Ghe-2009w-lecture22 - Urban Geography V-urban Issues - Student3

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities

Notes for doucheface and Philip?

Michael Mercier School of Geography & Earth Sciences Winter 2009

Outline • Introduction • Urban Issues: More Developed World – Suburbanization & Urban Sprawl – Gentrification – Poverty & Homelessness

• Urban Issues: Less Developed (Developing) World – Rapid Urbanization – Urban Environment: pollution – Squatter Settlements • Some Examples

• Summary/Conclusion • Reference: Ch. 13

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Introduction • Cities are fantastic places • Cities are horrible places – – –

• – Major issues

Cities are fantastic places (center for cultural changes; places of innovations; life-blood of modern economy) Cities are horrible places (for many people; cities are centers of misery) -cities are substantial producers of waste -cities are incubators of poverty, despair, and resentment (aside of being centers of economy, it can be incubators of poverty) -cities are unhealthy (Toronto could be healthier than some other cities) Cities are both good and bad -major issues facing cities in both the More Developed World (MDW) and Less Developed World (LDW)

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

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Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Issues: More Developed World Cities • Suburbanization (& Urban Sprawl): – Urban decentralization – Emergence of suburbs: • Beginnings of cities –

Suburbanization..: -Urban decentralization - periphery vs centre -Emergence of suburbs: -beginnings of cities -post-WWII suburban housing boom -City walls -Transportation technology (the ability to commute long distance have allowed the growth of suburbs)

•

-Today – Today

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Urban Issues: More Developed World Cities • Suburbanization (& Urban Sprawl): Cont’d – Prevalent where • • • • – Sprawl – Conurbations • • e.g. – Impact?

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Urban Issues: More Developed World Cities • Gentrification (Anti-Urban Sprawl?): – – – Neighbourhood decline – Positive effects: – Negative effects:

Suburbanization.. -Prevalent where -land is readily available -planning regulations are weak (private developers have more control of planning regulations than municipal governement; you see suburbanization) -populations are wealthy and can afford large homes -levels of physical mobility are high -sprawl (suburbanization on steroids; have more of an negative aspect) -Conurbations (continusely built up areas; formed by merging 2+ formally independent places) -continuously built-up areas formed by bringing together separate and expanding cities -eg here; golden horseshoe -impact? goobles up fertile cultural land; generates more pollution due to commuting

Gentrification (anti-urban sprawl?): -the process of transforming formerly derelict or low quality housing into wealthy or desirable areas (centralizing population) -neighbourhood decline -positive effects: benefit for middle class who are moving in the area; buying up properties that were run-downed (get a good price on it too); middle class also get to live close to the center area (do not need to commute as much); better for the city (being healthier) -negative effects: costly (landlords charge higher rent); higher taxes; bad for those who are poor

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

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Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Issues: More Developed World Cities • Poverty – Rapid expansion of urban industrial areas – The spatial manifestation of poverty – Slum clearance – Poverty

Poverty -Rapid.. (emergence of significant area of poverty); -The spatial.. (slums develop); neighbourhoods of poverty; developed fully after the industrial era -slum clearance (major problem in the 19th century; replaced these housing with apartments; this didnt hope the poor) -poverty (low income; most pollution; worst physical health status (mentally and physically); Consider: homelessness (check on the textbook)

– Consider:

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Urban Issues: Less Developed World Cities • Issues and problems facing LDW cities

-Issues and problems facing... -benefits outweigh the costs (despite the problems, people continue to move to cities; people see there are more benefits; people live in the world of perception instead of reality)

– Benefits outweigh the costs

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Urban Issues: Less Developed World Cities • Rapid Urbanization – Urbanization – Consequences – Slums • 30-70%: –

Rapid Urbanization -Urbanization (growth of the population in cities;) -Consequences -Slums (19th century;) -30-70% (depending on what country; 30-70% of urban populations in the LDWC are living in slums; highly congested with sub-standard housing, lacking any system of sanitation, and plagued by .. one billion people in the world are living in slums

• 2005 – 1 Billion Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

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Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Issues: Less Developed World Cities • Urban Environment: Pollution – Polluting industries • Employment … but at what cost? – – Industrialization & urbanization

Urban Environment: pollution -polluting industries -employment.. but at what cost? (employment opportunities; but they are pollution the environment; go to Walmart to get our shit, but the pollution is being generated somewhere else) -industrialization and urbanization (dirty industries are bringing people to urban cities) -urban pollution (you get more people living in cities; but you are also getting people making their own pollution/waste)

• Urban pollution

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Urban Issues: Less Developed World Cities • Squatter Settlements: – • Migrants • Problems – The crux of the problem:

– Spatial pattern of wealth & poverty

Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

Urban Issues: Less Developed World Cities • Squatter Settlements - Examples: • Mexico City: • Calcutta:

Squatter Settlements: -slums on the periphery of the city -uncontrolled, low-quality, un-serviced, unsanitary, crowded, settlements on the urban periphery -migrants (driven by people looking for employment in these industries) -problems (health; social problems; lack of education; economic problems; political problems) -the crux of the problem: these people have no ownership to the land; no taxes; without paying taxes, the govn. doesnt pay for services (such as schools, etc); no ability to improve the situation; no way to improve the problem of poverty Spatial pattern.. -the wealthy live in the periphery of the cities in well developed countries; poor live in the central of the city (it is the opposite for less developed countries)

Examples -Mexico City: -Calcutta: -Sao Paolo and Rio: -Favelas *look in the textbook for more examples

• Sao Paolo and Rio: – Favelas

Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

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Human Geographies: Society & Culture

Summary/Conclusion • Issues • Global citizenship:

Issues Global citizenship: -Your task (leave this class and leave the university and become a global citizen; find a solution

– Your task

• Next Class: Read – Conclusion – Course Conclusions, Wrap-Up & Discussion about the Exam Urban Geography V: Urban Issues in Contemporary Cities – Apr 1, 2009

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