TABLE OF CONTENT

INSTRUCTIONAL

CONTENT P

Pre-test
Urban 3-4

Geography

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Content Page

Lesson 1:
The Study of Urban Geography ------ 3-16
& The Origin and Growth of Cities

Lesson 2:
The Foundations of the Urban ------ 17-27
System & Urban System in Transition

Lesson 3:
The Foundations of Urban Landform ------ 28-43
and Land Use & Urbanization

Lesson 4:
Urban Life & Urban Space ------ 44-55

Lesson 5:
Change in Metropolitan Form ------ 56-64

Lesson 6:
Urbanization in Less Developed
Countries 65-77

Lesson 7:
Politics of Change ------ 78-99

Lesson 8:
The Urban Futures ------ 100-112

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 Lesson 1: The Study of Urban Geography & The Origin and Growth of Cities

Urban geography is a branch of geography that stems from

Introduction the study of cities and urban processes. It is a discipline focused on
the reality we are experiencing in the present-day world, the city
and the city life. In this module, you will be exploring definitions of
cities from different geographers that will help you grasp a richer
and a clearer meaning. The nature of a geographer’s work will also
be discussed as well as other fields of geography and its relation to
urban geography. Traversing through time, this module will bring
you to Urban Geography’s history. You will encounter the themes
used in studying it, important concepts, and theories on the growth
and origin of cities. Above all, this module will elevate your perception, making you see cities as
something more than the impression it usually gives.

Demonstrate an understanding on the essential processes CourseOutcomes

shaping socio-cultural geographies of contemporary cities

Lesson Objectives At the end of this module, you must have:

1. Defined urban geography, an urban geographer

and the city
2. Distinguished the various themes, concepts and theories of Urban
Geography including the Origin and Growth of Cities.

Pre-Test
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1. It is a branch of geography which involves the study of cities, its various aspects and its
processes.

a. Geography of the land

b. Urban geography
c. Urbanization
d. Physical geography

2. It is a theory stating that the rural outliers are situated where they are to support the city with
raw materials and agricultural products.

a. central place theory

b. environmental injustice theory
c. economic theory
d. hydraulic theory

3. It is a major theme or approach in the study of urban geography which focuses more on a
city's inner structure.

a. Interurban
b. Interrural
c. Intraurban
d. Intrarural

4. The city in which Lina resides in couldn't expand anymore because it is landlocked by
suburbs. This entails that the type of city Lina is living in is

a. overbounded
b. underbounded
c. overlocked
d. underlocked

5. In the earliest study of geography, the geographers focused on ____

a. people and area

b. people and site
c. site and situation
d water and site

6. Anthony discovered that the activities in the city he is in used to be very concentrated but
became spread through time. This is an example of:

a. Urban Decay
b. Urban Sprawl
c. Urban Scatter
d. Urban Growth

7. Anna believes that the structure of the city is based on adaptation and assimilation and is thus
comparable to the ecosystem. Anna is an adherent of

a. Multiple Nuclei Model

b. Grid Model
c. Sectoral Model
d. Concentric Ring Model

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 8. It is the opposite of urbanization in which people move from the cities to rural areas.

a. Rural Rebound
b. Urbanization
c. Urban Flight
d. None of the aforementioned

9. Yessamin is confident that the prime factor that drove cities to develop is water. This means
that she believes in the

a. Water-Centered Theory
b. Hydraulic Theory
c. Economic Theory
d. Military Theory

10. This is where agriculture and other technologies including city building was spread along the
fertile crescent

a. Mesopotamia
b. Egypt
c. Mesoamerica
d. Indus Valley

What is Urban Geography?

Discussion Urban Geography is one of the branches of Geography being
studied by Urban Geographers. Urban Geographers’ main role is to
study spatial processes that create patterns observed in urban areas;
they examine the site, evolution, growth and classification of villages
and cities, study locations and its importance in relation to different
regions and differentiate areas of different sizes. They usually use the
urban-rural continuum in identifying metropolitan cities; a
classification scheme that distinguishes metropolitan countries by
population size of their metro area.

The term “Urban” is an adjective meaning “of, relating to, characteristic of, or
constituting a city”. This entails that Urban Geography is concerned with everything about the
city where several fields of Geography could actually be involved. Physical Geography is
important in understanding why a city is located in a specific area and how environmental
conditions could play a large role in whether or not a city will develop. Cultural Geography on
the other hand helps in understanding various conditions relating to an area’s people. Moreover,
Economic Geography aids in understanding the types of economic activities and jobs available
in an urban area. Urban geography in combination with these fields all contribute to the holistic
understanding of the study at large.

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A Brief History of Urban Geography

The earliest study of urban geography focused on site and situation. Studying he site is
investigating the city excluding everything outside of it while a city’s situation covers relevant
matters affecting the city, be it outside e.g. comparing a city to another city. In the 1920’s though,
instead of focusing on site and situation, Carl Sauer, an American Geographer motivated
geographers to study the population and economic aspects with regards to its physical situation.
The Central Place Theory then surfaced; a theory that believes the role of rural areas is to
support a city with agricultural products and raw materials. In 1950s to 1970s, there was a shift
in the trend of understanding urban geography as it became more scientific. Geographic research
and comparative studies with computer based analysis became the standard during these times.
In, 1980’s behavioral studies would be born. In here, structural aspects of cities related to
underlying social, political and economic structures became the focus. Today, there are already
various viewpoints from urban geographers. There became no particular trend with studying
urban geography but was rather diversified. Geographers need not conform to a trend this time
as studying the field became flexible.

Fig. 1.1 Central Place Theory Model

Source:https://www.aboutcivil.org/Chrystaller-Central-Place-Theory

Themes of Urban Geography

There are 2 major themes when studying geography. The first one is the system of cities,
a way of studying problems relating to spatial distribution of cities and patterns of
movement/links that connect them across space or interurban. It is concerned with all things
beyond the insides of the city. Conversely, there is also the city as a system or the study of
patterns of distribution and interaction of people and businesses within cities. An alternative

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term for this would be intraurban.

Fig. 1.2 Stilwell’s three-way framework for understanding cities

Source: composite based upon figures in Stilwell (2000, 16, 17, 19)

The City

In understanding Urban Geography, it is important to understand the city as its major

element. The following are various definitions for a city by different authors

» Urban geographers’ definition: concentration of people with a similar way of life based
on job types cultural preferences, political views and lifestyle and has specialized land
uses and a variety of institutions.

» Davis (1973): Cities are “concentrations of many people located close together for
residential and productive purposes”

» Saunders (1986): “Cities are places where large numbers of people live and work”

A city can also be defined based on boundaries such as:

» Underbounded: A City can’t grow because it is landlocked by suburbs.

» Overbounded: boundary of city is beyond the current development. It has lots of room
to expand.

How did Cities come to be?

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 With the convolutions of time, it is hard to trace how cities really came to existence or
determine a single factor which must’ve instigated its creation which is why propositions of
theories striving to explain its origin have emerged as listed below.

Theories of Urban Origin

HYDRAULIC THEORY- the need for large-scale water management required centralized
coordination and direction, which in turn required concentrated settlement.

ECONOMIC THEORY- the development of complex large-scale trading networks stimulated

the growth of urban society. The need to increase production for trade purposes and feed an
expanding population would have led to continued specialization and intensification.

MILITARY THEORY- the origin of cities lay in the need for people to gather together for
protection against an external threat, the initial cluster leads to urban expansion.

RELIGIOUS THEORY- the importance of a well-developed power structure for the formation
and continuation of urban places and how power was appropriated into the religious
elite who controlled the disposal of surplus produce provided as offerings.

THEORITICAL CONSENSUS- A more realistic interpretation as the concept of an ‘urban

revolution’ is replaced by the idea of an urban transformation involving a host of factors
operating over a long period of time.

Early Urban Hearths

There are 5 identifies early hearths of Urbanization believed to be the first cities of the
world. They are as listed in the table below.

MESOPOTAMIA EGYPT INDUS VALLEY THE YELLOW MESOAMERICA

RIVER
-Lower Mesopotamia -agriculture -Harappa Civilization -The valley of the -Mayan (AD 300-AD
(Sumer) around the and other - ruled from the twin Huangho 1000) was the most
Tigris and Euphrates technologies capitals by a single -birthplace of the culturally advanced.
-UR (EARLIEST including ‘priest-king’ who had Shang - centers of small
CITIES) city building absolute power. Civilization. states ruled by a
-densely settled. was spread - Some evidence of -individual cities leader drawn from a
along the trade with Sumerian were linked into a priest-hood.
Fertile city-states (2000 BC) network of -Society was highly
Crescent. -was destroyed by agricultural stratified, with the
- not as invaders in 1500BC villages; a town elite occupying
densely wall did not central city the lower
settled as separate an urban classes the
those of subculture from a peripheries.
Mesopotamia rural one.

Table 1.1 The World’s Five Early Urban Hearths

In the Medeival Era, there came a newfound freedom from rural obligations which
increased the settlements in urban areas. In the past, people felt too restricted with the rule of

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their rural leaders which led them to seek for refuge in the city thus the famous Greek phrase
“Stadtluftmachtfrei” which means “City air makes you free”. In the Industrial Era, massive
urbanization took place as new opportunities came attracting more migrants. The development
of technology led to the rise of large manufacturing centers, shifting rural populations to urban
places. However, along with urbanization were inevitable problems. Dangers to health such as
communicable diseases, contamination of water and air became widespread. Although health
conditions improved with better sanitation in the 19th Century, urban people continued to die
from diseases. Nevertheless, urban population still continued to rise even until the 21st century
where 50% of the world population was recorded to be residing in cities.

Table 1.2 Percentage of people in Urban Environments by year and

an estimation of the Urban population by 2030

Urban Structure Models

Specific Models are being followed by cities in terms of their structure. These models are where
cities are being patterned to in terms of the functional situation of its elements. The following
structure models are as listed below.

Fig. 1.2 The Grid Model

Source: http://emergenturbanism.com/

GRID

- land is divided by streets intersect at right angles and

developers can subdivide large parcels of lands.

- dangerous: long, straight

roads=faster automobile traffic

- common in North American cities than in Europe.

Fig. 1.3 The Concentric Ring Model

Source: https://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/
geography/settlements/revise-it/urban-
morphology

CONCENTRIC RING MODEL

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- human ecology theories (compared city to ecosystem) with
processes of adaptation and assimilation.

- advances in transportation and communication have

blurred these “zones”. (Los Angeles)

- postulated in 1924 by sociologist Ernest Burgess

Fig. 1.4 TheSectoral Model

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Sector_model

SECTORAL MODEL

- cities develop in wedge-shaped sectors instead of rings.

-certain areas of a city are more attractive for various activities

-as these activities flourish and expand outward, they form

wedges, becoming city sectors.

Fig. 1.5 The Multi-Nuclei Model

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Multiple_nuclei_model

MULTI-NUCLEI MODEL
-increased car ownership
-city contains more than one center
around.
-some activities are attracted to particular nodes while others try
to avoid them.
-developed in 1945 to explain city formation after the spread of
the automobile.

developed to IRREGULAR PATTERN MODEL

-attempts to model the lack of planning found in many rapidly built
explain urban Third World cities.
structure in
-this model includes blocks with no fixed order
the Third
World. -urban structure is not related to an urban center or CBD.

Rural Rebound and Suburbanization

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 The Rural Rebound is the opposite of urbanization. It is the term for the population shift
from urban to rural areas. Meanwhile, Suburbanization is the movement of people from cities to
the surrounding areas like the suburbs. Suburbs unlike rural areas are nearer to the city, usually
residential as it is in the outliers. The two are driven by several factors like transportation,
infrastructure and social factors. With the backwash of the urban environment, a huge
proportion of the urban population opted to live somewhere peaceful. Given the development of
transportation and infrastructures, it became possible for people to live away from the city while
still being able to avail to its riches.

Urban Growth Models

If there are models for the structure of cities, there also are models for how it grows and declines.
In this module, we are going to delineate three.

The Growth Machine Theory

Combination of interest
of groups who benefit from URBAN GROWTH
Growth and expansion

» containers for human action, in which actors competed among themselves for the most
strategic parcels of land. In this theory, a city grows when people share the same interests
and compete with one another for the fulfillment of their common goals.

Urban Sprawl

Poor control URBAN SPRAWL

of Urban Growth

» growth of city into low-density and auto-dependent rural land with design features that
encourage car dependency. This theory refers to when the city gradually becomes spread
due to the poor control of its growth.

Urban Decay
Excessive density and URBAN
crowding of cities DECAY

» This theory is based on the idea that the overcrowding of cities leads to its decay or
decline.

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 Broken Windows Theory

A theory that resolved density to have not caused the crimes. It also argues that it is not crime
that causes people to leave. Rather, it is people leaving that result to crime and decay. It states
that signs of disorder will lead to more disorder. It is called the broken windows theory because
broken windows connote the idea of an abandoned house and an abandoned house would in
turn, connote that people has left. The more one would see broken windows in a city, this theory
believes that the more it will be prone to crime.

Activity/ Instruction:
In a space provided, answer the following:
Application
1.Through a Venn diagram, compare and contrast the Two Major
Themes of Urban Geography.

2. Make a simple Timeline of the History of the study of Urban

Geography.

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E14
valuation
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AGREEMENT: Please read and analyze each statement below. Write Agree or Disagree on the
blank provided according to your answers.

_______ 1. Duncan’s Ecological Perspective emphasizes how external stimuli and internal
interrelationships operated together to promote the growth of cities.

________2. The military theory is an urban origin theory based on the need for large-scale water
management while the economic theory is based on the premise that the development of
complex large-scale trading networks brought about the existence of cities.

________3. Agriculture and other technologies including city building were spread along the
Fertile Crescent during the 3300 BC.

________4. The Rural rebound is the opposite of urbanization which means moving from cities to
rural areas.

________5. “Stadtluftmachtfrei” is a Greek phrase which means “City air doesn’t make you free”

Feedback _____________________________________________________
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References:

Briney, A. (n.d.). Learn About the Study of Cities, Urban Geography. Retrieved July 29, 2020,
from https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-urban-geography-1435803

Pacione, M. (2005). The Study of Urban Geography & An Urbanizing World. In Urban Geography:
A Global Perspective (Second Edition ed., pp. 1-46). New York, United States: Taylor &
Francis e-Library.

Lesson 2: The Foundations of the Urban System & Urban Systems in Transition

Pre-Test

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General Direction: This is a 15-item test, read and analyze the directions and statements
properly. Write your answer on the blank, provided before each number.

TRUE OR FALSE TEST

Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is true, if FALSE, instead writing ‘False’, write the
correct answer for the selection.

__________1. Keynesian Approach is where the government increases demand to boost

economic growth.

__________2. Deregulation is the transfer of authority from central to local government.

__________3. The declining of industrial activity in a region or economy is called

Deindustrialization.

__________4. The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the
indigenous people of an area is known as Emperialism.

__________5. Rance’s Merchantile Model is an exogenic structure, where its central-place

networks involves in the content of the externally based trading systems.

__________6. The relationship between the cities size, their population and their rank within an
urban system is shown in one theory known as Rank Size Rule.

__________7. Capitalism is an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and
industry are controlled by public owners for profit, rather than by state.

__________8.During the Arab-Israeli war, when there was an embargo placed on oil going to the
United States, the oil price increases four times bigger than the original price in the United States,
this circumstance is titled as the Period of Stagnation.

__________9. Transaction technologies allows companies to be aware of exactly how much

material is needed at any given time, and therefore they do not need to purchase excess stock.

__________10. It is in Globalization where companies are now constructed in order to serve a

smaller market, on a global scale, and thus transnational corporationswere born.

