an overview of urban geography
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To the surprise of many, the American city appears to be at the center ofthe past decade’s prosperity. Particularly in the last 5 years, most citieshave enjoyed strong growth, increases in downtown residence, lowercrime rates, and considerable revitalization in neighborhoods near centralbusiness districts. There is an apparent preference for urban livingamong increasing numbers of the middle and upper classes. The traditionaleconomic advantages of cities (size, density, heterogeneity, capacityfor innovation) once again encourage certain businesses to clusternear the core.TRANSCRIPT
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Urban geography is a branchof human geographyconcerned with variousaspects of cities. An urbangeographer's main role is toemphasize location andspace and study the spatialprocesses that createpatterns observed in urbanareas. To do this, they studythe site, evolution and growth,and classification of villages,towns and cities as well as
their location and importance in relation to different regions and cities. Economic, politicaland social aspects within cities are also important in urban geography.
In order to fully understand each of theseaspects of a city, urban geographyrepresents a combination of many otherfields within geography. Physical geographyfor example is important in understandingwhy a city is located in a specific area as siteand environmental conditions play a largerole in whether or not a city develops.Cultural geography can aid in understandingvarious conditions related to an area'speople, while economic geography aids inunderstanding the types of economicactivities and jobs available in an area.Fields outside of geography such asresource management, anthropology andurban sociology are also important.
Definition of a City
An essential component within urbangeography is defining what a city or urbanarea actually is . Although a difficult task,
urban geographers generally define the city as a concentration of people with a similarway of life based on job type, cultural preferences, political views and lifestyle. Specializedland uses, a variety different institutions and use of resources also help in distinguishing
one city from another.In addition, urban geographers also work todifferentiate areas of different sizes.Because it is hard to find sharp distinctionsbetween areas of different sizes, urban
geographers often use the ruralurban
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geographers often use the ruralurbancontinuum to guide their understanding andhelp classify areas. It takes into accounthamlets and villages which are generallyconsidered rural and consist of small,
dispersed populations, as well as cities and metropolitan areas considered urban withconcentrated, dense populations.
History of Urban Geography
The earliest studies of urban geography in the United States focused on site and situation. This developed out of the manland tradition of geography which focused on the impactof nature on humans and vice versa. In the 1920s, Carl Sauer became influential in urbangeography as he motivated geographers to study a city's population and economicaspects with regard to its physical location. In addition, central place theory and regionalstudies focused on the hinterland (the rural outlying are supporting a city with agriculturalproducts and raw materials) and trade areas were also important to early urbangeography.Throughout the 1950s and 1970s, geography itself became focused on spatial analysis,quantitative measurements and the use of the scientific method. At the same time, urbangeographers began quantitative information like census data to compare different urbanareas. Using this data allowed them to do comparative studies of different cities anddevelop computer based analysis out of those studies. By the 1970s, urban studies werethe leading form geographic research.
Shortly thereafter, behavioral studies began to grow within geography and in urbangeography. Proponents of behavioral studies believed that location and spatialcharacteristics could not be held solely responsible for changes in a city. Instead, changesin a city arise from decisions made by individuals and organizations within the city.
By the 1980s, urban geographers became largely concerned with structural aspects of thecity related to underlying social, political and economic structures. For example, urbangeographers at this time studied how capital investment could foster urban change invarious cities.
Throughout the late 1980s until today, urban geographers have begun to differentiatethemselves from one another, therefore allowing the field to be filled with a number ofdifferent viewpoints and focuses. For example, a city's site and situation is still regardedas important to its growth, as is its history and relationship with its physical environmentand natural resources. People's interactions with each other and political and economicfactors are still studied as agents of urban change as well.
Themes of Urban Geography
Although urban geography has several different focuses and viewpoints, there are twomajor themes that dominate its study today. The first of these is the study of problemsrelating to the spatial distribution of cities and the patterns of movement and links thatconnect them across space. This approach focuses on the city system. The second themein urban geography today is the study of patterns of distribution and interaction of peopleand businesses within cities. This theme mainly looks at a city's inner structure andtherefore focuses on the city as a system.In order to follow these themes and study cities, urban geographers often break downtheir research into different levels of analysis. In focusing on the city system, urbangeographers must look at the city on the neighborhood and citywide level, as well as howit relates to other cities on a regional, national and global level. To study the city as asystem and its inner structure as in the second approach, urban geographers are mainlyconcerned with the neighborhood and city level.
Jobs in Urban Geography
Since urban geography is a varied branch of geography that requires a wealth of outsideknowledge and expertise on the city, it forms the theoretical basis for a growing number ofjobs. According to the Association of American Geographers, a background in urban
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