide a transportation system for the surrounding region would represent the situation of the town or city. Another example is a mountain-top which provides a good "site" if your concern is to defend yourself. But it may not end up being such a great "situation" because it is difficult to get to and so trade, communication and commerce will develop with greater difficulty and at greater cost. The following are a few factors which have influenced the location of a town: water supply, head of a river, sheltered harbour, high ground, fertile ground. In groups, brainstorm other possible factors that could influence the location of towns or cities. Examining maps of world cities may help you develop some ideas.

Briefly describe the site and situation factors that have influenced the location of your town or city. For more detail, you can use a topographic map of your town or city. 7. Using the data in Table 3, plot the percentage of urban population for each of the regions. Be sure to correctly label the information on your graph.

Which area(s) of the world were you surprised to find had a low proportion of urban population? Based on this data, can you predict which regions have a high "urban growth rate"? Why would this be the case?

This Ideal City activity can be done as an extension of question 6 of Unit 2. Refer to definitions of site and situation in question 6. a. Pick a site for your ideal city and describe its situation. You can either create an imaginary situation or use an atlas and/or a map to pick a siteit could be your own city, a place nearby or somewhere quite far. b. Explain the advantages of the site and situation you chose. You can start drawing, constructing or writing about the site at this stage.