Introduction FRONTIER URBANIZATION &

URBAN SYSTEMS IN
TRANSITION
In this topic, you will explore how the colonization of
America by the British gradually led to the colonies establishing
themselves in the trade system. This topic will arrange and
guide you to understand frontier urbanization, the
chronological order of the foundation of the American Urban

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 System. Also, you will be exploring the Vance's Mercantile Model which was created and used
for a better understanding of the Americans Urban System in a clear and concise way. Finally,
you will come across how urban systems transitioned through time thus the system we have of
today.

Lesson
Demonstrate an understanding on the essential processes shaping Objectives
socio-cultural geographies of contemporary cities

Learning In this part of your journey, you must have:

Outcomes 1. Defined frontier Urbanization, and understood how the
colonization of America by the British gradually led to the establishment of
the trade system.
2. Distinguished the five (5) stages of Vance's Mercantile Model.
3. Distinguished the difference that occur in each given transition.

Frontier Urbanization
Discussion
The colonization of America by the British gradually led to
the colonies establishing themselves in the trade system.
Several cities became known as entrepots, which were
intermediary centers of trade and transshipment. Some of
such cities included New York, Boston and Newport. These
cities dominated the market area which was dependent on
them and became known as the hinterlands.

In the American Revolution, colonists created a

Constitution that favored the growth of cities and allowed for a great deal of free trade
amongst the states and people. With this new government, many important changes
occurred as shown in the figure below.

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 more interstate commerce, rather than
international trade back

more westward expansion, new important

cities developed

increase in specialization of cities

Figure 2. New Government Important Changes

•There was more interstate commerce, rather than international trade back to a mother
country.
•There was more westward expansion, new important cities developed, usually those
close to rivers such as New Orleans and Buffalo.
•There became an increase in specialization of cities, as certain regions became known
for specific exports.

For example, eastern cities became known for manufacturing especially Newark,
Providence and Lowell. This was due to their comparative advantage, which meant the
best way for a place to efficiently utilize their resources (for example, the rivers which a city
was located on would allow it to build factories/ the Philippines produce crops because
of its fertile land).

Vance’s Mercantile System

The Vance's Mercantile Model was created by James Vance Jr. an Urban Geographer and this
model includes the 5 stages.

Stage 1- Exploration

From the Old World, British people came to America to search for knowledge, economic
opportunities and a new place to colonize and create new trades to invest in.

Stage 2- Exploitation of Natural Resources

This stage of time was when settlers discovered the natural resources available in their habitats,
eventually making use of it.

Stage 3- Farm based production

The time where the settlers began to produce many staple products (tobacco, cotton and grain)
and excess crops were sold for exports. It was also in this manner that cities began to emerge
because of their great deal of exported goods.

Stage 4- Establishment of interior deport centers

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This is where the demand for staple exports remained steady yet, the population continued to
grow thus the build-up of Cities further from the waterfront which increased the need for travel
routes. Eventually, the interior cities became known as Wholesale collection centers.

Stage 5- Economic maturity and central place infilling

The time where there already are established areas for manufacturing such as the inland
gateway cities; and the gateways ports.

URBAN SYSTEMS IN TRANSITION

This part tells how there are separate times in the history of urbanization such that
1945-1972 was the time of economic recovery, 1972-1983, a time period of economic crisis and
post 1983 – where there came a technological boom powered by telecommunications equipment.

1945-1972 (In this first stage, there was a change to advanced capitalism)

- Henry Ford created the mass production system and thus Fordism was born. New
methods of transportation were born, such as interstate highway systems, allowing quicker
travel to faraway places.

With increased methods of travel, and the ability to get places quicker, certain cities became the
hub of transportation, known as control centers. Places like Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas had
a high proportion of corporate headquarters located there, increasing their importance. It was
more convenient to have businesses centrally located in such areas, and they continued to grow
and develop.

1972-1983

The United States entered a period of stagflation during the Arab-Israeli war when there was an
embargo placed on oil going to the United States, quadrupling oil prices in the United States. As
a result, the economy fell into a depression, productivity decreased and unemployment was on
the rise. This all resulted in a new attitude toward the economy, shifting away from the
Keynesian approach towards decentralization and deregulation of economic activity. Until 1982,
the U.S. economy suffered from falling profit rates, plant closings, rising unemployment and
poverty. Manufacturing was hit the hardest, and as a result, the process of deindustrialization
began.

Keynesian Approach - where the government increases demand to boost growth.

Decentralization - the transfer of authority from central to local government.

Deregulation – reducing/eliminating gov’t power in a particular industry.

Deindustrialization – Decline in industrial activity in a region or economy.

POST-1983

There have been certain technological systems that have been more influential than others:

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 1. Production technologies - are ways in which to make production easily separated
and flexible, such as electronically controlled assembly lines, computerized sewing
systems.
Figure 3. Production Technologies

2. Transaction technologies - allows companies to be aware of exact amount of

materials needed at any given time, and therefore they do not need to purchase
excess stock.
Figure 4. Transaction Technologies
3. Circulation technologies - are technologies that reduce the time it takes to spread
information (such as e-mail, and hand-held devices, such as iPhones etc.). This means
that more information can be spread over a wider geographic space in a shorter
amount of time.
Figure 5. Circulation Technologies

With the shift to a more technology-based economy,

- There have still been not as many jobs in the manufacturing sector; yet

- There are more jobs in the professional and business sector.

This also introduces the idea of relative locations, meaning that:

- It is easier to spread information via computer and internet, and the central location of a
company is not as important.

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies,

and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment
and aided by technology.

With the new technologies, companies are now constructed in order to serve a larger market, on
a global scale, and thus transnational corporations were born.

There is a four tiered system of hierarchy within the global system:

1. World Cities (ex. London, New York, Tokyo)

- These cities are primarily responsible for a disproportionate amount of the world’s
business. They usually dominate their own continents, business-wise, and are also closely tied to
one another. However, there are also secondary world cities which are also integral parts to the
flow between governments, major corporations, and other necessary business functions.

World cities also have certain characteristics that distinguish them from other cities like they
have a certain degree of control over the flow of information, culture and news, there is a definite
social and economic segregation- huge difference between the elite and the disadvantaged
people, there are huge concentrations of new immigrant groups and rampant class and racial
conflict is evident.

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2. Regional control centers (Boston, Kansas City, Seattle, Dallas)

- These cities typically have a large number of corporations’ regional and national
headquarters. They also have important medical and educational facilities.

3. Specialized producer service centers (Orlando, San Jose)

- These are characterized by having a great need for specialized services such as banking
and advertising, yet are dependent upon the previous two-tiers of the city system.

4. Dependent Centers

- These cities do not exercise the control that the other cities have, instead they have to rely
upon the decisions made by these larger cities.

Impact of Globalization in the Global System

1. Political aspect

Increased the influence of Non-Governmental Organizations in public policy like humanitarian

aid, developmental efforts etc.

Reduced the sovereignty of nation states in taking important decisions with respect to their
country

Globalization has also led to the growth of terrorism and the widespread of democracy.

2. Social Aspect

The combination of increasingly advanced technology and complex social structure which were
sustained by the ideas of change as desirable progress accelerated social change being one of the
major spheres of impacts of Globalization.

3. Educational Aspect

It enhances the student’s ability to manipulate symbols. Highly productive employment in

today’s economy will require the learner to manipulate symbols, such as political, legal, business
terms, and digital money. It also enhances the ability of learners to access, assess, adopt, and
apply knowledge, to think independently and to collaborate with others to make sense of new
situations. Finally, It has enabled students, researchers and young people in distant to access
ideas and information from the best libraries in the world.

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DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Demography encompasses the study of the size, structure, and distribution of

populations, and spatial or temporal changes in them in response to birth, migration, aging, and
death. Social change refers to any significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and
cultural values and norms. By “significant” alteration, sociologists mean changes yielding
profound social consequences.

There are various factors which bring about social change. One is the physical
environment. Our social life is influenced by the physical environment of our place. Physical
environment means the environment we can see and touch like the forests, deserts, mountains
etc. of which changes are inevitable say because of natural phenomena like earthquake and
volcanic eruptions or human activities like deforestation, misuse of natural resources and
pollution. However, these physical changes are said to also lead to social changes in many ways.
History reveals that unfavorable physical environment have led to fall of world’s greatest
civilization. Harsh climatic conditions limit the growth’ of social life. Examples are north and
south Polar Regions and deserts. Similarly, favorable physical environment promotes social
growth. The northern plains of India is a classic example of it. Another factor is economic
growth. Social and economic growth of any society are always interlinked with each other as
exemplified by prehistoric man to the man of modern societies who have been through various
economic phases of development which has directly affected the social growth. From a hunter
and gatherer, man has now become a member of advanced industrial society with scientific and
technological development resulting in change in social life. Economic change is directly
proportional to social change. Development in economy will affect change in society in terms of
educational, technological and scientific advancement.

Demographic Factors of Social Change: Demographic factors mean study of population.

Change in population of a place determines the social, political and cultural change in a society.
It has been seen that advanced countries have less population than the developing countries.
Developed counties with high economic growth have high standards of living. Developing
countries with high population have to face problems like high birth rate, low health standards,
unemployment, violence and crime etc. due to low economic growth. In nutshell change in the
demography affects the society in terms of social change, economic change, education, values,
culture and politics etc.

Technological factors resulting in economic growth have shrunk the world.

Technological development has affected human being and brought about change in all spheres
of social life. Nuclear families, revolutionary, transformation in the role of women in modern
societies, change in human relationships, reduced interference of religion in social life of people
etc. All these factors have drastically changed the social institutions of social life. Technological
development has also led to cultural lag in societies.

All the above factors induce social change. Development in these factors leads to social
change. There is no single factor that can be marked as more important than the other. All the
factors affecting social change are interlinked and development of change in one will also affect
the other.

The Impact
4 examples demonstrating demographics and social change:

Changes in global demographics (world population, density, ethnicity, education level and other
aspects of the human population) will bring about significant social change, and therefore
challenges and opportunities, for both government and business. This megatrend underpins

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other structural shifts, such as technological development and shifting economic power. While
the changes will vary by region, they will have a profound effect on local and global markets and
societies.

1. There will be many more people in the world According to the UN, the global population is
forecast to increase by over 1 billion by 2030, with most of this growth coming from the
emerging markets. By 2050, the UN estimates that 80% of the global population over the age of
602 will be in countries that are currently deemed to be ‘less developed’. Demographic and
Social Change Today in China, 29 million over 80 years old. By 2050, there will be 120 million.

2. An aging population Japan is the only country in the world where 30% of the population is
over the age of 60. The UN’s latest demographics report forecasts that, by 2050, this will be the
case in 55 countries.

3. People will be living longer in retirement, which will result in the need for large-scale changes
in government policy. This will also create a strain on healthcare services and providers, with
many nations enforcing laws to ensure the elderly are properly cared for.

Source: United Nations

Activity 1: Evaluating your understanding

Activity/
Application about Frontier Urbanization!

In this activity, you will use the present ideas of Frontier

Urbanization which is the first order in the foundation of
American Urban System.
Criteria
Relevance -50%
Organization -25%
Instructions: Readability -25%

In frontier urbanization, you have been introduced to the

concept of comparative advantage. To evaluate your understanding of such, write a
situation in your life in which you may have seen or experienced the concept of

comparative advantage.

Evaluation
23 | P a g e
True or False
Tick the box that corresponds to your answers.

1. Farm based production is where the cities began to emerge because of the great deal of goods
that they exported.

□ True □ False

2. In 1945-1972, New methods of transportation were born, such as interstate highway systems,
allowing quicker travel to faraway places. □ True □ False

3. Exploitation of Natural Resources is the time where settlers discovered the natural resources
that is available to their habitats. □True □False

4. With the increased methods of travel, and the ability to get places quicker, certain cities
became the hub of transportation, known as control centers. □ True □ False

5. John Vance Jr. is an urban Geographer who created the theory of the evolution of American
Urban System. □True □ False

6.There are various factors which bring about social change like the physical environment and
political growth. □True □ False

7. World Cities hold the primary responsibility for an uneven amount of the world’s business
and usually dominate their own continents, □True □ False

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 ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Feedback ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

25 | P a g e
References
Briney, A. (2019). An Overview of Urban Geography. Thought.com. Retrieved from
https:/www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-urban-gegraphy-1435803 last November 1,
2019.
Collins, M. (2015). The Pros and Cons of Globalization. Forbes Media. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/mikecollins/2015/05/0
6/the-pros-and-cons-of-globalization/amp/ last November 4, 2019.
Dobis, E. (2010). The Evolution of the American Urban System: History, Hierarchy, and
Contagion. Prdue University. Retrieved from
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/dissertations/AAl10272423 last November 2, 2019.

Globalization. (2018). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/globalization/ last November 1, 2019.
Godfrey, B. (1999). The Geography of James E. Vance Jr. (1925-1999). Geographical Review. Vol.
89, No. 4 (Oct., 1999), pp. 580-589. American Geographical Society. Retrieved from
https://www/jstor.org.stable/216103 last November 1, 2019.
Kendrick, S. (2006). Demographic and social Change: implication for use of acute care services by
older people in Scotland. European Journal of Population. Volume 22, Issue 3, pp. 281-
307. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-006-9002-9.
Schwarzer, M. (2016). Downtown: A short History of American Urban Exceptionalism. Place
Journal. Retrieved from https://placesjournal.org/article/downtown-a-short-history-of-
american-urban-exceptionalism/?cn-reloaded=1 last November 2, 2019.

Tsenkova, S. (n.d.). Beyond transitions: Understanding urban change in post-socialist cities. The
Urban Mosaic of Post-Sociolist Europe pp. 21-50 Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1007/3-79081727-9_2.

26 | P a g e
 Lesson 3: The Foundations of Urban Land Form and Land Use & Urbanization

Pre-Test
Direction: Please read the following statements carefully and write the letter of the correct
answer before the number. Choose your answer in the given words inside the box.

a. Zoning laws
b. The Merchantile City
c. 12 types
d. Blue Collar Job
e. White Collar Job
f. Department stores
g. Red Collar Job
h. Land use zoning laws
i. Zoning regulations
j. Liverpool
k. Horsecars

__________1.) It appeared at the geographic margins or at times of dissolution of

agrarian empires.
__________2.) A city which is the world’s major trading centres in the 18th and 19th
centuries.
__________3.) A job which is performed in an office or other administrative setting.
__________4.) A job referring to a working class person who performs manual labour.
__________5.) A transportation which is running along rails eliminated most of the
friction, allowing horses to pull a much greater load with a lot less effort.
__________6.) The regulation of the use and development of public and private real
estate.
__________7.) Laws that are intended to maintain a level of order and efficiency within
a municipality, while keeping each zone optimized for its intended
purpose.
__________8.) It divides a municipality (such as a city) into residential, commercial, and
industrial zones.

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 __________9.) Number of divisions of Phillipine Zoning based on density and usage,
and emphasizes the most suitable use and orderliness of the community.
__________10.) This were created, allowing more shopping to be done in one place.

THE FOUNDATION OF URBAN LAND FORM, LAND USE

AND URBANIZATION
Introduction
In this topic, you are expected to know about urban land forms,
land use and the concept of urbanization. Later, you will be
introduced to the Mercantile City, its creation and importance,
the early industrial age, horsecars and railroads and its impacts,
land use and zoning laws, urban structures and its changes
during the industrial era urban life and lastly, the processes of
urbanization. All topics abovementioned are significant
fragments making up the full foundation of this lesson. By the
end of this module, it is anticipated that you fully understand and learn all the important ideas
covered herein.

Learning In this topic you are expected to:

Outcomes
1. Define the beginning and the processes of Urbanization
together with the important concepts of Urban Land form
and Land Use.
2. Distinguish Urban land forms and land use, understand
urban life and recognize its impacts.

