Population Geography

Functions of towns and cities

• Security and defense
• Religious centers
• Trade centers (local and long distance
• Governmental administration
• Manufacturing centers
• Service centers

Examples of a city changing functions over time

• Rio de Janeiro—was the capital but now is a tourist attraction (Brasilia)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—early function was for frontier defense, then shifted to steel manufacturing, and now is the home to many diverse services

• New York City—has changed from a center of coastal and transatlantic trade to a center for the Great Lakes and Erie canal region to worldwide trade and finances
• Mining towns– once the resources were gone, many towns became “ghost towns”

What influence does urban areas have on their region and country?

• They are the home to monuments which help bring pride and develop nation-building.
• They are transportation and communication centers.
• They are natural attractions for immigrants.

• They are the seed beds for new ideas and technologies.
• Their diversity helps lead to creativity in the arts.
• Many are the home to major Universities which provide educational opportunities.

• They are the headquarters and regional outposts of major corporations.
• The major media outlets have their centers there (newspapers, radio, and television).

What problems are associated with growth of urban areas?

• Transportation problems, especially since the automobile.
• Rich and poor neighborhoods are usually isolated from one another.
• As overcrowding occurs, providing essential services (water, sewage, electricity) is a problem.

• Air, water, and noise pollution
• Sprawl (spreading) of urban areas takes agricultural land out of production.
• Rapid migration results in “shantytowns” on the edge of Latin American, Asian, and African cities.

• In developing countries, major cities are more connected to the outside world than to less developed regions in their own countries