GUS 0831 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Demographic Transition, Megacity
Document Summary
Definitions: city - an urban demographic, economic, and above all political. Ecologies: incorporated place - legal/political and formally recognized entities. Can be treated as a corporation for financial purposes. B. 1: urban area - references a particularly built-up or built-upon area. Used as a way of measuring the boundaries of urban areas: metro area - includes not only the incorporated place and the urban/surrounding suburban areas, but also the rural areas (hinterlands). Hinterlands often provide food for the city: megalopolis - a way of categorizing areas that have several, densely-populated cities within a close distance from each other. Site vs. situation: site refers to a city"s physical characteristics (its geography, situation (generally) refers to a city"s position in relation to other human structures. A city"s economical standing compared to other cities. The erie canal greatly improved new york city"s economic status: situation is relative; it can change over time.