THE MERCANTILE CITY

Discussion
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 Mercantile city is a city where trade is central to its design. These were stipulated by
trade routes; a city which became the world’s major trading centers in the 18th and 19th
centuries. One example for this is the Liverpool- Maritime Mercantile City which consists of six
areas that are closely associated with Liverpool’s global commercial port, a port that has
contributed significantly to the building of the British Empire. Liverpool played an important
role in the growth of British Empire and became the major port for the mass movement of people
such slaves and emigrants from Northern Europe to America. The Liverpool was a pioneer in the
development of modern dock technology, transport systems and port management.

The six areas that make up this world heritage site are:

1. Pier Head is a riverside location in the city center of Liverpool, England which is the
landing site for passenger ships travelling to and from the city.
2. Albert Dock Conservation Area is characterized by monumental dockside warehouses
grouped around a system of historic docks.
3. Stanley Dock Conservation Area sits at the heart of Liverpool’s docks and it is the
largest and most complete system of historic docks anywhere in the world.
4. Castle Street/ Dale Street/ Old Hall Commercial Centre is built on medieval streets, the
area contains a high density of 18th, 19th and 20th century architecture and sculpture
representing the pinnacle of the British Empire’s trading prowess.
5. William Brown Street / Cultural Quarter is a road that is remarkable for its
concentration of public buildings and referred to as “cultural quarter”.
6. Lower Duke Street considered being the “Merchant Quarter” represents the first boom
in the city’s mercantile economy consisting of patch work of merchant’s houses and
warehouses built to serve the Old Dock that opened in 1715.

Furthermore, mercantile city appeared at the geographic margins or at times of

dissolution of agrarian empires. Mercantile is related to buying, selling products or merchants
and trades to earn money. Thus, the cause of its creation were before cars were so greatly
utilized, many cities were very compact so that people would be able to walk from their houses,
jobs and utilities such as banks all mixed together.

THE INDUSTRIAL CITY

The Industrial City appeared after the full development of Industrial capitalism in the
core nation states of the late 18th century world system. Their urban cultural role fits well with

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the capitalist economic order, the end for two conflicting processes coming from the capitalist
character of the wider society.

Industrial city is a zone or area that consists of a cluster of stand-alone industrial

facilities. It is a kind of city in which the development is concentrated around industrial
production and characterized by large amount of facilities. It first started in England to Europe,
reached the North America and was spread to the whole world. The world’s first industrial city
is in Manchester, England, with a population rising from15,000 in 1750 to 70,000 in 1801 and half
a million by 1861. It is seen as the expression of all the shocking shifts in society, economy, and
culture of the age.

By and which, the features of industrial city are constituted to different labels; large in
population which increased through in-migration, has a fluid class structure with elite
businessman, professionals and scientists, a large middle class with technologically related jobs,
manufacturing, finance and coordinating center of an industrial society, wealth by salaries, fees,
investment and a high status of business activity.

The early industrial cities were very much dependent on the location of the factories,
which is why they often were created on riverbanks, so that the machinery could be powered.
There also became a more stratified society, with the characters; industrial business elite, a white
collar group, and a blue collar group of workers. Industrial business elite is a company’s line of
business which includes the wholesale distribitution of electronics parts and electronic
communications equipments. White collar jobs are performed in an office or other
administrative setting, like advertising and public relation professionals, architects, stockbrokers,
doctors, dentists and dieticians. Lastly, blue collar jobs cover people who perform manual
labour and work often involving something being physically built or maintained.

HORSECARS AND RAILROADS

Horsecars are street carriage on rails, pulled by horse or mule which was introduced into
New York City’s Bowery in November 27, 1832 by John Mason, a bank president. The horsecar,
precursor of the motorized streetcar was spread to such large cities as Boston, New Orleans, and
Philadelphia, then to Paris and London, and later to small cities and town in United States. By,
the 1880’s there were about 18,000 horsecars in operation in United States alone. However, the
problem with this system was only the wealthiest families were able to utilize it. In the 1890’s the
horsecar gradually vanished in the US because of the discovery of cable and electric railways.

30 | P a g e
 On the other hand, the railroad was first developed in Great Britain. George Stephenson
successfully applied the steam technology of the day and created the world’s first successful
locomotive. The first engines used in the US were purchased from the Stephenson works in
England. The development of railroads was one of the most important phenomena of the
Industrial Revolution. With their formation, construction and operation, they brought profound
social, economic and political change to a country.

Horsecars
On 27-November-1832, a horse-drawn railcar named
"John Mason", by a John Stephenson, rolled down the New
York. It is running along rails eliminated most of the friction,
allowing horses to pull a much greater load with a lot less
effort.
Horsecars ran about as fast as a brisk walk and created
their own form of pollution (putting many men to work
cleaning the streets). It has connected the city's various neighbourhoods; allowing riders to
traverse the city and connect to railroads, ferries and other forms of transportation. The
expansion of horsecar lines fostered the city's development along their corridors.
Railroads
The railroads provide transportation. It literally
started the Transportation Revolution. Other forms of
transportation were developed such as cars, airplanes, and
subways. It eventually increased population and improved
lives by transporting food and other goods.

LAND USE ZONING LAWS

Land use and zoning law is the law that determines how a landowner can use their land. It
involves the creation, application and challenges of land use laws. Government bodies create
laws that restrict what landowners can do with their real property. The laws may control how
landowners can develop property, what types of activities they can do with their property or
both. It is basically the restriction of a private property owner’s land use presumably for the
public good.

There are 7 types of land use

1. Residential Land use- Residential developments are regulated by an allowed density range
measured in “housing units per acre.” Residential density is calculated by dividing the
number of housings units on the site by its net acreage. Net acreage excludes land required
for public and private streets, parks, and other public facilities. State planning law requires

31 | P a g e
 general plans to include standards for measuring population density. Population density is
determined by multiplying the maximum number of units allowed within a land use
designation by the average number of persons per household (as determined by US Census
population data).
2. Agricultural Land Use- Agricultural land use is typically land devoted to agriculture, the
systematic and controlled use of other forms of life—particularly the rearing of livestock and
production of crops.
3. Industrial Land use- Industrial land use since the early stages of industrialization has caused
environmental impacts on the soil and groundwater. Nowadays these industrial brownfield
sites, which are often situated in well-developed urban areas, are being reused for new
building projects. This process has been called “brownfìeld recycling”. At the former site of a
tar factory and linoleum production plant in Brunn am Gebirge, Austria, soil and
groundwater contaminations caused by residuals of tar production were detected during the
construction for a business park. To allow the proposed land use without undue delay, a
remediation scheme that included an innovative groundwater treatment and protection
system was adopted.
4. Commercial Land use- Commercial land can be any plot or subdivided area of land used for
commercial purposes. “Commercial” means the land is used for businesses, manufacturing
plants, warehouses, parking lots and even profit-generating residences. Apartment
complexes are considered commercial land as it is land used to make money.
5. Recreational Land use- Drive around almost any town and you'll see movie theaters,
bowling alleys, and local parks. Some are free to play in while others have an admission.
What all these have in common is that they all sit on recreational land. The areas where
people can play in is called recreational land and each city has determined what land areas
can be used for this purpose.
6. Institutional Land use- Institutional land uses are generally defined as land uses developed
which serve a community's social, educational, health, cultural and recreational needs. They
may include government owned and operated facilities or be privately owned and operated.
7. Transportation Land use- Transportation land use are part of a retroactive feedback system.
Accessibility is shaped by the structure, capacity and connectivity of transportation
infrastructure, which is not uniform. Since accessibility differs, this attribute has an impact
on land use, such as the location of new activities, their expansion or densification. These
changes will influence activity patterns in terms of their distribution and level of transport
demand. This change in the demand will shape the planning, maintenance and upgrade of
transportation infrastructure and services such as roads and public transit. Again, these
changes will further impact accessibility into a new cycle of interactions.

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Philippines Zoning

The zoning system in the Philippines is explained in the Zoning Ordinance laid out by the
Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), and the cities and municipalities are
responsible for regulating land use through ordinances created by each local government unit.
The Philippine zoning system is divided into 11 types based on density and usage, and
emphasizes the most suitable use and orderliness of the community. Definition of each density
may differ between the ordinances of the local government units concerned, so one municipality
may define a light density residential zone to allow 4-storey buildings, while another may only
permit 2-storey buildings.

Type Description
Residential Intended or primarily used for housing. May be divided into
low, medium, or high density areas.
Socialized Mostly intended for housing underprivileged citizens, such as
Housing slum dwellers.
Commercial Intended for shops, offices and businesses. May be divided into
low, medium, or high density areas.
Industrial Intended for industrial facilities. May be divided to light,
medium, or heavy use areas.
Institiutional Intended for institutional establishments. May be divided to
general or special use areas.
Agricultural Intended for farming, aquaculture, and pasture.
Agro-Industrial Intended for integrated farming and manufacturing functions.
Forest Intended for forestry.
Parks and other Intended for places of amusement and integration of nature into
recreation the community.
Water Includes the municipal waters (seas and lakes), rivers, and
streams
Tourism Areas dedicated for tourism activity.

URBAN STRUCTURE IN THE INDUSTRIAL ERA

Urban structure is the arrangement of land use in urban areas, in other words, how the
land use of a city is set out. Urban structure can also refer to urban spatial structure, which
concerns the arrangement of public and private space in cities and the degree of connectivity and
accessibility.

33 | P a g e
 According to Lewis (2005) Urbanization occurred rapidly in the second half of the
nineteenth century. In addition, as the country grew, certain elements led some towns to morph
into large urban centers, while others did not. The following four innovations proved critical in
shaping urbanization at the turn of the century: electric lighting, communication improvements,
intra-city transportation, and the rise of skyscrapers.

Changes in Urban Structure:

Electric Lighting

Thomas Edison patented the incandescent light bulb in 1879. This development quickly
became common in homes as well as factories, transforming how even lower- and middle-class
Americans lived.

When Nikola Tesla subsequently developed the AC (alternating current) system for the
Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, power supplies for lights and other factory
equipment could extend for miles from the power source. AC power transformed the use of
electricity, allowing urban centers to physically cover greater areas. Gradually, cities began to
illuminate the streets with electric lamps to allow the city to remain alight throughout the night.
No longer did the pace of life and economic activity slow substantially at sunset, the way it had
in smaller towns. The cities, following the factories that drew people there, stayed open all the
time.

Communications Improvements

The telephone, patented in 1876, greatly transformed communication both regionally

and nationally. By allowing instant communication over larger distances at any given time,
growing telephone networks made urban sprawl possible. In the same way that electric lights
spurred greater factory production and economic growth, the telephone increased business
through the more rapid pace of demand. Now, orders could come constantly via telephone,
rather than via mail-order. More orders generated greater production, which in turn required
still more workers. This demand for additional labor played a key role in urban growth, as
expanding companies sought workers to handle the increasing consumer demand for their
products.

Intra-city Transportation

As cities grew and sprawled outward, a major challenge was efficient travel within the
city—from home to factories or shops, and then back again. Most transportation infrastructure

34 | P a g e
was used to connect cities to each other, typically by rail or canal. Prior to the 1880s, the most
common form of transportation within cities was the omnibus.

Omnibus was a large, horse-drawn carriage, often placed on iron or steel tracks to
provide a smoother ride. While omnibuses worked adequately in smaller, less congested cities,
they were not equipped to handle the larger crowds that developed at the close of the century.
The horses had to stop and rest, and horse manure became an ongoing problem. In 1887, Frank
Sprague invented the electric trolley, which worked along the same concept as the omnibus,
with a large wagon on tracks, but was powered by electricity rather than horses.

The Rise of Skyscrapers

While the technology existed to engineer tall buildings, it was not until the invention of
the electric elevator in 1889 that skyscrapers began to take over the urban landscape. This
initiated the skyscraper craze, allowing developers in eastern cities to build and market
prestigious real estate in the hearts of crowded eastern metropolis.

THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (URBANIZATION)

Urban life refers to people living comfortably in larger community and predominance to
manmade and artificial environment. Most people engaged principally in trade commerce,
mechanical pursuits etc. Also Social mobility is more intensive. People change occupation and
even leaves places in search of new and better occupation.

Urbanization on the other hand is a process where people move from rural areas to
urban areas to seek higher standards of living. According to Ellis (2019) urbanization refers to the
growth of towns and cities often the expansion of rural areas, as people move to urban centers in
search of jobs and what they hope will be a better life.

URBANIZATION PROCESSES

Urbanization and rural flight

Urbanization tends to correlate positively with industrialization. With the promise of

greater employment opportunities that come from industrialization, people from rural areas will
go to cities. Another term for urbanization is “rural flight”. In modern times, this flight often
occurs in a region following the industrialization of agriculture—when fewer people are needed
to bring the same amount of agricultural output to market—and related agricultural services and
industries are consolidated.

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Suburbanization and Counter-Urbanization;

These patterns may be driven by transportation infrastructure, or social factors like

racism. In developed countries, people are able to move out of cities while still maintaining
many of the advantages of city life. In fact, counter-urbanization appears most common among
the middle and upper classes who can afford to buy their own homes.

Advantages of Urbanization:

Supply of Basic Amenities- cities are known to be efficient in that less effort is required to supply
basic amenities for example; electricity and fresh water. People who migrate to the cities enjoy
this kind of amenities.

Recycling Programs- cities make use of waste material such as tins and waste papers, this help
cleaning the city and providing jobs to those coming from rural areas.

Social facilities- cities have a lot of social facilities such as health facilities, education centers,
social services as well as cultural activities that are essential for the development and healthy
being of a population (Tolley &Vinod 2006).

Well-established Schools- universities, colleges, and schools these make them the best place for
developing human resources. Students who move to cities have a wide choice of careers to
choose from.

Disadvantages of Urbanization

Inadequate Energy- as people continue to move to urban areas energy becomes inadequate and
some people resolve to illegal electricity connections resulting to the use of inefficient cooking
fuels such as firewood and charcoals which increase number of carbon emissions (Marchand
1998).

Transportation and Traffic Problems- as population increase problems such as traffic

management and transportation continue to rise for ex: city of Mumbai has few people with cars
however; over 20,000 have died because of its overcrowded train (Potsiou 2010).

Inadequate Water Supply- the increasing number of people in urban areas causes shortage to the
water supply. Also the population using water, it disposes of the waste water on land which
creates overburden disposal.

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Garbage Management Problems- the disposal of garbage has become a problem in the city as the
population continues to grow. Thus many countries have resolved to use landfills for disposal of
waste which is yet another way of contaminating the soil.

I. Instructions: FILL ME! Fill in the boxes with your answers to

Activity/ the questions given
Application
1. It is related to buying, selling products or merchants and trades
to earn money.

2. Liverpool- Maritime Mercantile City is a port that has

contributed significantly to the building of ___________?

3. What appeared at the geographic margins or at times of dissolution of agrarian empires?

II. True or False Direction: Write TRUE if the statement is correct

Evaluation and FALSE if it is false.

________1. Horsecars are street carriage on rails, pulled by horse

or mule which was introduced into New York City’s Bowery on
November 27, 1832 by John Mason, a bank president.

37 | P a g e
________2. Before, only the wealthiest family were able to utilize the horsecars.

________3. The development of railroads was one of the most important phenomena of the
agricultural period.

________4. Residential Land use is determined by multiplying the maximum number of units
allowed within a land use designation by the average number of persons per household (as
determined by US Census population data).
________5. Water is intended for integrated farming and manufacturing functions.

III. Answer each item with the words from the box.

__________1.) It appeared at the

geographic margins or at times of
dissolution of agrarian empires.
__________2.) A city which is the world’s
major trading centres in the 18th and 19th
centuries.
__________3.) A job which is performed in
an office or other administrative setting.
__________4.) A job referring to a working
class person who performs manual
labour.
__________5.) A transportation which is
running along rails eliminated most of the
friction, allowing horses to pull a much
greater load with a lot less effort.

