...Student number: 999929323 Course code: GGR 207 Instructor: Dr. Jason Cooke September 29th 2014 Topic: What is a City? There are various ways to define a city either it be from a historical, contemporary, administrative or economic viewpoint. For the purpose of this analysis, a city is defined as a large permanent settlement, which is usually dense and highly populated relative to rural villages and towns, and they are made up of heterogeneous people. As recently as a hundred years ago, only 2 in 10 people lived in cities, but now we have 54% of the world population living in cities or urban areas. The history of cities date back to the time hunter-gatherers roamed the earth. After a few years, this led to semi permanent settlements, and with the invention of irrigation, this led to specialization of other areas and the development of cities as settlements became permanent. As more jobs and opportunities became available in cities, people from the villages moved to the cities, and this accounts for the dense characteristic of most cities. The first cities are thought to have started around 3500BC in lower Mesopotamia after the Neolithic revolution or the agricultural revolution, as agriculture is believed to be a pre requisite for city development. Urbanism can be described as the way cities grow or develop. There are various characteristics of a city; some include population size and density, social stratification, economic production and consumption, diversity of people...
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...With the increased standard of living, people pay more attention their quality of living. Some people believe that living in a big city has more advantages than living in the country side while others think differently. For me, I prefer living in a big city. Living in a quiet country side has several advantages. People benefit from clear air, tranquil atmosphere, less traffic and beautiful scene. In addition, people who live in small towns look out each other. This makes them feel secure. Moreover, crime rates are much less than big cities. People are comfortable leaving their doors unlocked. However, living in a metropolitan city has many more advantages. Firstly, many job opportunities are available as there are many companies, banks, offices and international companies. Secondly, there are many facilities and amenities for individuals. Publics amenities will provide services such as sports, arts and computer lessons with very low fee due to government supported programs. In addition, medical facilities and emergency systems are easily assessable when individuals live in big cities. Thirdly, people can have more choices when they buy necessities because there are numerous malls around their neighbourhood. They often buy the same material at a lower price due to bargain sales going on. Fourthly, transportation is extremely important in the modern society, but there are no public transportation systems in small towns, so individuals always use their own cars...
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...Five ICT Essentials for Smart Cities A Whitepaper for Business Executive Summary More than half of the population of the Earth now live in urban areas (United Nations, 2012). Modern cities face many challenges and opportunities because of this. The challenges range from providing a good quality of life for citizens to ensuring appropriate socio-economic development year on year, while the opportunities can be seen in businesses becoming more efficient and innovative, to the reduction of crime through the use of ICTs in policing. The concept of making cities “smart” has grown out of the need for cities to meet these challenges and opportunities. Based on an analysis of the literature on Smart Cities1, Future Internet2 and Open Living Labs3, this paper examines, from the perspective of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage, what the essential components are for making a city “smart”. It outlines five essential ICT elements that cities need to acquire or develop on their path to becoming smarter. The paper then comments on the non-material essentials that also make up a good ICT strategy for smart cities. It argues that along with the five ICT essentials outlined in this paper, cities must develop sustainable partnerships and cooperation strategies among main stakeholders to ensure the effective sharing of common city resources among citizens and businesses. If this is achieved, urban and regional innovation ecosystems can develop, in turn, speeding...
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...* Sheldon Rowland * Profile of Kelsey * The city of Kelsey prides itself on history, controlled growth and being aesthetically pleasing. City managers have contracted what they describe as “top builders” to erect commercial and residential properties. Kelsey’s founders witnessed and preserved the rolling hill views, nearby pristine lake, and fields for agriculture. As the population swells to over 600,000, city planners work to preserve the old fashioned, small town feel of Kelsey. People living in Kelsey can appreciate the agriculture history and preservation manifested by the organic gardens throughout the city. Agriculture also serves as a symbol for work ethic and self-sustainability which is a community value. Business thrives throughout the city as residents work in a similar fashion to their city forefathers. Support and services are offered throughout the city, however each unit is budgeted and strictly monitored to avoid deficits and long term debt. City employees, such as policeman and firefighters, recently increased their contributions to their healthcare and retirement benefits to help the city remain financially strong (2013). Each resident is equally responsible for funding the city via a consumption or sales tax. Kelsey has also preserved a portion of the downtown area, and labeled it “historic.” Although population has risen, the city and residents value the small town attractiveness of Kelsey. A benefit of residents working to preserve the...
