MEGALOPOLIS MEGALOPOLIS Megalopolis at Night

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MEGALOPOLIS

• Term used to describe any large urban Regional Landscapes of the area created by the growth toward each United States and Canada other and eventual merging of two or MEGALOPOLIS more cities. • The French geographer Jean Gottman Prof. Anthony Grande adopted the term in 1961 for the title of his ©AFG 2012 now famous book, “Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States.”

When used with a capital “M”, the term denotes the Includes large cities, small towns and rural areas where most of the almost unbroken urban people reside in an urban place. development that extends from north of Boston, MA to counties south of Wash- ington, DC (from Portsmouth, NH to Richmond, VA).

With a lower case “m” the term is applied to any string of adjoining very large cities.

Megalopolis at Night From the beginning: SETTLEMENT

A place where one person or a group of

Boston people live. New York City Philadelphia Baltimore Washington Settlements are differentiated on the basis of

Over 500 miles from size = number of people present northern Boston metro area (in NH) to spacing = distance from each other southern extent of the Washington, DC function = reason for people grouping there metro area in Virginia.5 6

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Hierarchy of Setlement HIERARCHY of SETTLEMENT

The smallest settlements are greatest in number As the number of settlers (people) and located relatively close to each other. They increase from the individual dwelling provide residents with basic necessities. to hamlet to village to town to city, The larger settlements (cities) are more compli‐ a hierarchy of form and function is cated, offer variety of goods and services and created. are located at greater distances from each other.

People will travel to get the goods and services they need. 7 8

URBAN SETTING URBANIZATION

Large number of people. Urbanization is tied to changes in High concentration (density) of people. economic activities away from agriculture. Many functions (activities) are present. It allows people to develop a social order Cities are surrounded by a suburb (less than with a division of labor – specialists, crafts- urban) that is dependent on the urban area men, merchants, etc. – that supports the and an exurb (beyond the city) where residents activities of other people. live in a rural setting but are city‐oriented. Service sector of economy grows.

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Urban Landscape Development Urbanized Area

The development of an urbanized area takes • Exhibits unique activities or “functions” that on a life cycle. draw people to it. • Intense and complex spatial organization. 1. Creation • Reasons for location (site/situation advantages). 2. Growth • Reasons to concentrate people (pull factors). 3.Stagnation • Economic advantages associated with 4. Demise accessibility and movement (as both a collection and distribution point). 5. Resurgence Resurgence leads to the creation of a new identity.

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Historic Unique Functions Site & Situation (remember these when we look at other regions) Activities that draw people include: The original location aspects of an urban – Defense (fort) place’s physical and cultural environments – Government (administration) are related to function (reason for being; why – Transportation conveniences ((,ford, crossroads, fork) there?), accessibility to resources, and – Commerce and trade (market) pattern of growth . – Manufacturing (raw materials to finished product) BUT – Recreation (resorts) –Culture(education/religion/the arts) The quality of location changes with time. – Special activity (mining/forestry/fishing) The rise and fall of urban places can be docu- mented by the changing quality of their location. 13 14

Historic Favored Site Factors Site Characteristics (remember these when we look at other regions) of Selected Cities in Megalopolis • Protected harbor: an inlet of that affords a large, • Fertile river valley • Source of waterpower safe anchorage. (New York, Baltimore, New Haven, Providence) • Island • Mineral location • River crossing • Head of navigation: The farthest point inland from • Hilltop its mouth to which a river is navigable by deep-draught • Crossroads • Strategic overlook vessels. ((gWashington, Trenton, Baltimore ) • Sheltered bay • Area near entrance to • Peninsula: A site connected to the mainland by a • Head of navigation a mountain pass narrow neck of land; affords protection from landward • Portage point attack. (Boston) • Freshwater source • Confluence of two • Confluence: A point where two rivers meet; affords rivers protection and access. (Philadelphia, Wilmington)

Boston Boston

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New York City New York City

Site and Situation of Philadelphia Philadelphia

Baltimore Baltimore

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Washington, DC Plan of Washington, DC

ECONOMIC BASE Economic Base (cont’d)

A city can only survive if it has an The basic sector earns money from outside the economic base. city by selling products. Economic base of a city is a mix of The non‐basic sector services the resident work‐ manuftifacturing and service activiti es tha t ing population with grocery stores, retail shops, satisfy the needs of the city and earn income repair shops, schools, local transit, health care, etc. for the city. Multiplier Effect: On average, 2 non-basic workers are needed for every 1 basic worker. The economic base consists of a basic sector Non-basic workers are needed to support other and a non‐basic sector. non-basic workers. (But the reverse happens, too.)

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Megalopolis Today General Regional Site Characteristics of Megalopolis • Urban landscape is the •Has17% of the total U.S. • Coastal location allowed for regional trade dominant. population but only 1.5% and interaction with the world, esp. Europe. of the total land area • Urbanization has expand- • Numerous estuaries (drowned river mouths) ed into the surrounding • 17% of all U.S. export which form good harbors. farmland. trade moves through its • Moderate climate. • Rural areas persist but six major ports. are getting smaller. • It is a region of inter- • Variable soils that tend to be less productive; • 10 major metropolitan areas national significance. better in the portion south of Philadelphia. of over 1 million people, • Higher than average • Relatively flat to gently rolling terrain. plus numerous smaller proportion of white-collar • Straddles 2 physiographic regions and cities with large populations. employment. includes the Fall Line.