Feedback ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

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References

Definition of Land Use and Zoning Laws, (2019). Find Law. Retrieved from
https://hirealawyer.findlaw.com/choosing-the-right-lawyer/land-use-and-zoning.html
last November 9, 2019.

Doctor J., (2019). What is Land Use & Zoning Law?Legal Career Path. Retrieved from
https://legalcareerpath.com/land-use-zoning-law/ last November 9, 2019.
Lewis, P. (2005). Bridges and Buildings: The structures of the Industrial Revolution. Retrieved
from https://bit.ly/2WQtqUqlast November 9, 2019.

Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City, (2019).UNESCO.Retrieved from

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150/ last November 10, 2019.

Marchand, Y. (1998). The challenges of urbanization.Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2NwmqJnlast

November 9, 2019.

Potsiou, C. (2010). Rapid Urbanization and megacities: the need for spatial information
management. Copenhagen: the international federation of surveyors Retrieved from
https://bit.ly/34yXSoGlast November 9, 2019.

Tolley, G. &Vinod, T.(2006). An overview of urban growth; problem, policies and

evaluation.Retrieved fromhttps://bit.ly/2WW2HFYlast November 9, 2019.

Urbanization, (2019). Science dauly. Retrieved fromRetrieved from

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/urbanization.htmllast November 9, 2019.

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Urban problems (2008). Reyrieved from https://bit.ly/2kNGjQD

US History II (OS Collection) The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870-1900 Urbanization and
Its Challenges. Retrieved fromhttps://bit.ly/2K2kpCilast November 9, 2019.

Lesson 4: Urban Life & Urban Space

From the very beginning, our ancestors have been travelling in

groups of what would later be known as a
Introductionon community. A community is a social group of
any size whose members reside in a specific
locality, share government, and often have a
common cultural and historical heritage.
Later on, this community encountered others,
ultimately, a society. This society is an
aggregate of people living together in a more
or less ordered community. People in the
community then develops a way of living
their everyday life. This cycle continues on up to date where skyscrapers
touch the clouds and people wear freshly pressed suits to the office.

Course Outcome
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 Demonstrate an understanding on the essential processes
shaping socio-cultural geographies of contemporary cities

By the end of this lesson, the learners are expected to:

1. Define the concepts of Urban Life and Urban Space.

Lesson Objectives 2. Distinguish the differences of living an Urban life and Rural
life and discuss the essential role of Urban Spaces in urban
areas.

It is well conceded that migration of people from rural to urban

areas is evident in every part of the world in every second. As a matter of fact, a recent UN
report has stated that half of the world’s populate would reside in cities, as of 2008. Further, it is
predicted that the number of urban dwellers are expected to exceed 6 billion by 2050 by the
United Nations.

Urban life or Urban lifestyle is more like living in a town and very different from living
in rural areas or suburbia (Indra, 2012). Indra states that it revolves around city life and means of
getting around as well as the types of homes one lives in a city. The word urban comes from the
Latin word urbanus from urbs or urb that means “city” during the early 17 th century. Mondal
(n.d.) expressed how one’s lifestyle and personality is to be affected by the kind of living
condition one is exposed in:

“Urban life and personality are affected by the physical and social condition of urban
living – anonymity, social distance, speed and tension, regimentation, impersonal social
interaction, mobility and transiency etc. These conditions produce impersonality,
insecurity and segmentation of personality, which appear to be universal characteristics
of urbanisation (or urban community) all over the world.”

The urban space refers to several urban areas and their related multicentric
municipalities forming a whole in a single stretch. In the multicentric urban space, the urban
areas are either adjoining or linked together by multicentric municipalities. This space forms a
connected whole. An urban space comprising just a single urban area is said to be monocentric.
It refers to all types of spaces between buildings in the town. Moreover, Open spaces have

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 multiple functions that greatly affects the lives of people living in urban cities. As
Panditharathne (n.d.) stated, “Meaning of urban space, explains its' nature of living', and
inherent identity, its' birth and the existence, making of its' functionality and efficiency with
using maximum usage of human brains, which is the only unlimited resource available. Meaning
of the urban space will determine the Behaviour of the user, it consists the activities taken place
and interwoven nature of activity patterns as well as natural environment and the cultural
context it belongs”.

Activity 1.Identify the statement below. Wright UL if it belongs to the advantages in Urban Life
and wright RU if it belongs to the advantages in Rural Life.
Activity/
_______1. Better communication
Application
_______2. Less noise

_______3. Fresh air

_______4. Better Agricultural land

_______5. Security

_______6. Better Healthcare facilities

_______7. Less pollution

_______8. Better transportation

_______9. Better Education

_______10. Less cognition

URBAN LIFE vs. RURAL LIFE

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The term urban simply refers to the region or area which is densely populated and possess the
Discussion characteristic of the man-made surroundings. The people residing in
such area are engaged in trade, commerce and services. High scale in
industrialization is present in this area that result to better
employment opportunities. Urban settlement is not confined to the
cities only, but towns and suburbs are also included on it. While the
term Rural is a region located on outskirts. This refers to a small
settlement, which is outside the boundaries of a city, commercial or
industrial area. It includes, countryside areas, villages and hamlets,
where there are natural vegetation and open spaces. There is low densely of population in such
area and the primary source of income of the residents is agriculture and animal husbandry.
Cottage Industries also form a chief source of income here. (Surbhi 2017)
One of biggest debates in humans have is whether city life is better than villages life or
vice versa. These two both represent the opposite of each other and the advantages of one is
actually the disadvantages of another one. Great opportunities are one reason why people
migrate in Urban areas while some people also prefer to stay in less stressful rural area. These
are some of advantages in urban life that pull people to live or reside in urban area.
First is much better transportation since cities generally have well-structured transport
network system that connect virtually all areas of the urban centers. On the other hand, this is
one of the disadvantages in rural life because they have worst transportation system, since other
interlocking roads that penetrate through villages and farms are rarely tarmacked. Roads are
impenetrable during wet season when they become muddy.
Second advantages in Urban areas is better communication. Most communication
companies have all their equipment installed in the cities. Communication networks in urban are
virtually everywhere even in the poorest neighborhood. While in Rural areas communication
network is very poor due to the rarely installed communication transmitters in the villages.
People in rural areas must have to look for areas with network before they can communicate
with other people in far way lands.
Third, they have better security due to the police officers patrolling twenty for hours a day and
aside from it CCTV cameras are available in all streets to monitor if crime is present or not. While
in Rural area because of low population density they were mostly expose to a lot of risk. There
are no advance police forces in the rural villages just few sniffs with poor equipment.
Furthermore, Education system in Urban areas are more advance than in rural areas because of
the better equipment’s, materials and facilities that can help the students to study well and learn

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more. Rural areas are lack of facilities and materials in school which can hinder students’
progress.
Also, the response rate of medical teams during emergencies is faster in urban areas
due to good communication and transport of infrastructure. Rural areas rarely have more than
one medical institutions and they have been usually understaffed with poor healthcare facilities.
These are some advantages on the life of people living in Urban areas.
However, People living in Rural areas also enjoying some advantages which Urban
people do not experience such as peace and quiet life far from very noisy environment caused
by the cars or any vehicle in the street. They enjoy the beautiful natural landscape of the earth
such as clean and green environment, fresh and cold air from the trees and blue skies, less
pollution from vehicles and factories which urban people are suffering. Less cognition and
much healthier living is also an advantage in rural areas since most of their foods are harvested
in their backyards, gardens, or farms which are not contaminated and modified that is far
different in Urban areas since, people there are eating foods that are genetically modified, water
are also contaminated with chemicals, and most cooked foods are all buy from different store.
Problems living in the urban life
Fiscal Problems
One evident problem is fiscal: Cities typically have serious difficulties in paying for basic
services such as policing, public education, trash removal, street maintenance, and in providing
certain services for their residents who are poor or disabled or who have other conditions. The
fiscal difficulties that cities routinely face became even more serious with the onset of the
nation’s deep recession in late 2007, as the term fiscal crisis was used again and again to describe
the harsh financial realities that cities continued to face even after the recession officially ended
in mid-2009 (McNichol, 2009).

Crowding
Cities experience many kinds of problems, and crowding is one of them. People who live amid
crowding are more likely to experience stress and depression and to engage in aggressive
behavior or be victimized by it. StròlicFurlàn – Davide Gambino – Lots of people – CC BY-ND
2.0. Cities are crowded in at least two ways. The first involves residential crowding: large
numbers of people living in a small amount of space. City streets are filled with apartment
buildings, condominiums, and other types of housing, and many people live on any one city
block. Residential crowding is perhaps the defining feature of any large city. The second type of
crowding is household crowding: Dwelling units in cities are typically small because of lack of
space, and much smaller overall than houses in suburbs or rural areas. This forces many people

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to live in close quarters within a particular dwelling unit, especially if they are low-income
individuals or families.
Housing
The problem involves housing. Here there are several related issues. Much urban housing is
substandard, At the same time, adequate housing is not affordable for many city residents, as
housing prices in cities can be very high, and usually higher than in rural areas, and the
residents’ incomes are typically very low.
Traffic and Transportation
The problem of city life is traffic and transportation. For better or worse, a fact of city life that
arises from the defining feature of cities—many people living in a relatively small area—is that
many people need to travel to get to work or school and to visit stores, museums, and any
number of other leisure-time settings. One manifestation of the traffic problem in cities is traffic
gridlock, when traffic in all directions is barely moving or not moving at all. Gridlock occurs in
urban areas, not rural ones, because of the sheer volume of traffic and the sheer number of
intersections controlled by traffic lights or stop signs.
Air Pollution
Traffic congestion and the sheer amount of traffic in cities also contribute to air pollution, which
we consider here as a separate urban problem. Traffic creates pollution from motor vehicles’
exhaust systems, and some cities have factories and other enterprises that also pollute. As a
result, air quality in cities is substandard. This poor air quality has significant health
consequences, as it produces higher rates of respiratory and heart disease and higher mortality
rates in cities (Stylianou&Nicolich, 2009). Because even fairly low levels of air pollution can have
these health effects (Brunekreef, 2011), cities are unhealthy places and even deadly places for
many people.
Mental Health Problems
Our earlier discussions of crowding and of traffic congestion indicated that stress is one of the
most important consequences of these two urban problems. Stress in turn impairs the mental
health of urban residents. Much research finds that urban residents have worse mental health
than rural residents. In particular, they have much higher levels of mood and anxiety disorders
and of schizophrenia (Lederbogen et al., 2011).
Public Education
Yet another issue for cities is the state of their public education. As Chapter 11 “Schools and
Education” emphasized, many city schools are housed in old buildings that, like much city
housing, are falling apart. City schools are notoriously underfunded and lack current textbooks,
adequate science equipment, and other instructional materials.
Crime

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 When many people think about the disadvantages of city life, they probably think about
crime, because crime rates take the number of people into account, the answer is not simply that
cities have more people than rural areas. Nor is the answer simply that cities have higher
poverty than rural areas, because rural areas in fact have higher poverty overall. The promise of
jobs and prosperity, among other factors, pulls people to cities. Half of the global population
already lives in cities, and by 2050 two-thirds of the world's people are expected to live in urban
areas. But in cities two of the most pressing problems facing the world today also come together:
poverty and environmental degradation.
Poor air and water quality, insufficient water availability, waste-disposal problems, and
high energy consumption are exacerbated by the increasing population density and demands of
urban environments.
The Importance of Urban Space
The World Health Organization consider urban green spaces as very important to
human health. These areas have a positive effect on mental and physical health. Urban open
spaces often include trees or other shrubbery that contribute to moderating temperatures and
decreasing air pollution.
Public spaces should be a valued asset where cities embrace the concept of creating more
welcoming spaces for everyone to use. This can also be a powerful way to create positive
environments for people to assimilate and come together as a society. In terms of social value; it
improved quality of life, increased both real and perceived security and safety, promoted social
equality and stability, improve cultural vitality, social integration and civic pride. In terms of
environmental value; it reduces pollution, increased ecological diversity, and reduces energy
consumption. In terms of economic value; it increases economic vitality, reduces public
expenditure on healthcare, urban management, attracted human capital, and increases business
confidence.
Types of Urban Space
Urban Space is an area or space that is open and accessible to all peoples, regardless of
gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. Economic globalization has meant that urban
public space is a valuable asset for cities looking to attract companies or appeal to a mobile
workforce. According to Matthew Carmona there are two classification of public place; the
positive and negative spaces. These two labels clearly function to support or frustrate such a
view. These labels are used to reflect a particular normative view of that calls for spaces that
support democratic engagement, foster cultural and social exchange, and generate comfort.
POSITIVE SPACES - Natural and semi-natural spaces, civic spaces, and parks.
NEGATIVE SPACES - streets, parking lots and abandoned or empty lot.

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OPEN SPACE – all types of spaces between building in the town. Generally considered open to
the public. Surface are not covered by roof and relatively free from development. They give form
and shape to the city. It also creates chances for interaction between people and provide places
for economic activities.
Types of Urban Open Space
1. WATER WAYS - a river, canal, or other body of water serving as a route or way of travel
or transport.
2. PARKS – naturally preserved area available for recreation. Surrounded by city on one
side and natural lands on the other.
3. GREEN AREA - land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or
other vegetation. An area of protected or conserved land or water on which development is
indefinitely set aside.
4. PLAYING FIELDS - open space reserved for playing sports.
5. PLAYGROUND – open spaced design and equipped for children. Should be fenced and
can be included in greens and parks.
6. PLAZA – open space available for civic purposes and other commercial activities. It is
usually attached to important buildings.
7. STREETS – the connections between spaces and places.
PRETEST
Activity/
Application 1. People who live amid ________ are more likely to experience stress
and depression and to engage in aggressive behavior or be victimized
by it. StròlicFurlàn – Davide Gambino – Lots of people – CC BY-ND
2.0.
a. Poor Education
b. Crime
c. Crowding
d. Air pollution

2. Much research finds that urban residents have worse mental health than rural residents. In
particular, they have much higher levels of mood and anxiety disorders and of schizophrenia
(Lederbogen et al., 2011)
A. Mental Health Problems
B. Traffic and Transportation
C. Housing
D. None of these

3. Cities are unhealthy places and even deadly places for many people because of
A. Crime
B. Air Pollution
C. Poor Education
D. Fiscal Problems

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4. It was used again and again to describe the harsh financial realities that cities continued to
face even after the recession officially ended in mid-2009 (McNichol, 2009).
A. Fiscal Crisis
B. Housing
C. Traffic and Transportation
D. Mental Health Problems

5. Two of the most pressing problems facing the world today also come together:
A. Poverty & Mental Health Problems
B. Air Pollution & Crime
C. Traffic and Transportation
D. Poverty and Environmental Degradation

6. This term is what we called a region or area which is densely populated and possess the
characteristic of the man-made surroundings.
a. Rural
b. Urban
c. Suburbs
d. Villages

7. This term refers to a small settlement, which is outside the boundaries of a city,
commercial or industrial area. It includes, countryside areas, villages and hamlets, where there
are natural vegetation and open spaces.
a. Rural
b. Urban
c. Suburbs
d. Villages

8. What are the primary source of income in Rural area?

a. animal husbandry
b. mining
c. agriculture
d. both A and C

9. What type of area that offers much more job opportunities?

a. Town area
b. Urban area
c. Rural area
d. Hamlets area

10. This are the advantages of rural area except;

a. Fresh air
b. Beautiful natural landscape
c. Pollution
d. Less congestion

References:

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Indra, M. (2012). The Urban Life Style. Retrieved from: https://
www.slideshare.net/MascaIndra/the-urban-life-style
Marans, R.W. (2011). Quality of Urban Life Studies: An Overview and Implications
for Environment-Behaviour Research. Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812003709
Problems of Urban Life (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://
open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/14-3-problems-of-urban-life/
Life is Better Than the Village Life. Retrieved from: https://www.aresearchguide.com/city-vs-
villages-life.html. Retrieved date: November 8, 2019.
Anonymous (2019). City Life vs Country Life. Retrieved from: https://
www.theprofessionalhobo.com/city-life-vs-country-life-anunbiased-analysis. Retrieved
date: November 8, 2019.
Subrhi, S. (2019). Differences Between Urban and Rural. Retrieved from:
https://www.keydifferences.com/difference-between-urban-and-rural.html. Retrived
date: November 8, 2019.
Aryal, P. (2013). Open Spaces. Retrieved from: https://
www.slideshare.net/PrakashAryal1/open-spaces- 29485007?
fbclid=IwAR1YZQULWaLGdF8NeOXShj1Dvev9s91BLKF5ksc77R3VhjGFEb_ kDi-KEfE
Jagannath, Thejas (2016). The Importance of Public Spaces. Retrieved from:
https://medium.com/@thejas009/the-importance-of-public-spaces-5bb49ba6c000
Panditharathne, K.P.M.S. (n.d.). Urban Space and Meaning: A Correlation with Special
Reference to Sri Lanka. Retrieved from:
http://dl.lib.mrt.ac.lk/bitstream/handle/123/1106/pre- text.pdf?
sequence=4&isAllowed=y

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 Lesson 5: Change in Metropolitan Form

Urban geography as stated by Briney (2019) is a branch of

Introduction human geography concerned with various aspects of cities. It
emphasizes location and space and study the spatial processes that
create patterns observed in urban areas. To do this, they study the
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, demographic, environmental, political
and social aspects within cities are also important in urban
geography.

