Rethinking Global Land Use in an Urban Era

14. Range of Contemporary Urban Patterns and Processes

14 Range of Contemporary Urban Patterns and Processes Hilda Blanco Abstract Urbanization has historically been characterized by population density, durable built environments, governance, specialized economic activities, urban infrastructures, and their rural spheres of influence. This chapter highlights major contemporary patterns, trends, processes, and theories related to these dimensions, with special attention to the relation of central places to surrounding rural areas. It begins with a discussion of definitional issues related to the different dimensions of urban settlements and contemporary urban patterns. Theories and policies corresponding to these major characteristics of urban patterns and urbanization processes are presented, beginning with a brief overview of economic spatial theories. Focus is given to central place theory, where cities are conceptualized as central market places providing goods and services to lowerorder cities and their rural hinterlands in exchange for food and materials. The impact of advances in technology and infrastructures on global trade connections is discussed, and insights from Castells’ network society are highlighted. Empirical evidence of two urban policies—the compact city model and urban growth management—are reviewed for their connections to central place theory. Introduction To provide a theoretical background to the issues of global land use, this chapter reviews and reflects on major contemporary urban patterns and processes. Historically, urbanization has been represented by six characteristics: density of population, durable built environments, governance, specialized economic activities , urban infrastructures, and their rural spheres of influence. Recognizing these different dimensions or enablers of urban settlements, the chapter first discusses definitional issues and contemporary urban patterns. It then proceeds to various theories and policies that correspond to these major characteristics, beginning with a brief overview of economic spatial theories. Special focus 276 H. Blanco is given to central place theory, a theory that explained the spatial pattern of industrial economies in developed countries in the early part of the twentieth century. This influential theory conceptualized cities as central market places that provide goods and services to lower-order cities and their rural hinterlands in exchange for food and materials. Proximate connections between cities and their regional spheres of influence have increasingly given way to distal relations between international locations for materials, food, manufactured goods, and services, as a result of globalizing trends, which have accelerated since the 1990s. Advances in technology and infrastructures, in particular, transportation infrastructures and information communications technology and logistics have shaped our global trade connections. In addition, changes in governance and economic structural issues have contributed to the globalization of production and consumption. Consideration is given to how these impact urbanization. Thereafter, a brief review follows of the main insights related to the major socio-political-economic theory of globalization that focuses on urbanization: Castells’ network society (Castells 1996). Two major urban policies (the compact city model and urban growth management), empirical evidence supporting them, and their connections to central place theory are discussed. The final section summarizes and reflects on the findings. Features of Urbanization Urbanization can be traced back in history to about 10,000 years ago. Çatal Hüyük, often credited as the first city in what is now modern Turkey, dates back to 6,500 BCE (Mellaart 1965). Since the earliest records, several essential features of cities can be identified as shown in Figure 14.1. The features of urbanization (Figure 14.1) most often noted are (a) higher densities and (b) compact, durable environments. Whether agriculture preceded cities and provided the agricultural surplus for urban dwellers or, as Jane Jacobs argued (1969; see also Soja 2010), cities and agriculture coevolved, cities (from early on) traded special goods or services for food and other materials with their hinterlands and other cities. Many large ancient cities, such as Uruk or Ancient Athens, were city-states, exerting secular or religious power over their rural peripheries. For internal purposes, large urban populations also required formal governance to establish social customs, settle conflicts among strangers, as well as manage urban growth and provide infrastructures. Early cities also relied on road and water infrastructures. Roads facilitated trade between rural areas and cities and between cities. Water infrastructures, such as aqueducts, wells, and public fountains, were necessary to make local water supplies available to city residents. Urban water supply infrastructure, drainage and even sewers as well as irrigation canals in rural peripheries date back to 7,000 BCE. Ancient Greek cities, for example, were laid out in block patterns Range of Contemporary Urban Patterns and Processes 277 with...