INTRODUCTION TO URBAN

GEOGRAPHY
Lecture by Ms. Sahar Zia
 Urban Geography
Combination of two Related to Location…..
Latin Words: Urb (city)
And Anus(An)
Related to City…..

“Seeks to explain the distribution of cities, its

similarities and dissimilarities, variations
that exist between them and within them”
Lahore VS Karachi Landuse variations
 Dynamic nature of Urban
• Urban as an entity
Population
Economic base
Administrative criteria
• Urban as a quality
 cognitive mapping
 urbanism as a way of life
Urban Geographical Approaches

The study of The study of city

system of cities as a system

Settlement Hierarchy Settlement Landuse

 The study of city as a system
Urban characteristics/Issues/ Triggering Factors

• Environmental
Structural
factors • Economic Operating at
different
• Technological geographical
Urban • Social scales with
Development evolution
and planning • Demographic
• Culture
• Political factors
 Global trigger factors
• Economic
• Technologic
• Demographic
• Politics
• Society
• Culture
• Environment
 Global trigger: economy
(Fundamental significant)
Type of capitalist economy
16th century Competative capitalism
19th century Fordism/ Organised Cap.
Early 20th century Advanced capitalism
Global trigger: Technology (integral to
economy)

Biotechno-
Robotics logy

Digital
electronics
Microelectronics

Early
mechanization
 Global trigger: Demographic
(Directly Influential factor)
• Immigration of population leads to
urbanization
• Restriction of migration due to over
population
 Global trigger: Political (Directly
Influential factor)
• Planned socialist city- intended to promote
national economic development and to foster
social and spatial equity
 Global trigger: Social (Indirectly
Influential factor)
• Social disintegration/ residential segregation
• Organized behaviors
 Global trigger: culture (Indirectly
Influential factor)
• Rise of materialism
• Advent of Cappuccino society
• Youth culture celebrations
 Global trigger: Environmental
(InDirectly Influential factor)
• Global warming
• Floods prone areas or earthquake prone Areas
 Process of urban change
Urbanization

Suburbanization/ exurbanization / Peripheral urbanization

Agglomeration

Reurbanization

Metropolitan Areas
 Urban Outcomes
1. Changes in urban systems at local, national and
international level

2. Spread of urbanization

3. Socio spatial construction of urban places

 Importance of urban geography?
• Interconnectedness of global urban society as
a result of globalisation
• Dialectic relationship between global and local
processes in the construction and
reconstruction of urban environment