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...World Cities The global pattern of urbanisation: millionaire cities, mega cities and world cities • At a global scale, rapid urbanisation has occurred over the last 50 years. • Almost 50% of the world’s population lives in towns and cities. 19% of the world’s population lives in cities of more than 1 million people. • The most urbanised continents are Europe, North and South America and Oceania and the least urbanised continents are Asia and Africa. • The number of urban dwellers is by far largest in Asia, with 1.4 billion people living in towns and cities (40% of the population). • Urbanisation is increasing most rapidly in Africa and Asia. • This trend is expected to continue so that by 2025 almost half the population of these continents will live in urban areas and 80% of urban dwellers will live in developing countries. • Increased global urbanisation has resulted in the development of many millionaire cities. • There is also a significant number of enormous megacities, some of which are classed as world cities. ❖ Millionaire cities are those with more than 1 million people. India and China have the most millionaire cities in the world. ❖ Megacities are those with more than 10 million people, of which there are 20 (15 in the developing world) ❖ World cities are those which have great influence on a global scale, because of their financial status and worldwide commercial power....
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...Elizabeth Kiem Resilient Cities What makes a city resilient? When the word resilience comes to mind I think of ones ability to bounce back. In the case of matching resilient up with a city I wasn’t quite sure what exactly goes into a city being qualified to earn that adjective. After navigating around the Building Resilient Regions Website and viewing what they do and how they do it, I found myself looking at their resilience capacity index. This index ranks over 300 U.S. cities on how it recovers from stress. Ultimately a cities stress is a mixture of how well it can handle natural disasters, economic decline, and rapid growth. It can be summarized as a cities ability to adapt and transform. When looking at the index the top ranked cities was not what I expected. I decided to see just how resilient one of my favorite cities to go to is; Seattle, Washington. I picked Seattle because I love to visit there. Being from Arizona I love the change of scenery. Cool, rainy, and gray is a nice getaway from scorching and dry. I also have family there so it’s a city close to my heart. I have never thought about its resiliency so after I learn more the next time I go there I can see first hand what needs to be done or what it already doing. Seattle is the largest city in Washington and located between Lake Washington and an inlet of the Pacific Ocean called the Puget Sound. Seattle’s population is over 600,000 people. Seattle is hilly and has wet winters and dry summers. In regards...
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...His/301 Clyde Miller Civil Rights Memo Attention Staff, I, Carmichael Thomas, your elected mayor of the beautiful city has been recently faced with some difficult decisions pertaining to the civil rights of our people. The city of Tampa, Florida face many civil rights actions that need to be addressed and it is up to me to ensure that I do my best to keep the interest of the people at heart. For example, the people of Tampa want more minority contracts in construction, youth violence is at an all-time high and is only going to continue to rise, and the city should become more familiar on the ideas of disease and how to deal with them. We also need to create a timetable that will eventually give minorities the chance to receive more governmental jobs and reestablish our cities to ensure that they are handicap accessible. As mayor of this city and as my staff, we have our hands full. In order to be reelected on the net upcoming election I will need the votes of the people that I represent so I would like to do the best job possible. As mayor I want to ensure that workers are safe on the job and do not have to worry about the thoughts of receiving HIV or being harassed while in the work environment. Workers should be comfortable on the job and should always be safe. Minorities make up at least 35 percent of the city of Tampa and seem to be left out when it comes to being awarded great government jobs or construction jobs. It is very illegal to show favoritism...