Course
Demonstrate an understanding on the different issues
Objective
affecting contemporary cities by preparing a reaction paper

At the end of this module, students are

Lesson Objective
expected to:

1. Know how metropolitan change through time,

2. Understand the measures in urban form, and determine

the determinants or factors that cause change in metropolitan form.

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Discussion The word metropolitan comes from metropolis, which
in Greek means mother city, made up of mētēr meaning mother, and
polis meaning city. According to Amindarbari, R and Sevtsuk A. (2013)
Metropolitan is a core area containing a large population nucleus,
together with adjacent communities that have a high degree of economic
and social integration. Metropolitan is often associated with a city or an
urban area. An Urban area is a characteristic of a town or city while
Rural area is a characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.

In 2018, as shown in our world data more than fifty percent (50%) of the world’s population
lives in an urban area. As they believe that city provides and caters what they need, where
opportunities are adequate and believe to have sustainable development. Moreover, in the heart
of urban area also we will find people with the same interest, same level of living and lifestyle.
Culturally diverse but unified by a systematic government that imposes rules and laws for the
common good of the community.

Metropolitan or a city is a center of business and finance activities, where it’s the midpoint of
trades, employments and global partnership economically or socially. Thus, metropolitan
concerns economic, demographic, environmental, political and social aspects within cities.

Exercise. Identify if the following if it is a rural or an urban area.

1. Busdi - 6. Wao -
2. Cagayan de Oro - 7. Cotabato City -
3. Davao - 8. Iligan -
4. Malaybalay - 9. Cebu -
5. Valencia - 10. Siargao –

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 Lesson 5.1:

Urban Form Metrics

Activity 2: Describe each illustration below, and give your opinion about it.

___________________________________________________

_____________________________
______________________

_____________________________
______________________

Image Source: https://bit.ly/32yWDEk

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________

Image Source: https://bbc.in/2qDlRUX

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________

Image Source: https://bit.ly/2K6pYQl

Summary:

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 _____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

Discussion Urban Form Metrics is a measure of metropolitan form that

describe a number of important qualities of a city and depict
quantitative relationships found in geographic data describing a city.
There are eight (8) types of form metrics, the following are:

1. Size- the land covered by urban use, or its subcategories (e.g.

residential, industrial etc.)
2. Density- refers to the number of people inhabiting a
given urbanized area.
a) Population Density - the number of human persons in any given area.
b) Floor Area Ratio - the total floor area of buildings divided by land area of the lot
upon which the buildings are built.
c) Residential/Infrastructure Density - the number of dwelling units in any given
area.

Images Source: Progress Report in Measuring Growth

and Change in Metropolitan Form by Sevtsuk, A. et al.

3. Coverage- illustrates how large a share of the total urban extent, or a sub-area of the city,
is covered by a given land use type.
4. Polycentricity- Estimates the degree to which a city's employment (or other activity) is
concentrated in centers. “Having more than one center”. Functional Polycentric Model is
the most commonly used by urban and town planner in spatial processes. Polycentric
urban structure is considered to be useful for easing the increasing urban diseases, such
as traffic congestion, air pollution, and a lack of affordable housing, and then contribute
to the environmental and social sustainability of urban development.

Polycentricity depends simultaneously on three factors:

53 | P a g e
 a) the number of centers;
b) the size-balance between centers and
c) the share of total employment that is located in centers.
5. Compactness -indicates the average spatial accessibility between separate built up areas
– the higher these accessibilities, the more compact a city is. This is based on how the
compactness of metropolitan areas affect the social, economic and environmental
performance of cities.
6. Expandability-the Expandability metric aims to capture constraints to a city’s growth by
quantifying the availability of buildable land beyond the urban extent, within a defined
peripheral area.

Figure 10. The Idealzied expansion, A0; The area of A0 is twice

Figure 9. Existing built-up area Ab and unbuildable area Au. the existing built-up area Ab.

Image Source: Progress Report: Measuring Growth And Image Source: Progress Report: Measuring Growth And
Change in Metropolitan form Change in Metropolitan form

The illustrations above shows the room for expansion of a certain city, expandability talks
about the increasing coverage of city, as time goes by urban area is uninterruptedly expanding.

7. Discontinuity- Quantifies the degree to which a city is fragmented into discontinuous

built-up areas.
8. Land-Use Mix -Captures the degree to which the observed distribution of land uses
corresponds to an expected distribution. Example is when an Area that is Distributed for
Housing Dwellings must correspond to its expected distribution. The land area allotted
for Housing must be utilized for residential purposes. Same with Commercial,
Transportation and green land-use categories in a city.

IMPORTANCE
 Provide measurable basis.
 Inform us of what policies and planning
interventions will be imposed.
 Provide basis for evaluating the
consequences.

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Exercises 2: Find me! (Crossword Puzzle)

Cross out the different types of Urban Form Metrics and explain one by one with examples.

1. Size
2. Coverage
3. Discontiguity
4. Compactness
5. Polycentricity
6. Density
7. Land-Use
8. Expandability

E D I S S P A C
G I C O I O Y L
A S O V Z L T C
R C I Z E Y I O
E O Z R L C L M
V N A D A E I P
O T D E N N B A
C I A N D T A C
O G P S U R D T
E U O I S I N N
D I S T E C A E
E T I Y H I P S
N Y O T I T X S
D E N S T Y E M

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 Lesson 5.2:

DETERMINANTS AND FACTORS

In order to understand why urban

spatial patterns, take particular forms or follow certain development trajectories, we need to test
hypotheses that relate metropolitan form metrics to other non-geometric data, which we call the
determinants of form. In reality, cause and effect between spatial forms and social processes are
very difficult to untangle. Moreover, these determinants are a causal chain of factors that lead to
a particular change in metropolitan form.

The following are the factors that affects metropolitan and the root why it is changing.

Social change refers to the transformation of culture, behavior, social institutions, and

social structure over time. Examples of this are: Modernization-refers to the process and impact
of becoming more modern, according to conflict theory society change because of the status quo
is characterized by social inequality and other problems, sudden social change in the form of
protest or revolution is both desirable and necessary to reduce or eliminate social inequality and
to address other social ills. Another is according to functionalist perspective society is in a
natural state of equilibrium, gradual change is necessary and desirable and typically stems from
such things as population growth, technological advances, and interaction with other societies
that brings new ways of thinking and acting.

Environmental Change is a change or disturbance of the environment most often caused by

human influences and natural ecological processes. Environmental changes can include any
number of things, including natural disasters, human interferences, or animal interaction,
pollution, environmental degradation, and resource depletion. Which may lead to massive
effects on the human race and to our planet.

Economic Change is a shift or change in the basic ways a market or economy functions or
operates concerns with GDP, GNP, purchasing power of every household, inflation,
employment, currency and the like.

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 Demographic Change - refers to the historical shift in demographics from high birth rates
and high infant death rates in societies. Such as: aging population, mortality, birth and fertility
rate.

In summary, metropolitan form change due to the adverse effect of the factors
that play in the process. Factors such as environmental, economic, demographic and social
change a change on the aforementioned factors will consequently cause a change in the
metropolitan form with the use of an urban form metrics change will be identified and if
problems occur, it will be easily addressed.

Key Points

 Metropolitan is a core area containing a large population nucleus, together with adjacent
communities that have a high degree of economic and social integration.
 Urban area is a characteristic of a town or city.
 Rural area is a characteristic of the countryside rather than the town.
 Urban Form Metrics is a measure of metropolitan form can describe a number of
important qualities of a city and depict quantitative relationships found in geographic
data describing a city.

References:

Amindarbari, R and Sevtsuk A. (2013) Measuring Growth and Change In Metropolitan Form.
Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/2qNV2xw

Meryl Jagarnath, TirushaThambiran& Michael Gebreslasie (2019) Modelling urban land

change processes and patterns for climate change planning in the Durban metropolitan
area, South Africa,  Journal of Land Use Science, 14:1, 81-
109, DOI: 10.1080/1747423X.2019.1610809.Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/348oa0y

Suarez-Villa, L. (1988). Metropolitan Evolution, Sectoral Economic Change, and the City Size
Distribution. Urban Studies, 25(1), 1–20. Retrieved from : https://bit.ly/2BKL2qX

Shlomo, A. (2017). Urban Forms and Future Cities: A Commentary.Volume2,Issue1,Pages1– 5,

DOI:10.17645/up.v2i1.863. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/32NZf2o

Tsai, Y.-H. (2005). Quantifying Urban Form: Compactness versus “Sprawl.” Urban Studies,
42(1), 141–161. Retrieved From: https://bit.ly/2Jt4FIu

Lesson 6: Urbanization in Less Developed Countries

The rapid urbanization in many less developed countries over the

Introduction
Introduction past half century seems to have been accompanied by excessively

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 high levels of concentration of the urban population from rural areas in very large cities and
while cities command an increasingly dominant role in the global economy as centers of both
production and consumption, rapid urban growth throughout the developing world is seriously
outstripping the capacity of most cities to provide adequate services for their citizens. In this
material, you will learn about urbanization in the less developed countries, the factors that
initially hinder the less developed countries to obtain economic growth, the various urban
problems experienced in an urban area and the responses of the least developed countries to
these.

Course
Demonstrate an understanding on the different issues affecting
Outcome
contemporary cities by preparing a reaction paper

In this part of your journey, you must have:

Lesson
1. Distinguished the approaches to improve the
Objective
economy of the least developed countries.
2. identify urban problems these countries are facing and come up with
ideas on probable solutions to these.

Pre-Test
Instruction: Please answer the following questions before you begin exploring the content. This
is to determine your prior knowledge on the content covered in this material. Please encircle the
letter of your chosen answer.

I. Urbanization in Less Developed Countries

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1. The following are examples of Environmental problems confronting the urban cities in the
developing countries, except:

A. Deforestation B. Water Pollution

C. Socio-political conflicts D. Air Pollution

2. It is the presence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or
statuses within a group or society.

A. Poverty B. Social Inequality C. Prostitution D. Racism

3. What are the 3 primary poverty related diseases that occur in less developed countries?

A. HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis B. HIV/AIDS, Dengue, Diarrhea

C. Malaria, Dengue, Diarrhea D. Diabetes, Malaria, Dengue

4. The following are classifications of a country being considered as a less developed country,
except:

A. Low Life Expectancies B. Low Per Capita Incomes

C. Low Educational Attainment D. Low Fertility Rates

5. It is an issue of a poor economic growth that the human development in terms of the social
indicators also lags behind the developed countries

A. Corruption Systems and Institution B. Scarce Human Capital

C. Shortage of Resource Capitals D. Social Problem

II. Urban Problems in Less Developed Countries

1) _______ refers to the numbers of inhabitant per square kilometer (or mile) in a given area.
A. Rapid population growth
B. Urban area
C. Population density
D. Rural areas
2) The following are the social and economic advantages of urban areas except:
A. Health care
B. Prostitution
C. Housing
D. Better Education
3) ______ it’s easier to provide basic services like medicine, food and air in this area.
A. Natural area
B. Urban Areas/Cities
C. Depleted
D. Biodiversity
4) The following are the result of the poverty except:
A. Migration from rural areas
B. Girls and their families turn to Prostitution
C. Increase in theft and other crimes
D. People living in shanty town or slum areas

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5) People living in slum areas experience poor ________and insufficient water supply.
A. food
B. electricity
C. sanitation
D. electricity

Discussion A less developed country is one that ranks extremely low on the
Human Development Index (HDI) when compared to other
countries in the world (Pariona, 2019).

Phrases like developing country, newly industrialized country,

emerging market, frontier market, and least developed country are
used to indicate a nation’s level of industrialization, poverty,
human resources, and economic stability. Least developedws
countries are those that places extremely low on the HDI when
compared to other countries in the world. A low HDI ranking
suggests low life expectancies, low per capita incomes, low educational attainment, and high fertility rates
(among other indicators). As of 2014, as many as 48 countries have least developed economies.
Most of these least developed countries are located in Africa, with a few exceptions.

Criteria for Classifying Countries as Least Developed

Measuring development is almost always linked to both industrialization and standards

of living. Since 1971, the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of the United Nations
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has used very specific criteria for classifying a country’s
level of development. The three criteria include:

Poverty: A Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of $1,035 or less annually is an indicator of
extreme poverty.

Human Resources: Public health indicators (such as those mentioned in the Human
Development Index) are used to determine the strength/weakness of the human resources
within a country.

Economic Vulnerability: An economic assessment considers export activity, agricultural

production, damages caused by natural disasters, and economic size and instability to determine
its vulnerability. A vulnerable economy is one indicator of a low level of development.

If a country experiences extreme poverty, weak human resources, and significant economic
vulnerability, it will be labeled as least developed by the ECOSOC. The criteria are reviewed
every three years to measure economic progress.

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 The developing nations are urbanizing far more rapidly than they can create or borrow
resources to accommodate their urban population. The economic growth of the cities does not
provide sufficient modern employment opportunities for the growing urban labor forces.

The urbanization process involves the economic and social transformation of the less developed
world. It is an unbalanced transformation that will probably worsen given the present
demographic trends, economic growth rates, and constraints on resources in the less developed
world. The patterns of urbanization in the developing world in the past few decades have
diverged significantly from historical trends. For the developed world, significant urbanization
was associated with industrialization. With the cities came the factories. But today many
developing countries, though highly urbanized, lack large industrial sectors. Nigeria, for
example, has the same percentage of its population living in cities as China does. The historically
tight relationship between urbanization and industrialization breaks down for much of the
developing world. In particular, this divergence is reflected in the large number of natural
resource exporters that have urbanized without industrializing.

UN Lists of Countries Classified as Less Developed Countries 2014

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APPROACHES TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY OF THE LEAST DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES

The Enhanced Integrated

Framework (EIF) – the only
multi-donor programme that
exclusively helps LDCs to use
trade as a vehicle for poverty
reduction and growth – offers
any graduating LDC the
chance to continue to receive
technical assistance for a period of up to five years after it moves out of the category. All recently
graduated LDCs have taken full advantage of this support to develop or enhance their trade and
development strategies, both before reaching graduation thresholds and after they step up from
LDC status.