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Regional Situation of Fall Line Megalopolis •The border between the Good location relative to Europe Piedmont and the Atlantic for trade and immigration. Coastal Plain. Accessible. • Rapids and waterfalls are present. Rivers flow from – Along the Europe, Caribbean and hard rocks of the Pied‐ South American trade routes. mont’s higher elevation – Good harbors. FALL LINE onto the coastal plain. – Routes to the interior (hinterland). • These were the sites for Natural and man-made, esp. Hudson- the first watermills that Mohawk corridor and the Erie Canal) were the catalyst for urban – Convenient stop-off/service point development. for ships sailing the North Atlantic route.

Hinterland Access to the Interior (hinterland)

A tributary or service area defined as: Of all the cities of Megalopolis, only NYC had direct access to the interior of North America. The Hudson- 1. The inland area lying beyond a coastal Mohawk corridor provided an easy and fast route district. from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. 2Thl2. The lan d surroun ding a c itthtity that The E Eirie Cana l en hance dthid this rou te an dld le dtd to the rap id growth of NYC and NYS. a) gets goods and services from that city. b) supplies the city with goods and resources.

Components of Urban Urban Environment Generalizations Landscape • Visible characteristics of urbanism • Spatial interaction: movement between places – People – Tall buildings – Information – Many people – Utilities – Busy streets; crowding • Spatial complementarity: – Industrial plants – Places import what they lack from outside the region; – Cultural institutions money economy • Metropolitan coalescence – Places provide services to surrounding areas – Merging of urbanized areas of separate metro- – Closer places have the advantage for filling needs politan centers occurring early in their history • Functional complexity: land use variations and – A process of channeled growth (esp. along conflict transportation corridors) • Residential − Commercial • Industrial − Recreational

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Needs of the Urban Landscape Changing Urban Landscape

• Public services • Dynamic nature of the urban landscape. – Water, sewage, garbage pickup – Public safety • Seems to be always changing; evolving. –Welfare • Things are done on a large scale. • Accessibility/mobility • Vertical use replaces horizontal use – Early cities less concerned with accessibility – Demand increased by high level of interaction as space runs out – Shaped by spatial arrangement of land uses • Seems to be less “natural” and more of – Highways, parkways, beltways, expressways, mass transit created to move people and an artificial environment. goods quickly.

Changes in Population: Agriculture and Megalopolis Composition • Changes related to land availability: shift to • An urban area needs workers. table or specialty crops: • Immigration from Europe – High value, perishable: dairy products, fruits, – Mid-1800s: northern and western Europe, and vegetables; horticulture; floriculture esp. Ireland and Germany – Late 1800s: southern and eastern Europe – Require considerably less land – Establishment of ethnic neighborhoods • Changes in land value • African American internal migration – Valued for more intense uses – With cutoff of European immigrants during World War – Rise in property taxes I increased migration to northern cities for jobs. – Settlement created high-density neighborhoods – Greatest impact along lines of interurban access – From 1960s: dispersal to other areas of the city

Changes in Population: Gentrification Redistribution • 1950-60s: Movement of all groups from central city to suburbs. The process of socio‐economic and cultural • 1970s to present change that occurs when wealthier people – Immigrants’ origin is worldwide (the “gentry”) – Migration out of metro areas to small, distant towns, buy and move into housing especially between cities property in urban areas where the existing – High-rise office clusters in central business districts (CBD), downtown areas population is less prosperous. – Growth of suburbs Includes the conversion of other properties – Slowing of movement out of central cities (as warehouses and factories – Movement back to cities (gentrification) ) into other upscale • Attraction of jobs and amenities to higher-income uses. workers • Displacement of low-income residents

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Gentrification Consequences Urban Problems •Influx of buying power and renovation leads to rising housing costs and commercial rentals. • Congestion: large numbers of people, local •Low‐rise buildings are demolished; high‐rises are built. transportation, housing • Health Issues: food, water supply waste • Rising rents cause displacement of long‐term management, controlling disease, dealing with commercial and residential tenants. dying and dead people •“Mom and Pop” stores become boutiques. • Quality of Life Issues: crowding, crime, • Distinctive neighborhoods become “placeless” although poverty, health care, pollution some take on a new character (are reinvented). • Pollution: air, water, land, noise •The urban tax base rises. • Hazards: storms, earthquakes, flooding, fire, • Homelessness increases. terrorism

The Suburbs Growth of Megalopolis Suburbanization began in Nassau Co., NY. 60 yrs later all suburbs have problems: • Aging infrastructure. • Political fragmentation . • Sprawl. • Need for more commuter and mass transit connections. • Need for municipal and social Expansion in spatial extent, vertical services. development and density of land use. Rural gaps are quickly being filled.

The Jersey Pine Barrens Amish Country Scenes

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Sandy Beach Islands Mountains and Forests

Cape Cod, MA Southern New Jersey The Berkshires, MA

The Catskills, NY

Delaware shore Fire Island, NY