April 20, 2023 1The City and Citizenship

General Definitions

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts ("Ancient Troy was a great city" )

an incorporated administrative district established by state charter ("the city raised the tax rate" )

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Definitions by number of inhabitants Davis: more than 100,000 inhabitants

Inhabitants of what? Formal city limits (“city proper”) What about “metropolitan areas”? (“urban

agglomerations” “conurbations” “sprawl”) 262 cities in U.S. according to this

Population density Varies widely across the world and over time E.g. 1551 per sq km in Ankara, 22,658 in

Mumbai Varies within cities, metro areas, etc.

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Cities on a “scale” continuum How big (or dense) must a settlement be

to count as a “city?” Hamlets v. Villages

“village” has specific legal meaning in U.S. (Illinois)

Town, City, County Town, township, county (legal) Town v. city (what is the difference?)

Metropolis city and its satellites

Megalopolis Really big metropolis? sprawl

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Metropolitan Statistical Areas Metropolitan Statistical Area

Used by Office and Management and Budget (similar to Census Bureau)

“at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. “

Examples Greater New York: 18.8 million Greater Los Angeles: 12.9 million Chicagoland: 9.5 million

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Comparing Chicago and Schaumburg

Chicago 2,896,016 inhabitants 591 square kilometers 4900 inhabitants/sq km

Schaumburg 75,386 inhabitants 49.5 square kilometers 1522 inhabitants/sq km

Is Schaumburg a “city”? What about other places in Northwest

suburbs?April 20, 2023The City and Citizenship 6

“Urbanization”

Defined by Davis (p. 19 in LeGates) “the proportion of the total population

concentrated in urban settlements, or else to a rise in this proportion”

Not synonymous with “urban growth” i.e. growth in population of cities “urban growth” is absolute, “urbanization” is

relative Issues

How many? Key index is “proportion of people living in places of 100,000 or more” (p. 19)

What are the “boundaries” of “urban places?” “urban agglomerations” “urbanized areas” should suburbs be included? How/when does this

relate to process of urbanization?

Explaining “Urbanization” Process/cycle S-curve

Rapid, then slows Different pace over time (early v. current)

Connected to economic development Causes

Birth rates and mortality rates Migration to cities from rural areas Capital improvements in agriculture

(declining farm population)

Recent Developments

Urbanization in less-developed countries Birth and mortality rates comparable Faster pace Not enough migration to cities

Sprawl Major issue is absolute population growth,

including urban growth Density of urbanized areas declining “Polynucleated” cities in large urban areas,

e.g. New York, Los Angeles (Chicago too?)

Mumford: The City as a Social Institution City not just defined by numbers and space “The city in its complete sense, then, is a

geographical plexus, an economic organization, an institutional process, a theater of social action, and an aesthetic symbol of collective unity” (p. 87)

Focus on “social drama” Opportunities (!) for disharmony and conflict Reintegration of self through participation in the

whole Physical organization, traffic flow, etc. must be

subservient to social needs

Appropriate Scale

Determined by social relations not transport, economics, etc. Related to size, density, area Affected by technology (cars, mass

communication) Growth not good per se (e.g. good for

business and/or economic opportunity, p. 88)

Avoid “mere massing of population” (p. 89)

“Polynucleated city” April 20, 2023The City and Citizenship 11