In order to enable more LDCs to achieve a smooth transition to post-LDC life, the EIF and
UNCTAD are proposing a four-point pathway for promoting trade, attracting private
investment and achieving export diversification:

o Cut red tape to make cross-border trade cheaper and diversify LDC economies, making
full use of untapped potential of deepened regional integration, which contributes to
improved economic growth and resilience.
o Create a regulatory and legal regime that promotes domestic and foreign investment so
that private capital can be exploited. Incentives and other active policies for investment
in small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly important for this to happen.
o Create an enabling environment for improved trade in services, including preferences for
LDC services exports and, within LDCs, addressing supply-side constraints and
investing in infrastructure services. This is a new frontier for the LDCs, with a wealth of

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 opportunities not only in mainstream services, such as tourism, but also in modern
international services, including data processing. Cultural and creative services are an
area in which many LDCs are richly endowed, and this can be more productively
exploited.
o Get early-mover advantage in e-commerce. By one recent estimate, this has the potential
to reduce trade costs associated with distance by as much as 65%. Online technology can
make international trade happen, including in poor countries with weak institutions, so
the LDCs that have limited digital access and low credit-card use should invest in this.
UNCTAD's Aid for eTrade Initiative, to be launched at its four-yearly conference taking
place in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 2016, will help policy-makers and the private sector to
coordinate action on this new development opportunity.

In short, a bottom-up and concerted effort by the LDCs and their trade and development
partners will help to create an environment that is better at meeting the goal of graduation. The
EIF and UNCTAD stand ready to help the LDCs to escape the trap of low income and structural
handicaps. It is long overdue to offer genuine hope to millions of people who for too long have
been denied the prosperous future they deserve.

Urban Problems in Urban Areas

In this part, we are going to dig deeper on the major problems experienced in an urban
area – why and how does it become a problem in the area. Here are just some of the problems an
urban area is facing: High Population Density, Depletion of Natural Resources, Environmental
Pollution, Poverty, Poor Health and Spread of Diseases, Traffic Congestion, and Housing
Problems. Each of these mentioned will be discussed.

High Population Density- refers to the number of inhabitants per square kilometer (or mile) in a
given area. This problem is caused by the heavy rate of migration from rural areas. Accordingly,
half of the global population already lives in cities, and by 2050 two-thirds of the world's people
are expected to live in urban areas. Majority of people move to cities and towns because they
view rural areas as places with hardship and backward/primitive lifestyle. The promise of jobs
and prosperity, among other factors, pulls people to cities. Some urbanization theorists believe
denser cities have great potential to be more productive, more innovative, and energy self-
sufficient. The rapid population growth has led to an acute shortage of dwelling units which
resulted to a lot more urban problems which less developed cities are facing today.

Depletion of Natural Resources- Resources are depleted when it is being used faster than it can
replenish itself. As the resources in an urban area lessens fast, the biodiversity is threatened, in
fact as a city grows, it destroys natural areas flowing with new and endangered animal and plant

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life. No matter how small, each species plays an important role in how the Earth works.
Biodiversity protects water and soil from contamination, stores and recycles nutrients, breaks
down and absorbs pollutants and helps areas to recover faster from disasters. It also provides
people with medicine, food and air. Urbanization limits our access to these resources. In
addition, as our culture advanced and we invented many things that will make our lives easier,
our demand for raw materials increased by leaps and bounds. With that, an increase in populace
expands the need for resources and conditions necessary to sustain it. Herewith, the problem is,
people are using too much and without care. Our planet just can’t keep up with our ever
increasing demands.

Environmental Pollution- there is an extraordinary concentration of population and with that,

there is a great amount of industry and energy use. Through the usage, it leads to a massive local
pollution and environmental degradation. Water pollution is one of the problem in an urban
area as water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal solvent,” water is able
to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on earth. It’s also why water is so easily
polluted. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it,
causing water pollution. Also, soil pollution can decrease the quality of crops. It will increase the
exposure to toxic and harmful chemicals thus increasing health threats to people living nearby
and on the degraded land. Living, working or playing in the contaminated soil can lead to
respiratory diseases, skin diseases, and other diseases. Our waste products are full of chemicals
that are not originally found in nature and lead to soil pollution. Moreover, there is also air
pollution, the harmful gases, dust, smoke that enters into the atmosphere and makes it difficult
for plants, animals, and humans to survive as the air becomes dirty. Most air pollution is created
by people, taking the form of emissions from factories, cars, planes, or aerosol cans. Second-
hand cigarette smoke is also considered air pollution.  The short terms effects of air pollution are
as follows; discomfort such as irritation to the nose, throat, eyes, or skin. Air pollution can also
cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea.  The long term effect of air pollution includes heart
disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema also can damage to
people's nerves, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. Bad smells made by factories, garbage,
or sewer systems are considered air pollution, too. These odors are less serious but
still unpleasant. More so, some scientists suspect air pollutants cause birth defects.

Another environmental problem is the global warming which is caused by natural and
anthropogenic air pollution. Global warming refers to rising air and ocean temperatures around
the world. This temperature rise is at least partially caused by an increase in the amount
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat in
the atmosphere causing climate change that displaces species and alters weather patterns.

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Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that has had the biggest effect on global warming. It
is emitted into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels (coal, gasoline, and natural gas). Humans
have come to rely on fossil fuels to power cars and planes, heat homes, and run factories. Doing
these things pollutes the air with carbon dioxide.

Poverty- those who move from rural areas to urban ones sometimes find themselves living in
shanty towns or slum areas. The urban poor struggle to make a living, the government's inability
to prevent widespread poverty causes an increase in theft and other crimes. Frustration and
alienation linked to a lower status, limited access to education, money and other resources push
young people to join organized crime. Hence, girls and their families turn to prostitution to
enable the family to maintain a certain level of lifestyle. A large number of girls who come
to Angeles tend to be provincial, especially from Samar, Leyte and Visayas, having seen their
friends live a better life because of their job in the prostitution industry. Women and children
involved in prostitution are vulnerable to rape, murder, and AIDS as well as other sexually
transmitted diseases.

Poor Health and Spread of Diseases- Slum areas in particular experience poor sanitation and
insufficient water supply, which generally make slum populations susceptible to communicable
diseases. The social, economic and living conditions in congested urban areas affects access and
utilization of public health care services. Crowd diseases and easier spread of infections is
present in urban area as people live closely together and they do not have proper sanitation.
Rapid increase in population is a conductive to easier transmission of diseases which constitutes
to serious threat to the entire area.

Traffic Congestion- large increases in motor vehicle usage have resulted in congestion on the
roads. Congestion within urban areas restricts accessibility. In traffic, there is an overcrowding of
a route, leading to slow and inefficient flow which makes movement difficult.

Housing Problems- with the increase in the number of people living in urban centers, there is
continued scarcity of houses. This is due to insufficient expansion space for housing & public
utilities and poverty.

Responses of Less Developed Countries to Urban Problems

The initiatives and responses taken by less developed countries in evaluating the
problems affecting their development will be discussed herein. The less developed countries are
low income countries which are highly vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks were
it has a low level of human assets. The UN committee makes responses and recommendation on
this inclusion.

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 According to the UN we must embed the Population Control where key stakeholders in
urban areas must provide campaigns and counseling for effective medical health clinics and
family planning to help reduce the high rates of population growth.

RA 10354 Reproductive Health Bill provides its beneficiaries as determined by the

DSWD RA 10354 “universal access to medically safe, non-abortifacient, effective, legal,
affordable and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies which do
not prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.”

Other factors like Building Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Cities,

governments and organizations pass laws that plan and provide environmentally sound cities
and smart growth techniques considering that people should not reside in unsafe and polluted
areas. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the conference in Rio de Janeiro
in 2012 UN (United Nation) and its member states (which included some less developed
countries) adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 as a universal call to end
the issues that our planet are facing. There are 17 SDGs integrated to recognize that action in one
area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic, and
environmental sustainability. The following are the 17 SDGs: No poverty, Zero Hunger, Good
Health and well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation,
Affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and
infrastructure, reduced inequalities, Sustainable Cities and communities, responsible
consumption and production, Climate Action, Life below water, life on land, peace, justice and
strong institution, and partnerships for the goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more
sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to
poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice. The Goals
interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve each goal and
target accordingly in 2030. The SDGs is unique that it covers issues that affect us all they also
reaffirm international commitment to end poverty. More importantly they build a more
sustainable, safer, and more prosperous planet for all humanity.

While there is a likelihood regarding the latter, as the question remain as to whether the
actions taken of how long it will take for the less developed countries to recover. This uncertain
issues or problems that less developed countries are facing will be resolved by the manner of
individual’s countries to make use of those factors to minimize the issues, this is between
individual country choices, good leadership and good management will make a difference. But
these are difficult to forecast, and need to be accompanied by having policy responses to wake
those less developed countries towards these phenomena. Which resulted to a lot more urban
problems which less developed cities are facing today.

Instruction: Based on the presented problems and challenges

Activity/ Application confronting the urban cities in the developing countries, make a
‘solution proposal’ in a space provided below on as to how you
could address or at least diminish the impacts of these problems.

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Criteria:
Relevance -30%
Organization -15%
Feasibility/Achievability -25%
Creativity/Vision -30%
You can utilize various formats available in the web. It is also valid if would you opt to construct
your own format.

True or False

Evaluation Instruction: Please answer the following items and determine

whether they are true or false. Write your answer before the number.

_____1. Rapid population growth refers to the numbers of inhabitant

per square kilometre (or mile) in a given area.

_____2. One of the advantages in the urban areas is having better

quality of education.

_____3. With the increase in the number of people living in urban

area, there is continued scarcity of houses.

_____4. The social, economic and living conditions in congested urban

areas does not affect the access and utilization of public health care services.

_____5. Water pollution is one of the environmental problem in an urban area as water is
uniquely vulnerable to pollution.

_____6. Affordable and clean energy aims to ensure access sustainable and modern energy for
all.

_____7. RA 10534 is the Republic Act strives for universal access to medically safe and quality
reproductive healthcare services or also known as Reproductive Health Bill.

_____8. Legalizing abortion must provide by the key stakeholders in order to help reduce the
high rates of population growth.

_____9. Anti-life Bill is the reason why the Catholic Church against with the RH Bill.

_____10. Productive employment and decent work for all is one of the aim of No Poverty Goal.

References

Brown, R. (1996), Medical Problems of the Developing Countries, retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17779985/

Hanson (2011) what is the solution for lack of education? Retrieved from
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-solution-for-lack-of-education

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Juneja (2001).Problems Faced by Less Developed Countries retrived from
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/problems-faced-by-less-developed-
countries.htm

Ketchell, M. (2016).UrbanisationIn Developing Countries: A Completely Different Kettle Of

Fish.http://theconversation.com/urbanisation-in-developing-countries-a-completely-
different-kettle-of-fish-56165

Pariona, A. (2019) "The World's Least Developed Countries." worldatlas.com/articles/the-least-

developed-countries-of-the-world.html

Qazi, A (2008, September 21). Afghanistan’s Water Resources and Pollution. Retrieved from
https://www.afghan-web.com/environment/water/

Qazi, A (2008, September 21). Deforestation. Retrieved from https://www.afghan-

web.com/environment/deforestation/

Qazi, A (2008, September 21). Air Pollution. Retrieved from https://www.afghan-

web.com/environment/air-pollution/

Tinari, Scott, Foresman and Company, 1986) The 5 E's of Economics retrieved from
https://www2.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/eco212i/lectures/5es//5es.htm

Wiblin, R. (2016), Health in Poor Countries, retrieved from https://80000hours.org/problem-

profiles/health-in-poor-countries/

Westebbe, R. M. (2013).The Urbanization Problem In The Less Developed Countries:

http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/994741468149685514/pdf/832860WP0U
rban0Box0382086B00PUBLIC0.pdf

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/urbanization-problems-developing-countries-golfer-okorie

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/urban-threats/

https://www.britannica.com/science/pollution-environment

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 Lesson 7: Politics of Change

Pre-Test
Instruction: Read carefully the following questions below. Encircle the correct
answer.

1. The following are the Urban Planning Theories except:

a. Bargain planning
b. Rational planning
c. Nonsensical planning
d. communicative approach

2. Emphasized the improvement of the built environment based on key spatial factors.
a. Bargain planning
b. Rational planning
c. Nonsensical planning
d. communicative approach

3. Decisions are made first and foremost by the public. The planner plays minor role.
a. Bargain planning
b. Rational planning
c. Advocacy planning

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 d. communicative

4. An urban plan made by Ebenezer Howard that included vast open space, aimed of
giving urban slum-dwellers the best of both city and country living.
a. Garden city
b. Garden map
c. Nolli map
d. Radiant city

5. This is a conceptual and systematic activity by a public authority aimed at the

development of cities.

a. Urban Policy
b. Urban Planning
c. Urban Development
d. Urban System
6. A technical and political process concerned with the development and design of the city.
a. Urban Policy
b. Urban Planning
c. Urban Development
d. Urban System

7. This is one of the principles of urban planning, focused on urban environment

development.
a. Regional Nature of Urban Policy
b. Care for the Environment
c. Deepening of Cooperation
d. Nature of Urbanization

8. The model seeks to include as a broad range of voice to enhance the debate and
negotiation.
a. Bargain planning
b. Rational planning
c. Advocacy planning
d. communicative approach

9. Urban planning established the common practice of portraying entire cities without a
single focal point from above.
a. Garden city
b. set back principle
c. Nolli map
d. Radiant city

10. This urban plan is trying to fix urban pollution and overcrowding and envisioned
building up.
a. Garden city
b. set back principle
c. Nolli map
d. Radiant city

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 The 21st century has been referred to as the first urban
Introduction century. More than 50% of the world’s population live in urban
areas. Rapid urbanization has been identified as both an
opportunity and a global challenge. Urban centres drive economic
growth and offer economies of scale in productivity and public
investment; they are social melting pots, centres of innovation and
drivers of social change. However, cities can also be marked by
inequality, poverty, conflict, violence and environmental
degradation. Given the variety and diversity of conditions and the
different factors conditioning the development of our towns, it is
essential, from the position of the State, to address only those areas and issues that are relevant
and appropriate for this level. For this reason, there were principles capable of guiding the basic
conceptual path to be followed in each area of urban policy with suitable means of implementing
other related documents of urban policy. Reflecting its nature, this issue was broken down into
six principles, which are further divided into strategic guidelines and development activities. For
each principle, there is a description of its characteristics and the underlying basis, and the
various strategic guidelines and development activities are accompanied by their brief
characteristics and focus.

Course
Demonstrate an understanding on the different issues affecting Outcome
contemporary cities by preparing a reaction paper

At the end of this module, you must have:

Learning Outcomes
 Determined the importance of Urban
Governance and Identify the Elements of
Effective Urban Governance
 Distinguished important concepts and principles of urban
policy and planning.

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 What is Urban Governance?

Discussion Urban governance refers to how a government (local, regional

and national) and stakeholders decide how to plan, finance and manage
urban areas

It involves a continuous process of negotiation and contestation

over the allocation of social and material resources and political power. It
is, therefore, profoundly political, influenced by the creation and
operation of political institutions, the government capacity to make and
implement decisions and the extent to which these decisions recognize
and respond to the interests of the poor. It encompasses a host of economic and social forces,
institutions and relationships. These include labor markets, goods and services; household, kin
and social relationships; and basic infrastructure, land, services and public safety (Devas et al.,
2004)

According to Slack and Côté (2014), urban governance:

 plays a critical role in shaping the physical and social character of urban regions;

 influences the quantity and quality of local services and efficiency of delivery;

 determines the sharing of costs and distribution of resources among different groups;
and

 Affects residents’ ability to access local government and engage in decision-making,

influencing local government accountability and responsiveness to citizen demands.

