GEOG 1410 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Lewis Mumford, Gateway Cities, Industrialisation
3 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
GEOG 1410
November 9, 2017
Origin of Cities
The city is one of the most complex examples of human civilization
City in History - Lewis Mumford (1963)
● There is no single description that will cover its manifestation
● Its origins are obscure
Recap:
● Defining the city, conceptions of the city, workshop of industrial civilization, living
environments, role of cities, capital and labour, decision making capacity,
transformative capacities, properties of cities, capitalization and management
Major transformations
● Development of Agriculture 7000 bce and the growth of farming settlements
● Pre-industrial revolution that brought cities into being
● Industrial Revolution (18th - 19th century)
● Post-industrial cities
Preconditions for urban growth
● Population
● Environment - conducive for people to live
● Technology - types of infrastructure, travel and communication
● Social Organization - complex, socially, politically, economically
○ Duncan (1961)
Urban Origin Theories (Power)
● Hydraulic Theory
○ Irrigation is important for urban development, water management
○ Bureaucrats that manage the water
● Economic Theory
○ Trade developments, the exchange of raw materials
○ Who are the agents in the community, and how are these investments shared
with the rest of the population
● Military theories
● Religious theories
The form of the city, the structure, and function of the city
Urban Revolution
● Agricultural Revolution
● Urbanized Empires
● Medieval Cities
● Mercantile Cities
● Gateway Cities and Colonial Cities
● Industrialization
● Post Industrial Cities
● Smart Cities or Fluid Cities
Document Summary
The city is one of the most complex examples of human civilization. There is no single description that will cover its manifestation. Defining the city, conceptions of the city, workshop of industrial civilization, living environments, role of cities, capital and labour, decision making capacity, transformative capacities, properties of cities, capitalization and management. Development of agriculture 7000 bce and the growth of farming settlements. Pre-industrial revolution that brought cities into being. Environment - conducive for people to live. Technology - types of infrastructure, travel and communication. Social organization - complex, socially, politically, economically. Irrigation is important for urban development, water management. Trade developments, the exchange of raw materials. Who are the agents in the community, and how are these investments shared with the rest of the population. The form of the city, the structure, and function of the city. Urban concentration, rural exodus, extension of the urban fabric, complete subordination of the agrarian to the urban.
