North America

Territorial Dynamics

A. Main core of the US – Main core of the world– Northeast + Manufacturing Belt

• Political & economic core of US Power• 45% of industrial jobs

– Megalopolis• Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. • #1 world gathering of political, economic, financial & cultural

powers

– Rust Belt• Crisis of traditional heavy industry

– automobile industry in Detroit, textiles

• Industrial redevelopment– Pittsburg, Cleveland, Buffalo

I. U.S. Core and Peripheries

B. Growing integrated periphery• Sun Belt– Oil deposits, high technology, aerospace, robotics,

biotechnologies– Very Attractive & integrated periphery

• Regions of major growth– Major cities & high tech industries

• Silicon Valley in San Francisco area• Silicon Beach in Southern California• Silicon Prairie in Texas• Cascadia around Seattle

• Revitalized old south – tourism (e.g. Miami)– new technologies (Atlanta, Research Triangle Park)

The Sun Belt and Population Growth Trends 2000-2010

C. Margins of US territory used by the core

• Corn Belt and Great Plains:– Agro-industrial core of the US and breadbasket of

the world• Rocky Mountains, natural areas (National

Parks)– Low density of population – Tourism, exploitation of natural resources, energy

• Remote States: – Hawaii (tourism & tropical agriculture)– Alaska (oil deposits and geostrategic location)

II. Territorial Dynamics which demonstrate US world power

A. US power concentrated in urban areas– World/global cities, urban core of the world• NYC, LA, Chicago

– Major metropolises with national or international influence• Washington, D.C.,

– New megalopolises in progress• Attracting millions of inhabitants & diverse economic

activities (service sectors & R&D development)• Los Angeles/San Diego ; Seattle/Vancouver;

Dallas/Houston

2 most important changes in North American city

models• Inner cities that were once reserved

for business and a ring of the poorest-quality housing are being “revived.”

• Suburbs have begun to take on the roles more typically associated with the CBDs – Urban sprawl = technoburbs

Revitalization of business & residential areas of urban centers of US cities in late 20th century• Economic factors

– Expansion of service sector, quaternary sector, research facilities

– Growth in small businesses – residential districts surrounding city core

– Demand for housing in downtown & inner-city neighborhoods• Demographic factors

– New household forms : DINKS, yuppies, nontraditional households• Urban policy

– Govt/non-profit orgs to revitalize central cities through public policies and incentives

– City investment policies/tax incentives– Public-private partnerships– Historic preservation

• Sense of place– Emotional attachment to central-city locations based on cultural

amenities, landscape features, lifestyle factors

Video: Dismantling Urban Highways/Reimagining the Commons: Philadelphia 1’38

B. Interfaces open the USA to the world

• Main maritime interfaces w/ dynamic ports– San Francisco, Houston, Miami, NYC

• Flows of capital, goods & workers on dynamic cross-border areas– Mexamerica and the maquiladoras– Main Street– Cascadia

• Major intl airports (hubs) What are the 8 major hubs?– LA, Phoenix, Dallas/Ft Worth, Miami, O’Hare, JFK, Philadelphia,

Washington Dulles, Charlotte Douglas Intl• Internal migration flows (labor force & capital)

– Strengthen southern periphery (push & pull factors)• External migration flows (immigration) strengthen the Sun Belt

(push & pull factors)

C. Regional and global integration of the US

• NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)– Dynamic economic exchanges benefiting the US

• Main waterways linking the US to rest of world– Mississippi, Great Lakes & St Lawrence River

• Main intl flows w/ Triad– Eastern Asia & Western Europe

Part II Brazil in South America

Organization of

TerritoryIn Brazil

II. USA and Brazil: global role dynamic areas

• Video: Brazil’s Rising Star 60 minutes

A. Strong insertion in the global economy

• Brazil and the U.S. are two major agricultural and industrial powers– Except Vale and Petrobras, few Brazilian

firms compete against American ones– US firms dominate on the world stage: • Agro-food business (Cargill, Kraft Foods), • IT (Microsoft, IMB, Apple), • petroleum (Exxon, Mobil), • pharmaceutical (Pfizer)

1. Both countries possess a vast domestic market which stimulates the

service sector

Unbeatable superiority of US firms in several industries:• insurance (AIG)• retail (Walmart)• entertainment (Time Warner, Walt Disney)

Rapidly evolving economic sectors in Brazil •rising standard of living •emergence of a strong middle class

2. Brazilian Growth is much more sustained than the U.S.’• Mostly due to flows of FDI– 1st trade partner with Brazil is China– 1st foreign investor = China • $30 B in 2010 vs 5 B in the U.S.

• Despite this, Brazil ranks only 21st as global exporter of merchandise

B. Political-military influence very unbalanced

1. American power based on an enormous military-industrial complex– Largest military budget in world ($600 B/yr)– U.S. Military force twice the size of Brazil’s– Global military deployment by the U.S.

• Plays the role of the world police• Often denounced as imperialistic

Brazilian political cartoonist: Latuff 2011Title: Obama arrives in RioBubble: Where’s the petroleum?