Urban governance involves a range of actors and institutions; the relationships among them
determine what happens in the city. In managing urban transformations, government (at all
levels) need to play a strategic role in forging partnerships with and among key stakeholders
(UNESCAP & UN-Habitat, 2010: 211–12; 2015).

While city government is the largest and most visible urban governance actor, much of what
affects the life chances of the urban poor lies outside the control of city administrations. Instead,
it is the market and private businesses, agencies of the central state or the collective voluntary

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action of civil society that determine the daily experiences of urban dwellers

Why does Urban Governance Matter?

Managing cities and urban growth is one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first
century. If managed well, cities can act as engines of growth and provide inhabitants with better
job opportunities and improved healthcare, housing, safety and social development. Further,

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cities can contribute to national growth through increased revenue generation and political
stability, as well as playing a role in post-conflict reconciliation. Conversely, cities that are poorly
planned, managed and governed can become centres of poverty, inequality and conflict.

Ineffective urban governance affects the poor excessively. In particular, oppressive

regulation of informal enterprises and settlements can negatively impact livelihood
opportunities. Devas et al. (2004) and Brown (2015) suggest that the design of the city-level
political system, including democratic structures with checks and balances between executive
and legislature and periodic elections, must be supplemented by broader participation to ensure
that decisions reflect the needs of the poor. Maximizing the potential of urban areas requires
institutionalizing mechanisms of coordination, planning and accountability among diverse
stakeholders (Fox & Goodfellow, 2016). However, many city governments face severe capacity
constraints, lack the vision to address urban growth, and need better information/data on
poverty, the environment and services. Three key messages emerge that underline why urban
governance matters (Venables, 2015):

 The scale and high population density of cities enable economic and social interaction to
occur more frequently and effectively. This creates the potential for cities to be productive
and to offer inhabitants a better quality of life.

 To unlock this potential, key issues surrounding land, transport, public finance and
regulation need to be addressed. Making the city work requires investment in residential,
commercial and industrial structures supported by a combination of effective land markets,
appropriate regulation, good public services, adequate public finance and transparent and
accountable city level political systems.

 Harnessing urbanization requires smart policy and hard work (i.e. effective urban
governance), and the implications of failure are long term.

Activity

Instruction: In a space provided below, site an issue that your community experienced
and how the local government solved it.

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___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
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Elements of Effective Urban Governance

Effective urban governance depends on four core elements:

The city-national interface: Effective urban governance depends not only on local institutions
and actors, but also on the framework set by national governments that links the city and
broader regional and national development. However, in many contexts, inadequate
institutional frameworks have impeded effective urban governance.

Municipal capacity: Expanding municipal capacity to plan, manage and finance urban growth is
a fundamental component of effective urban governance. It is important that each level of
government has sufficient capacity to ensure that physical and socio-economic planning
processes are well-coordinated, legally enforced, inclusive and cross-sectoral. However, many
municipalities lack the skills, capacity and resources to meet their obligations.

The role of the private sector: The private sector is a key stakeholder in both urban and
economic development. In addition to providing jobs, it can also be engaged in the design,
construction and maintenance of infrastructure (for example through PPPs) and in service
provision. However, where the private sector has contributed to improvements, it has often been
at the expense of universal coverage, with low-income areas excluded.

Political systems and institutions: Urban governance is profoundly political, influenced by the
creation and operation of political institutions, government capacity to make and implement
decisions and the extent to which these decisions recognize and respond to the interests of the
poor. The most vulnerable are often excluded or ignored in decision-making processes. There are
large gaps between poor and better-off urban residents’ access to social, economic and political
opportunities, and in their ability to participate in, and leverage, the benefits of urban living. In
addition, key political economy constraints in urban areas include the governance framework,
the Political agency of the urban poor, opportunities for collective action, service delivery
dynamics, the prevalence of conflict and violence, and the experience of vulnerable groups.

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Key policy challenges for urban governance

Urban governance is often neither inclusive nor participatory. There are large gaps between
the poor and non-poor in their access to social, economic and political opportunities and ability
to participate in and leverage the benefits of urban living. Governance frameworks need to
encourage policy coordination at local and regional levels and include the voices and
participation of the poor.

 The importance of the informal sector to urban economies and to the livelihoods of the
poor is often not fully understood, and limited attention is given to working with and not
against the informal sector.

 Urban authorities generally fail to provide adequate access to services for the poor.
There is scope for improvement by, for example, breaking down barriers to collective
action, creating incentives for resourcing service provision and introducing appropriate
pricing and revenue models.

 While cities are inherently sites of conflict, effective urban governance arrangements can
reconcile differing views by encouraging debate and the formation of broad partnerships
of interest that promote developmental activities.

 Migration is often seen as contributing to shortages of housing, infrastructure and

services as well as tensions between migrant and host communities. Migration policies
can be improved by paying attention to the nature of migration, the vulnerabilities of
migrants and host communities, and facilitating the participation of migrants in civic and
political life.

 Urban areas are major contributors to climate change and are central in addressing it.
Policymakers need to better integrate international and national climate strategies with
regional and local urban policy frameworks.

Urban Policy

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  a conceptual and systematic activity by a public authority aimed at the development of
cities. (Ministry for Regional Development of Czech Republic, 2010)

Principles of Urban Policy

Principles of Urban Policy is a framework document which aims to coordinate the approach
taken by all levels of government to urban development, to propose guidelines and activities
conducive to sustainable urban development, and in light of the importance of towns for the
development of a certain city.

Principle 1: The regional nature of urban policy - This principle expresses the fact that urban
policy is integrally incorporated into regional policy and into the policy of economic, social and
territorial cohesion. Urban development and regional development cannot be disunited. Towns
are an integral part of regions and centers of their development. Towns, especially large ones,
concentrate in their territory economic, social and other functions, which generate their economic
strength.

Principle 2: Polycentric development of the population pattern - “Decision on polycentric

development”, recommends that governments of Member States effectively promote polycentric
territorial development through the creation and use of innovative policies, strategies and
implementation mechanisms. Polycentrism is viewed as an operational tool supporting
territorial cohesion and competitiveness.

One of the problems of developments in the population structure is a tendency towards the
excessive concentration of development activities in a few large urban centers. In this respect, the
purpose of promoting polycentric development is to ensure that the growth and development of
these urban areas does not progress at the expense of other medium-sized and smaller towns.

Principle 3: Strategic and integrated approach to urban development -Some of them must face
the prospect of demographic changes and population aging. They are confronted with different
and conflicting trends; urban development is a complex process. Addressing these problems
requires a long-term vision for the future and the use of adequate planning tools. Towns should
therefore draw up strategic development plans which are consistent with the land-use plan,
which will take into account the different dimensions.

Principle 4: Promotion of the development of towns as development poles in a territory -Towns

affect the development of neighboring rural areas. They are viewed as a major factor
determining the competitiveness of the region as a whole. The majority of business operators
and infrastructure can be found in their territory, and their influence is important in achieving

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economic growth and territorial cohesion. They provide a full range of services and job
opportunities, where even people with low skills can find jobs.

Principle 5: Care for the urban environment -Towns are exposed to a number of adverse
influences threatening their environment. Therefore, towns must take measures designed to
achieve compliance with European Union law, especially as regards air quality, wastewater
treatment, waste management, water supply, excessive noise, the revival and development of
functional surfaces of vegetation improving the quality of life. The attractiveness of towns is
enhanced by the emergence and regeneration of near-natural vegetation in a residential setting,
allowing for the existence of natural elements in the artificial environment of a heavily urbanized
landscape. The rehabilitation and development of these green spaces improves the quality of
human life in the urban environment.

Principle 6: The deepening of cooperation - Besides permanent dialogue, these partnerships

include cooperation in the formation of development strategies, and the process of their
implementation and monitoring of outcomes, outputs and impacts as many relevant partners as
possible need to be involved in this process. This platform opens up opportunities for the
involvement of citizens, various initiatives of civil society and NGO and private-sector
representatives in the decision-making processes that directly affect them, thus preventing the
diversion of resources by local interest groups.

Solutions to some problems extending beyond administrative boundaries require specific

forms of cooperation. In many areas of population decline, there are problems, for example,
maintaining the required scope of services and infrastructure. The competent authorities, as
equal partners, should draw up common development strategies and investment decisions,
while actively involving other partners.

Urban Planning

 a technical and political process concerned with the development and design of land use
and the built environment, including air, water and infrastructures. (Ministry for
Regional Development of Czech Republic, 2010)

The Evolution of Urban Planning

1. The Nolli Map

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 WHEN: 1748

ARCHITECT: GiambalistaNolli

 Established the now common practice of portraying entire cities from above without
single focal point.

2. Garden City

WHEN: 1903

ARCHITECT: Ebenezer Howard

His scheme included vast open space, with the aim of giving urban slum-dwellers the best of
both city and country living.

3. The Setback Principle

WHEN: 1916

ARCHITECT: Hugh Ferriss

 Layout and footprint of neighborhoods at street level to the volume of buildings as they
rose toward the sky

4. Broad acre City

WHEN: 1916

ARCHITECT: Hugh Ferriss

 He took geometry of this rural grid even further in his vision for a utopia with each
family living on an acre of its own.

5. Radiant City

WHEN: 1933

ARCHITECT: Le Corbusier

 Trying to fix urban pollution and overcrowding and envisioned building up.

6. The Megaregion

WHEN: 1961

ARCHITECT: Jean Gottaman

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  Planners increasingly talk about issues involving transportation, environment and
economy within whole regions where multiple metros link together.

7. The Transect

WHEN: 2000

ARCHITECT: Andres Duany

 Have been used by planners as a visual tool to divide landscapes into multiple uses.

8. Smart Cities

 In the era of big data, the future of our physical spaces may be defined more by bytes
than brick

Process of Urban Planning

Define the Problem

Capacity Building

Map Stakeholders Interest

Engage Stakeholders

Alternatives Analysis

Seek Agreement on Policies and Actions

Implement Policies, Plans and Programs

Learn and Reflect

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Urban Planning Theories

1. Rational Planning

Emphasized the improvement of the built environment based on key spatial factors.

2. Synoptic Planning

Public participation was first introduced. It focused in four elements:

 Goals and targets

 Quantitative analysis for environment

 Identify policy options

 The evaluation of means and ends

3. Advocacy Planning

The role of the planner is to advocate directly for underrepresented groups.

4. Bargain Planning

Decisions are made first and foremost by the public.

5. Communicative Approach

The model seeks to include as a broad range of voice to enhance the debate and
negotiation.

6. Communicative Approach

The model seeks to include as a broad range of voice to enhance the debate and
negotiation.

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Evaluation I. Identification & Enumeration

Instruction: Answer the following questions:

1.) This refers to how Government and Stakeholders decide how to plan,
finance and Manage Urban areas,

2-5.) give the four effective elements of urban governance

6-10.) Give/ write the key policy challenges for Urban Governance

II. Multiple Choice Test

Instruction: Encircle the correct answer.

1. In 1748, Giambalista Nolli established the common practice of portraying entire cities without
a single focal point from above.

a. Garden city b. set back principle c. Nolli map d. Radiant city

2. The model seeks to include as a broad range of voice to enhance the debate and negotiation.

a. Bargain planning b. Rational planning c. Advocacy planning

d. communicative approach

3. This is one of the principles of urban planning, focused on urban environment development.

a. Regional Nature of Urban Policy

b. Care for the Environment

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c. Deepening of Cooperation

4. Have been used by planners as a visual tool to divide landscapes into multiple uses.

a. Garden city b. The Transect c. Nolli map d. Radiant city

5. Question: Planners increasingly talk about issues involving transportation, environment and
economy within whole regions where multiple metros link together.

a. Garden city b. The Megaregion c. Nolli map d. Radiant city

Reflection

Instruction: In a space provided below, write something about the questions given. Provide
concrete and practical examples/ explanation.

Given Question: Does Smart cities make people happier?

Why does Urban Governance Matter?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________

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Rubrics

AREAS OF 5 POINTS 4 POINTS 3 POINTS 2 POINTS

ASSESSMENT

IDEAS/CONTENT Presented ideas Present ideas Ideas are too Ideas and
and contents in and contents in general contents are
an original a consistent vague or
manner manner unclear

ORGANIZATION Strong and Organized Slightly Lack of

organized organized organization

UNDERSTANDING Shows strong Shows clear Shows adequate Shows little

understanding understanding understanding understanding

WORD CHOICE Sophisticated Nouns and Needs more Little or no use

use of nouns verbs make nouns and of nouns and
and verbs make essay verbs verbs
the essay very informative
informative

STRUCTURE Sentence Sentence Sentence No sense of

structure structure is structure is sentence flow
enhances evident limited
meaning

MECHANICS No errors Few errors Several errors Numerous

errors

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 Feedback _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
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References
Brown, A. (2015).Planning for sustainable and inclusive cities in the global south(Topic
Guide).Evidence on demand.

Carmon, N. and Fainstein, S. (2013). Policy, Planning, and People: Promoting Justice in
Urban Development.

Carter, A. (2017). The five biggest issues in urban policy in 2017.Retrieved from,
https://bit.ly/34VN2tb

Chang, G. Urban Planning and Development. ISSN (print): 0733-9488 | ISSN (online):
1943-5444. Retrieved from, https://ascelibrary.org/journal/jupddm

Devas, N. et al. (2004).Urban governancevoice and poverty in the developing world. London:
Earthscan

Dhakal, S. (2010).GHG emissions from urbanization and opportunities for urban carbon
mitigation.Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability,2, 277–83.

Evans, W.&Ferguson, C. (2013).Governance, institutions, growth and poverty reduction: A

literature review.London: DFID.

Fainstein, S. (2016).Urban planning.Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica,

inc.Retrieved from, https://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-planning

Fox, S. & Goodfellow, T. (2016).Cities and development.2nded. Abingdon: Routledge.

Fox, S. (2013).The political economy of slums: Theory and evidence from Sub-Saharan
Africa(Working Paper 13-146).London: LSE.

Inam, S. Ertas, M. and Bozdag, A. (2012). The Importance of the Urban Land Policy For
Sustainable Development, Problems And Solution Recommendations. Retrieved
from, https://bit.ly/36SswuZ

Rondinelli, D. (1973) Urban Planning as Policy Analysis: Management of Urban Change,

Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 39:1, 13-22, DOI:
10.1080/01944367308977650

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 Schons, M. (2011).Urban Planning.https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/urban-
planning/

Turner, M. (2011). What Qualifies as "Urban Policy" These Days? Retrieved from,
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/what-qualifies-urban-policy-these-days
University of Pennsylvania Press.Retrieved from,
https://www.questia.com/library/120086762/policy-planning-and-people- promoting-
justice-in

Vanek, J., Chen, M., Carré, F., Heintz, J.&Hussmanns, R.(2014).Statistics on the informal
economy: Definitions, regional estimates & challenges.New York: WIEGO.

Venables, T. (2015).Making cities work for development. (IGC Growth Brief 2.)London:
InternationalGrowth Centre.

Wei, Y. (1994). Urban policy, economic policy, and the growth of large cities in China.
Retrieved from,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0197397594900175

World Bank. (2010b).World development report 2010: Development and climate change.
Washington, DC:World Bank.

World Bank. (2011a).World development report 2012: Gender equality and development.
Washington, DC:World Bank.

World Bank. (2011b)The political economy of sanitation: How can weincrease investment and
improve service for the poor?Washington, DC: World Bank.

Lesson 8: The Urban Futures

Introduction
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 Urban Futures is part of the big conversation about the future of our cities. Its importance
and roles are increasingly recognized as it impacts all our futures. This, however, requires every
city to design its own future journey in a way that reflects the unique constraints it faces.

