Class notes/September 8

Looking at the growth of our own urban network

Urbanization is going to occur in asia and africa? isn't it already there?

will they have some of the same issues what we've had?


Hyperurbanization brings what kinds of problems (universally):
Traffic congestion (what kind of vehicles/what type of technology?)
Housing shortage (slums, legos)
Increasing population
Public health issues.
Services (water, sewage)
Economic structure's abilities

US Settlement Patterns
Colonial era
-imperial traits
-geographic determinants
Mercantile period
-growth of independent economy
Early Industrialization
Late Industrialization


How did the U.S. become urban?
Spain had a very rigid mercantilist policy and if you have an outpost that outpost should be serving you. In Saint Augustine, etc, you can see a settlement, central plaza, cabilda(mayor's office). Oh how mighty you are Spain! They always followed the laws of the indies.

second group of settlers were the british. the british gave out pattents to people to make trading posts so there does not exist one model for british towns. however, there are common characteristics such as the green (used for communal grazing and get togethers) and a big church. Courthouse is the center of administrative towns.

example: Annapolis
Street plan has diagonal streets (avenue), grid, circles and church and statehouse in the circles, making the streets view corridors. Today, waterfront views qualify as view corridors. interestingly, view corridors point out that streets are public space and so are our views.

example: Savannah
square plots; met growth needs by adding more square parcels.

developing our hinterland: we built canals to link the hinterlands with the city of the east. we wanted the agriculture. the us government was able to get money through trade taxes or land sales (we did not have income tax until 1913/1914). so, we needed to create a universal system for land surveying. thereby the US became 640 acre/1 square mile units.

alaska still qualifies under the homestead act.

1869-1906
1870s cars and oil start.
Cheap inexpensive steal.
1896 plessy versus ferguson

the new industrial order (1860s-1910ish)
the production of goods would not occur in the home but the factory.
labor, resources, transportation.

http://www.brookings.edu/speeches/2007/1106_blueprint_katz.aspx

transportation
innovation
communication revolution
growth of the ability to generate capital (development of financial markets, savings, growth and expansion of the corporation--> a legal entity that allows a company issue stock certificates, the company no longer dies when the company dies, you can have professional managers separate from investors, liability)

we have a huge labor pool thanks to immigration.

railroads create a unifying time

on and on about slum conditions/child labor/how funny it is when children are left alone in dark places with boarders.

City planning will come out of all of these reform movements.

Housing reform
Parks and open space
Large-scale redevelopment projects