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...IMAGE OF THE CITY KEVIN LYNCH Lynch influenced the field of city planning through his work on the theory of city form, and studies relating to human perceptions of the city y y , g p p y on the perception of the city environment and its consequences for city design. Lynch says "Looking at cities can give a special pleasure, however y y g g p p , commonplace the sight may be. Like a piece of architecture, the city is a construction in space, but of a vast scale, . . . perceived only in the course of long spans of time . . . At every instant, there is more than the eye can see, more than the ear can hear, a setting or view waiting to be explored. , , g g p Nothing is experienced by itself, but always in relation to its surroundings, the sequences of events leading up to it, the memory of past experiences . . . Every citizen has had long associations with some part of his city, and his image is soaked in memories and meanings . . . “ g g Theory of Kevin L h K i Lynch IMAGE OF THE CITY KEVIN LYNCH Image of the city 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The Image of the Environment Three cities The city Image and Its elements City Form A new Scale Book contents Appendices 1. 1 Some references to orientation 2. The Use of the methodology 3. Two examples of analysis IMAGE OF THE CITY KEVIN LYNCH Methodology of working: Make visual plan Analyze the existing form and public image of the area. Understand the critical problems, opportunities and image elements and use them...
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...refers to cities. A person has two choices either he or she can enjoy peaceful village life or can live a fast life in city. Villages are very different from cities, they vary in sizes which are mostly dependent upon the population size. Villages are located in the outskirts of the city. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas are commonly rural though; so are others such as forests. In villages, there are diverse people and numerous social groups can be found. In villages in countries such as Pakistan, high population of minorities can be found. The houses are made of either mud or wood depending upon the availability of the material. You can spot wide stretches of green land. These areas consist not only of trees but also cultivatable land in which you can often see farmers working on their plantations. From a hilly area you can witness all the wonders of a rural life as it is surrounded by natural beauty and greenery as the nature embraces its existence. You can see sunflower plantations, standing tall amongst the land and gazing at the sky. Benefits of rural aren’t limited to your eyes but your body also gains from it. Everything you eat is pure and naturally provided. Water from fresh streams, pure milk from the cows and best quality of fruits. You can also enjoy the pleasant and peaceful environment, cocks crowing and bird’s chimes throughout the day. Although rural areas are a beautiful place to live, cities can be great...
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...Adulthood brings into focus maturity. I moved into the city, and came to the realization that I had to adjust to a different way of living, another transition of my life. I was very overwhelmed by hustle and all the excitement of the life that surrounded me. For this reason rural life and city life can be compared and contrasted in regards to cost, standard of living, accessibility and entertainment. Living in a rural environment gives one the sense of a community. Everyone becomes your family sharing concerns for each other, Neighbors can look out for each other and care for your property, less concerns among people for each other exist when living in the city, but as a result of busy schedules and time constraint it is understandable. The most noticeable difference between city life and rural life is cost. Living in the city is very expensive due to a higher demand of goods and services due to demographics in population. The basic necessities of life for example housing (rent or own) food consumption, utility bills, and to maintain that social standard can be overbearing, but there are better educational opportunities and wider range of professional government jobs and higher pay. Living in a rural area, the standard of living is inexpensive, there is a smaller population growth and the demand for goods and services is on a much smaller scale. In contrasting rural and city life, accessibility to services in the city is very easy. Taxicabs are readily available to...
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...Life in the city is full of activity. Early in the morning hundreds of people rush out of their homes in the manner ants do when their nest is broken. Soon the streets are full of traffic. Shops and offices open, students flock to their schools and the day's work begins. The city now throb with activity, and it is full of noise. Hundreds of sight-seers, tourists and others visit many places of interest in the city while businessmen from various parts of the world arrive to transact business. Then towards evening, the offices and day schools begin to close. Many of the shops too close. There is now a rush for buses and other means of transport. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to reach home. As a result of this rush, many accidents occur. One who has not been to the city before finds it hard to move about at this time. Soon, however, there is almost no activity in several parts of the city. These parts are usually the business centres. With the coming of night, another kind of actịvity begins. The streets are now full of colorful lights. The air is cooler and life becomes more leisurely. People now seek entertainment. Many visit the cinemas, parks and clubs, while others remain indoors to watch television or listen to the radio. Some visit friends and relatives and some spend their time reading books and magazines. Those who are interested in politics discuss the latest political developments. At the same time, hundreds of crimes are committed. Thieves and robbers who wait...