2. Brazil’s Political Weight is largely inferior to the U.S.

• Brazil’s diplomatic influence on the world stage remains very low– Despite Brazil’s recent extension of its

embassies network – Despite sending the largest contingent

of UN peacekeeping forces to Haiti

3. Brazil is self-proclaimed political spokesperson of the South

• Former president Lula activated his South-South solidarity with emerging and Portuguese-speaking countries

• WTO: Lula criticized protectionism of Northern countries

• Brazil has evolved from net receiver of development aid to net giver– BUT Brazilian aid remains much inferior to that of

the U.S.

C. Cultural Americanization (Soft Power)

• US has initiated cultural models which are spread worldwide–Malls, fast-food, mainstream culture

(cinema, TV series, social media) characterize the American model of mass consumption

– Based on the “American dream”, the American way of Life attracts the largest immigrant population in the world

1. Brazil unable to rival U.S. cultural domination

• Brazil great producers of TV series exported in more than 130 countries (primarily Eastern Europe and Middle East)– Video: Trailer Avenida Brazil

• Brazilian culture has reduced impact due to lack of Portuguese speakers on world stage

2. Cultural hegemony of Brazil is more regional than global

• Main media group in Latin America : Globo– Television, cinema, press

• Brazil’s ambitions are planetary - organizing international sporting events – Football World Cup in 2014 – The Olympic Games in 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

D. U.S., Brazil: Territories which reflect their power

1. 2 immense territories but unequally controlled– Surface area of US 9.8 million km²– Surface area of Brazil 8.5 million km²– 15-17 times the size of metropolitan France– Major challenge: transportation networks• New York & Sao Paulo highest rail traffic in world• Brazil: air traffic more than doubled from 2004 to

2010 but planes used less often than U.S. despite long distances

2. Metropolises, mirrors of powerin North & South America

• Main metropolises in Brazil & the U.S. along the coastline– Historical Populating of both countries

from the coastline– Similar urbanization rate (Brazil: 87%

US: 82%)– Cities of the American Sun Belt

(Phoenix, Dallas, Las Vegas) and those of the Northwest of Brazil (Manaus, Fortaleza, Brasilia) have grown the most rapidly

Cities at the Heart of Power• Concentration of political functions

(Brasilia, Washington)• Financial functions (stock markets of

New York, Chicago & Sao Paulo)• Research Poles – Silicon Valley & San Francisco– Amazon Basin (earth sciences, biodiversity)

& Minas Gerais

• Manufacturing • Tourism (Miami and Rio de Janeiro tourist

spots attracting global population)

10 Largest Metropolises in the U.S. and Brazil

City Population (millions of inhabitants)

Sao Paulo 19.9

New York 19

Los Angeles 12.9

Rio de Janeiro 11.5

Chicago 9.6

Dallas-Fort Worth 6.4

Philadelphia 6

Houston 5.9

Miami 5.5

Washington, D.C. 5.5

Metropolization: merging American & Brazilian urban models

• Brazilian cities increasingly resemble American metropolis models

• Organized around a Central Business District– Concentrates the functions of power

• Phenomenon of urban sprawl• Video Ted Talks: Eduardo Paes - Mayor of Rio

de Janeiro - The Future of Cities, March 2012, 12”21

Population: 20 millionRapid urbanisation causes overcrowding

2,000 migrants arrive per week!High birth rate and lowering death rate (Rostow stg. 3) Internal rural to urban migration mainly from the poor NE region of Brazil. Pull factors of Sao Paulo

50% of industry is clustered in & around Sao Paulo Manufacturing (vehicles, machinery, textiles &

shoes) Also iron ore is found around Sao Paulo Booming construction industryMany businesses including coffee exports

  Improved roads & rail communication have encouraged migration

Sao Paulo

Impacts of Urbanization on People & the environment

• creation of large slums or ‘Favelas’

Characteristics of Squatter Cities

•Housing materials are collected from available resources, e.g. corrugated tin•Little sanitation•No running water•No cooking facilities•Illegal hookup to electricity, if any•No political voice•Lack of social services

Spatial Distribution of Favelas

•On the periphery of the cities in LDCs around the world.•In Europe and Latin America the rich choose to live in the culturally-rich inner city, the opposite is sometimes true in North American cities

3. Other Aspects in Common

• Both Countries populated by Pioneers• Highly religious culture but little religious

conflict• Rich natural resources exploited• Energy– Brazil highly dependent on hydroelectric power –

80%– Brazil developing wind energy + biofuels– Thanks to recent oil reserves discovered

offshore, Brazil is self-sufficient in petroleum unlike the U.S.

4. Risk Management less effective in Brazil than the U.S.

• Brazilians vulnerable to tropical storms– Flooding killed a thousand people near

Rio in 2011– Southeast of the US is particularly

exposed to cyclones, tornadoes and flooding by the Mississippi

Homework

• U.S. “croquis” due March 18th (see blog for blank map and legend)

• Reading Homework (texts on blog)–Measure of America Quick Facts 2014– Detroit Rust Belt– 2 Americas: Brazil vs. US– Brazil takes off – Brazil’s Future