Gentrification or RevitalizationGentrification or Revitalization• The rehabilitation of deteriorated, sometimes abandoned

inner city housing and industrial buildings.• Inner city gentrification attracts childless urbanites and

singles who desire the cultural & recreational amenities -walking distance to restaurants, museums, theaters, etc.

• DINKS, SINKS and retired “Baby Boomers” are drawn back to the city by revitalization.

• Urban Policy-city governments encourage redevelopment by passing laws that encourage the redevelopment of blighted inner city areas-tax incentives and rezoning and the condemning of blighted regions.

• Commercialization of Downtown-waterfront themes-Miami, NYC, Baltimore, Themed structures-Renaissance Center in Gary, Ind., Detroit, Mich. Chicago’s Navy Pier

Gentrification or RevitalizationGentrification or Revitalization

• Economic policy-tax incentives (TIFS) encourage the redevelopment of inner cities where land is cheaper than the expensive suburbs.

• Sense of place-many “baby boomers” as well as “Yuppies” are drawn to the historic landmarks and amenities of the city such as markets, museums and galleries ( e.g. Millennium Park, Navy Pier etc.

Chicago’s Navy PierChicago’s Navy Pier

Urban decay inUrban decay inWashington, Washington,

D.C.D.C.

Uptown neighborhood Uptown neighborhood in Chicago-abandoned in Chicago-abandoned apartment buildings; apartment buildings; an area that is primed an area that is primed

for gentrificationfor gentrification

Tear-downs – houses that new owners buy with the intention of tearing it down to build a much larger home.McMansions – large homes, often built to the outer limits of the lot. They are called McMansions because of their super size and their similar look.

Hinsdale, Illinois (25% of houses have been torn down in last 20 years).

The Suburban CityThe Suburban City• Post WW II rapid

transformation of rural areas adjacent to cities into suburbs

• New automobiles & highways as well as govt. policy, Federal Highway Program, GI Bill and Loan Guarantees for housing

• Demand for larger more expensive suburban homes by the returning GIs

• 1970=37% suburban by 1990 46% suburban & 31% inner city with 23% rural

Suburban downtowns, often located near key freeway intersections, often with:

- office complexes

- shopping centers

- hotels

- restaurants

- entertainment facilities

- sports complexes

Edge CitiesEdge Cities

New UrbanismNew Urbanism

• Development, urban revitalization, and suburban reforms that create walkable neighborhoods with a diversity of housing and jobs.

• some are concerned over privatization of public spaces

– some are concerned that they do nothing to break down the social conditions that create social ills of the cities

– some believe they work against urban sprawl

• America’s population is decentralizing faster that at any time in history

• Orlando grew 5 fold in 3 decades• Average home size grew by 63%

over last 3 decades• 28% of suburban dwellers are

ethnic minorities• 10 days a year-the average amount

of time Americans spend commuting to work

• Living in sprawling suburbs can add 61 lbs to your weight-due to driving & no exercise

Gated CommunitiesGated Communities

Who are gated communities for?

How do the goals/purposes of gated communities differ across the world?

Spaces of ConsumptionSpaces of ConsumptionThe transformation of the city into an entertainment district, where major corporations

encourage the consumption of their goods and services. For example: Berlin, Germany & New York City

The Canadian CityThe Canadian City• Less dispersed with higher

pop. densities than US cities

• More multi-family dwellings and less disparity in wealth

• Suburbs not as large or as affluent as in the US

• Central city has more middle and higher income pop. & stronger tax base

• Better services & public transportation systems

The European CityThe European City

• Western European cities are more compact than Canadian cities

• Same size in pop. As US cities, but smaller in land area• European govt. are proactive in maintaining healthy CBDs• No sprawl-suburbs are too far out to compete with CBD• Greenbelts preserve the central city from close suburban

development• Very high fuel costs discourage suburban development• Central cities are clogged with cars, but mass transit, bikes,

and walking are relied on for transportation• Zoning rules are strictly enforced and highway and beltway

construction lags.

The European CityThe European City• London-6.4 m., Paris 10.2

m., Rome, Berlin, Madrid and Athens are megacities by world standards

• These are historic cities not impacted by the Industrial Revolution

• British Midlands & German Ruhr valley cities are very different-smaller & heavily industrialized-destroyed in WWII

• Paris, Athens and Lisbon are Primate cities

The European City-GreenbeltsThe European City-Greenbelts

• London’s Central city is the same size it was in 1960

• Greenbelts were est. to counteract ill effects of Ind. Rev.

• Open countryside over 20 miles wide has scattered towns, but no extensive suburban areas

• Many urban parks maintain a green areas within the city

During the second half of the 20th century…

Nature of manufacturing changed and locations changed, too. Many factories have been abandoned, creating “rust belts” out of once-thriving industrial districts.

Duisburg, Germany

The Eastern European CityThe Eastern European City

• Eastern European & Russian cities were turned into microdistricts by communist planning

• Old primate and historical cities were ignored

• Huge dominant square & wide radiating avenues fronted by huge apartment complexes with factories, schools, shops & so on.

• No need for CBD, mass commuting or suburbs

The Eastern European CityThe Eastern European City

• Large 7 to 11 story complexes were rapidly built of shoddy material with no decoration-ugly and depressing

• Moscow’s growing pop. (11 m.) lives in microdistricts that radiate out from Red Square.

• St. Petersburg was rebuilt in the ugly socialist style after heavy damage in World War II

Modeling the Cities of the Global Periphery Modeling the Cities of the Global Periphery and Semiperipheryand Semiperiphery

• Latin American City

(Griffin-Ford model)

• African City (de Blij model)

• Southeast Asian City (McGee model)

Making Cities in the Global Periphery and Making Cities in the Global Periphery and SemiperipherySemiperiphery

- sharp contrast between rich and poor

- Often lack zoning laws or enforcement of zoning laws

The Ibero-American CityThe Ibero-American City

• Latin American cities are growing rapidly-1950= 41% urban, 1997 74% urban

• CBD dominates the center with 2 main divisions-traditional market and modern high rises

• A commercial spine and axis of business is surrounded by elite residential housing

Griffin-Ford model

The Ibero-American CityThe Ibero-American City• The spine is an extension

of the CBD with offices, shops, high class housing, restaurants, theaters, & parks

• Zone of Maturity-Middle class housing 2nd best

• Zone of In Situ Accretion-high pop. Density of modest housing

• Periphery-Periferico-high density shanty towns of extreme poverty and no services (favelas)

The African CityThe African City

• African cities often have 3 CBDs=Colonial, Traditional and Periodic Market Zone

• Sub-Saharan Africa is the least urbanized area of the world, but the most rapidly urbanizing

• No large cities to match Cairo-Kinshasa, Nairobi, Harare, Dakar, Abidjan were established by Europeans

de Blij model

The African CityThe African City• No large cities to match Cairo-Kinshasa, Nairobi, Harare,

Dakar, Abidjan were established by Europeans • South African cities-Johannesburg, Cape Town & Durbin

are western cities with elements of European and American models-high rise CBDs and sprawling suburbs

The Southeast Asian CityThe Southeast Asian City

• SE Asia-rapid growth of population & cities-1950-15% urban, 1990s-29% urban

• Most growth in coastal cities like Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

• Old colonial port zone surrounds the commercial district

• Unlike Western cities-no formal business zone, but separate clusters McGee model

Ethnic NeighborhoodsEthnic NeighborhoodsEuropean City

– eg. Muslim neighborhoods in ParisCities of the Periphery and Semiperiphery

– eg. Mumbai, India

Mumbai, IndiaMumbai, India