In the politics of change, the actions pursued by city leaders, investors, key businesses,
residents, and other constituents will depend on the city’s level of maturity in a wide range of
areas. It is of utmost importance for them to internalize the major forces that are shaping cities of
the future as well as the measures for which a city can be able to thrive in the face of challenges
and changes.

As the world becomes increasingly urban, the challenges of urban governance have
become a central consideration as part of global development efforts (Parnell 2016). As
governments steer cities into the future, they are well advised to consider lots of things.

As such, to study urban futures, it is a must to explore major forces shaping today’s cities
—from resource stresses to increasing internationalization and vision for thriving cities of the
future. We should take into consideration that every city of the future will have unique
characteristics, all of which will help contribute to urban well-being. In this material, we will
learn that in the face of increasing global turbulence, the city leaders that sustain growth will be
those who recognize and celebrate each unique strength of the cities.

Course
Demonstrate an understanding on the different issues affecting Objectives
contemporary cities by preparing a reaction paper

After this lesson, the students will be able to:

Lesson
Objective 1. Clearly define what urban future is, its roles and
importance to the sustainable growth of the city.

2. Identify the four major forces shaping today’s cities—from resource

stresses to increasing internationalization.

Discussion
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 An urban future means growth for all cities, not just mega-cities. It is of utmost importance
to study such for we are to shape the future of urban cities instead of merely predicting it. It is
somehow a call for us to be suspicious of trend analysts and futurologists who are convinced
that they already know everything about the city of the future because in studying urban futures
with its role in identifying challenges and pathways to shaping it, it should not consider the
development of tomorrow’s city as just some kind of inevitable fate, but as something we
humans can shape for its growth and development.

Here are FOUR FORCES SHAPING CITY that we need to know:

1. The competition for talent

Population changes are going to have a dramatic impact on the competition for talent in
urban areas. From 2000 to 2012, rising populations were the key driver of urban growth.
Approximately 60 percent of the GDP growth of large cities was rooted in an expanding
population, while the remaining 40 percent was due to rising per capita income. Cities are now,
however, feeling the effects of a double demographic shift. First, the pace of urban migration is
decreasing in many regions. Second, global population growth is declining, due to declining
fertility rates and an aging population.

The impact of these demographic shifts on cities is related to their shift from rural to
urban contexts. In Europe and the United States, which experienced the shift in the 18th and 19th
centuries, 80 to 85 percent of the population now resides in cities. China’s population, by
contrast, is about halfway through the shift, with city dwellers constituting roughly 50 percent of
the overall population. In India, which is currently in an even earlier stage of the shift, only
about 20 percent of the population lives in cities.

As the transition from rural to urban areas plays out and as populations age, the number
of young adults (those between 15 and 29 years of age) will decline. By 2025, more than 60
percent of large cities in developed regions and 47 percent in developing regions will have fewer
young adults than they do today. According to our survey of more than 1,500 cities across
developed and developing countries, the average age of residents currently ranges from 23 years
in Shillong, India, to 48 years in Punta Gorda, Florida.

As the number of young adults declines, the competition for talent will intensify. And,
while cities must attract businesses that will expand the number of jobs, they will also need to
create vibrant, livable environments that draw high-caliber talent.

2. An increasingly connected world

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 Over the past two decades, migration has blurred geographic boundaries. While some
cities are already cosmopolitan, others are actively developing policies and infrastructure to
attract foreigners. Dubai is currently the world’s most cosmopolitan city, with foreign born
residents making up 83 percent of its population. Its residents come from more than 200
countries and speak more than 140 different languages. Following Dubai is Brussels, with a
population that is 62 percent foreign born; its inhabitants hail from approximately 140 countries
and speak 86 different languages.

The blurring of these boundaries have important economic consequences. McKinsey

estimates that global flows (of goods, services, assets, and people) contribute between $250
billion and $450 billion every year to global GDP, that is, 15 to 25 percent of total global output.
Developed economies, by virtue of being more connected, see up to 40 percent more GDP benefit
than developing countries.

The McKinsey Global Institute Connectedness Index ranks countries on the intensity and

global share of total flows of goods, services, finance, people, and data and communication.
Germany tops the overall list for connectedness, Hong Kong is second, and the US is third. Some
emerging economies, such as Brazil, China, India, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia, are rapidly
becoming more connected. The increase in knowledge-intensive flows as a result of digitization,
which are quickly gaining dominance over capital labor flows, will continue to open up a wealth
of business opportunities.

3. The Anthropocene age

When it comes to resources, urban growth has significantly increased risk for cities worldwide.
McKinsey’s research of more than 2,600 global cities finds that cities are vulnerable to three types
of resource stress:

 Chronic. Persistent stress on water, energy, and food supplies, which is endemic in

certain parts of the world, is spreading rapidly. By 2030, the demand for water is forecast
to drastically exceed supply in several cities in India, China, Africa, and the Americas. By
2025, many cities across the developing world are also likely to suffer from insufficient
energy supply, due to a projected increase in demand, as well as low access to electricity.
 Acute. This type of stress results from exposure to weather-related events and is
concentrated in Asian cities as well as coastal cities in the Americas. Notably, coastal
China is at risk of floods and hurricanes, while northern India is vulnerable to floods and
droughts. The Pacific coast of Latin America is exposed to floods, and the coastal US
must contend with both hurricanes and floods.

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  Social. Social stress can result from poor governance, excessively rapid urbanization,
unequal wealth distribution, and youth unemployment. As GDP grows, social stress
appears to be declining in most cities.

Roughly two-thirds of the cities we analyzed worldwide are at risk for at least one of these
stresses. Three trends are likely to intensify the impact of these stresses:

 Growing frequency of acute stresses. The number of natural disasters is on the rise. The
total number of natural disasters between 2010 and 2014 is similar to that from between
1980 and 1991, a period nearly three times longer. As a result, food and water shortages
have intensified.
 Compounding effect of multiple stresses. The intensification of acute stresses comes at a
time when cities are also facing more severe chronic challenges. As these grow, they are
pushing low-income groups into slums and informal settlements vulnerable to natural
disasters.
 Contagiousness of stresses. Increasing global interconnectedness means that cities are
more vulnerable to remote events than they have been in the past. Stress in one part of
the world, like a political conflict, can generate ripple effects in the form of asylum
seekers and supply chain interruptions.

4. Technology’s ever-expanding role

Disruptive technologies have the potential to transform the way cities currently operate. These
technologies are catalyzing various global trends, which include:

 The sharing revolution. The growing use of digital platforms and willingness of

consumers to use mobile apps have catalyzed the development of the sharing economy,
with peer-to-peer business models and shared entrepreneurial enterprises becoming
more common. Urban mobility—ride sharing, public bicycle sharing, and smart parking
—is just one area that has undergone a major transformation. Between 2013 and 2025,
sharing sectors like mobility and real estate financing are expected to grow much faster
than more traditional, non-sharing sectors. Sharing economy revenues are projected to
grow roughly 35 percent per year, around ten times faster than the broader economy.
The UK and France have more than 50 sharing economy organizations.
 Smarter cities. After a decade of experimentation, smart cities are also entering a new
phase. Although digital solutions are only one of the tools needed to make a city great,
they are the most powerful and cost-effective additions seen in many years. According to
the McKinsey Global Institute, digital solutions could improve some quality-of-life

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 indicators by as much as 30 percent. Real-time crime mapping, for instance, utilizes
statistical analysis to highlight patterns, while predictive policing goes a step further,
anticipating crime to head off incidents before they occur. Another example of these
solutions are the Internet of Things sensors on existing infrastructure systems which can
help crews fix problems before they turn into breakdowns and delays.
 Circular economy. Cities today operate within a global economic system based on the
linear “take-make-dispose” model of production and consumption. Technology could
enable cities to transition to a circular economy where products are designed to last and
resources are treated as precious. Digital technologies will make it possible to radically
increase virtualization, dematerialization, transparency on product use and material
flows, as well as feedback-driven intelligence. At the same time, these technologies will
enable the collection and analysis of data on materials, people, and external conditions.
For these reasons, digital technologies are critical for identifying the challenges of
material flows in cities, pinpointing the key areas where structural waste occurs, and
determining viable long-term solutions.

Yet digital technologies also pose a significant threat: data breaches. According to Gemalto’s
2017 Breach Level Index report, approximately 4 million data records were compromised every
hour during the first half of 2017. Identity theft was the most frequent type of data breach.

A Vision for Cities of the Future

The city of the future must meet the needs of its residents. Yet in surveying residents of
25 major cities, McKinsey finds that a fifth of those cities fall short of delivering satisfaction.
Respondents cited numerous inadequacies: crime, congestion, fire emergency response, waste
management, active mobility options, police security, lack of basic utilities, public transit, as well
as poor quality of housing and government services. Given the fierce competition for talent
across cities, dissatisfied urbanites are likely to vote with their feet and leave for more attractive
environments. In order to succeed, city leaders must prioritize their residents’ well-being,
sustainability, and other basic needs. Successful cities of the future will present vibrant, fluid,
and flexible ecosystems along the lines of the “live, work, and play” paradigm, building on new
opportunities while mitigating risks and challenges.

The best cities of the future will likely have the following characteristics:

 A work environment that attracts the best global talent. With flexible workspaces and
working hours, and convenience enabled through technology, the ideal city will have a

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 multi-skilled economy fueled by people with the training and education needed to adapt
to ever-changing work requirements.
 Flexible and environmentally sustainable. With environments that power
manufactured, modular building materials and efficient construction techniques, cities
will be net generators of energy and food.
 Zero to limited congestion. A shift in traffic patterns will result to more active mobility,
new approaches to work and working hours, sustainable mobility solutions like
autonomous electric vehicles, an increase in the utilized capacity of vehicles and the
conscious design of material and goods flows.
 Pollution-free air, optimum ambient temperatures, and adequate exposure to
sunlight. It will be critical for urban design to feature a network of interconnected parks,
gardens and green facades, architecture that makes the best use of wind and shade, and
the increasing use of renewable energy.
 A clean and zero-wastage water supply chain. Green power will fuel desalination and
purification, and cutting-edge water management systems will operate at city and user
levels.
 Convenient access to affordable, healthy, and fresh food. High-yield urban and vertical
farming made possible with the latest technologies, in concert with an optimized supply
chain, will ensure people get top-quality food.
 Support for active lifestyles. Designed like a gymnasium, the city will have car-free or
car-lite neighborhoods connected with walkable and bikeable streets and public spaces.
 Inspiring landscapes and public spaces. Designed purposefully and built at least
partially by the residents themselves, these places will create a strong sense of
community and emotional attachment.
 Layered and instantly available community protocols will enable service provision and
community interaction on a 24/7 basis.
 No physical or virtual crime. Artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance of physical and
virtual networks and a comprehensive and transparent public record system will make it
possible to predict illegal activity while respecting privacy concerns.
 Protection against man-made and natural hazards. An integrated system spanning
climate sensors, core city infrastructure systems, and city agents will help safeguard
cities from natural disasters and infrastructure failures.
 Cutting-edge preventive care. Innovations like smart wearables, hygiene tools, smart
homes, and state-of-the-art emergency response systems will make it possible to provide
truly effective preventive care.

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  Accountable and efficient government services. Aided by distributed and technology-
enabled delivery and a high degree of citizen participation, service performance will be
benchmarked against service level agreements.
 Convenient access to a large variety of non-work pursuits. Citizens will be able to easily
partake in entertainment, sports, arts, culture, and spiritual events.

These characteristics by no means constitute a comprehensive description of the city of

the future, nor do they represent the only path for building one. Rather, they are the
characteristics that rang the most across leading city thinkers and researchers, city leaders, and
city planners who McKinsey surveyed. The hope is that these traits can help leaders of different
cities develop detailed visions for their own specific context. We have also deliberately not
ranked the importance of these characteristics nor suggested what they might cost. Both will
vary with the city and require significant contextual analysis to determine.

The way forward

Every city will have to design its own future journey in a way that reflects the unique
constraints it faces. The actions pursued by city leaders, investors, key businesses, residents, and
other constituents will depend on the city’s level of maturity in a wide range of areas, including
human centricity, infrastructure, political stability, technology interventions, citizen engagement,
and safety. A three-pronged approach can help start the process:

 Understand and elevate citizen sentiment and feedback to guide future efforts in the
right direction. Citizen sentiment can be extracted from different sources and at multiple
levels of granularity. Social media analyses, open data portals that highlight local
problems, sensors that capture consumption patterns, third-party surveys, and official
studies can help.
 Trigger “no-regret” initiatives for districts or neighborhoods to generate a case for
change and the momentum needed to achieve it. Although realizing the vision will
require long-term focus, stakeholder alignment, as well as patient capital and resource
deployment, city leaders should not hesitate to effect smaller change wherever possible.
Building gardens and parks in high-density neighborhoods, improving walkability,
setting up an e-government portal for select services, developing a public events
calendar, and adopting technologies for security can spur meaningful change.
 Set the stage for an end-to-end effort that will transform the city and its governance into
an effective citizen-centric environment. It will be critical to establish a dedicated
delivery unit focused on fact finding, option generation, and consensus building. The
unit will need to understand the relative contribution of population and productivity to

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 the city’s GDP growth historically to set goals for global flows across goods, services,
financials, and people. It will also be necessary to understand domestic and international
migration trends, which will have a significant impact on the talent pool of the future.
Also, the unit will need to understand where the city is on the smart city journey. These
are just a few of the area’s cities will have to focus on to create transformative change.

Evaluation Test I. True or False

Instruction: Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement is

false. Kindly write your answer on the space provided.

_____1. Falling populations were the key driver of urban growth from
the year 2000 to 2012.

_____2. By 2020, more than 60 percent of large cities in developed

regions and 47 percent in developing regions will have fewer young
adults than they do today.

_____3. Talent, technology, climate, and globalization will be key shapers of the city context.

_____4. Dubai is currently the world’s most cosmopolitan city, with foreign born residents
making up 83 percent of its population.

_____5. Urban growth has significantly decreased risk for cities worldwide when it comes to
resources.

_____6. By 2025, many cities across the developing world are most likely to have sufficient
energy supply.

_____7. Social stress can result from poor governance, excessively rapid urbanization, unequal
wealth distribution, and youth unemployment.

_____8. As chronic and social stresses grow, they are pushing low-income groups into slums and
informal settlements vulnerable to floods, landslides, and other natural disasters.

_____9. Disruptive technologies do not have the potential to transform the way cities currently
operate.

_____10. Increasing global interconnectedness means that cities are more vulnerable to remote
events than they have been in the past.

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Test II. Enumeration

 What are the four forces shaping cities?

11. _______________________________
12. _______________________________
13. _______________________________
14. _______________________________
 Enumerate the three types of resource stress that cities are vulnerable with.
15. _______________________________
16. _______________________________
17. _______________________________
 Give at least two disruptive technologies that have the potential to transform the way
cities currently operate.
18. _______________________________
19. _______________________________
 Cite at least three characteristics of the best cities of the future will likely have.
20. _______________________________
21. _______________________________
22. _______________________________

Feedback _____________________________________________________
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References

Clos, J.(2010) Inspiring Future Cities: urban services shaping future urban
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 About the
Authors John Relch M. Batiller is a graduate of
Bachelor of Science in Political Science at
Central Mindanao University. He is an
instructor of Bukidnon State University under
the College of Arts and Sciences- General
Education Department. He currently taking
his Master in Public Administration at
Bukidnon State University.

Clark Jun J. Cari, LPT is a graduate of

Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in
Social Studies from Bukidnon State
University batch 2019. He is a Licensed
Professional Teacher. Currently, he is an
instructor at Bukidnon State University under
the College of Arts and Sciences-General
Education Courses Department.

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