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...Washington University Law Review Volume 1962 Issue 3 Symposium: The City in History by Lewis Mumford January 1962 Some Observations on Lewis Mumford’s “The City in History” David Riesman Follow this and additional works at: http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview Part of the Land Use Planning Commons Recommended Citation David Riesman, Some Observations on Lewis Mumford’s “The City in History”, 1962 Wash. U. L. Q. 288 (1962). Available at: http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview/vol1962/iss3/2 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Law Review by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact digital@wumail.wustl.edu. SOME OBSERVATIONS ON LEWIS MUMFORD'S 'THE CITY IN HISTORY' DAVID RIESMAN* For a number of years I have not had any time to undertake book reviews but I feel so keenly the importance and excitement of Mumford's work, and my own personal debt to that work, that I wanted to contribute to this symposium even if I could not begin to do justice to the task. What follows are my only slightly modified notes made on reading selected chapters of the book-notes which I had hoped to have time to sift and revise for a review. I hope I can give some flavor of the book and of its author and invite readers into the corpus of Mumford's...
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...Life in a city has a number of advantages. People are drifting from villages to cities as city life offers many facilities. In summer, we have electricity and water coolers at our disposal. We have ice and cold drinks in a large variety. In winter we have electric heaters to make us warm. There are schools and colleges of all types-arts, science, technical-where we can send our children and get them educated. There are theatres and cinemas for our recreation. There are gardens and parks for roaming in our leisure hours. There are doctors, nurses and hospitals. In case of need, we can contact medical practitioners on the phone. All medicines are easily available. There are offices, business houses, mills and factories. One can easily find a job. There is enough work for the skilled and unskilled labourers. There are rickshaws, tongas, taxis and buses. We can easily move from one part of the city to another. We get fresh fruit and vegetables all round the year. There are cloth markets and tailors. We can have readymade clothes or get them prepared to order in no time. There are lectures and debates. There are libraries and reading rooms. Newspaper boys hawk newspapers from morning till evening. We get the latest news. The radio broadcasts music, news and latest information on all topics at all hours of the day. City life has some drawbacks. There are many evils and temptations which are demoralizing our young men. City life has effiminated us. People are selfish and...
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...Define the City A city is usually associated with big bright lights, hectic traffic, lots of busy roads and tall dark buildings- however, rarely do we look past the mere surface of a city to see what exactly constructs “the city”. To me, population has always been a significant indicator associated with cities- if the area has a large population then it is considered to be a city. Reading these articles I still believe in this connection and this large population makes the city a social institution. The best definition of a city is made by Lewis Mumford when he states that the city is not just a physical fact but rather a social institution- “where men by mutual society and companying together, do grow to alliances, commonalties, and corporations.”[1] The large population enables the formation of the “social” part of the institution and in return the institution is needed to organize, lead and support the population. The city is the economic and political centre which is created by and for the people. Every city, due to its large population will have a large work force, and this large work force will produce large economic growth. This economic gain is orchestrated by the population to increase their own standard of living. “Cities” are where the main consulates, embassies, town halls, etc can be found, which are all created by people to create order and structure to the population. Along with this the city is a “theatre of social action”[2] where people can be found everywhere...
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...Public Disclosure Authorized 62696 Public Disclosure Authorized CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE Responding to an Urgent Agenda Daniel Hoornweg, Mila Freire, Marcus J. Lee, Perinaz Bhada-Tata, and Belinda Yuen, editors blic Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE The Urban Development Series discusses the challenge of urbanization and what it will mean for developing countries in the decades ahead. The series delves substantively into the core issues framed by the World Bank’s 2009 Urban Strategy, Systems of Cities: Harnessing Urbanization for Growth and Poverty Alleviation. Across the five domains of the Urban Strategy, the series provides a focal point for publications that seek to foster a better understanding of the core elements of the city system, pro-poor policies, city economies, urban land and housing markets, urban environments, and other issues germane to the agenda of sustainable urban development. Cities and Climate Change: Responding to an Urgent Agenda is the first title in the Urban Development Series. CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE Responding to an Urgent Agenda Daniel Hoornweg, Mila Freire, Marcus J. Lee, Perinaz Bhada-Tata, and Belinda Yuen, editors Washington, D.C. © 2011 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org All rights reserved 1 2 3 4 14 13 12 11 This volume is a product...
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