Unit 5.cities

1.1. THE CONCEPT OF A CITY
 Definitions of what a city is vary around the world.
There is no single factor that explains whether a
place is a city or not (number inhabitants, functions…)
 However, it is possible to tell if we are living in a
rural or urban settlements by looking at a number
of aspects.

Village (pueblo): small town
Hamlet (aldea): small village
 Lower number of
inhabitants and a low
concentration of people.
 Its structure: low buildings.
 Economic activities: primary
sector (to obtained natural
resources): agriculture and
livestock farming.
 The way of life of its
inhabitants is characterized
by close and family-
orientated social behavior,
with a strong sense of
belonging to a community.

 Large number of
inhabitants.
 Structure: tall buildings
that are very close
together.
 Main economic activities
of cities are related to
secondary (transform raw
materials) and services
sector (commerce,
education, banking…).
 The way of life is
characterized by less
intense relationships.
Town: small city
City: large town

The most important elements that define a place as a city:
 Quantitative:
◦ Number of inhabitants. In Spain urban areas with more
than 10.000 people are classified as cities.
◦ However, there is no universal number. For example, in
Japan settlements with more tan 50.000 are cities but in
Netherlands the figure is 20.000.
 Qualitative:
◦ Main economic activities. Cities are identified by
secondary (industry) and tertiary sector (commerce,
health, education…).
◦ Concentration of tall buildings.
◦ Many activities and functions (residential, commercial,
political…).
◦ Less intense relationship. Cities and urban areas are identified
with a way of life that is fast, intense, cosmopolitan, tolerant…

RURAL SETTLEMENT URBAN SETTLEMENT
Low number of inhabitants
…
EXTRA ACTIVITY: Copy and complete the following table in
your notebook according to the main characteristics of the two
types of settlements.

o Many activities, known as functions, take place in urban areas. Cities
are, in general, multifunctional spaces and many of these activities
are interrelated.
o The main functions of the city are:
 Residential.
 Commercial.
 Industrial.
 Tourist.
 Political and administrative.
 Cultural and religious.

 Residential. Is common to all cities.
◦ It is the predominant function in some urban
settlement, such as satellite cities or dormitory towns:
 These are urban settlement on the periphery of major
cities, inhabited by people who travel to work in the city
every day.
 Dormitory towns rely on transport networks that
communicate them with a major city.
 Commercial.
◦ Commercial cities are also centers of exchange for all
types of products and services.
◦ Transports networks (land, air and sea) and the flow
of money from banks and multinational companies
converge in these cities.
◦ Example: the city of Shanghai (China), whose port is
the most important one in the world.

 Industrial.
◦ This function is helped by the availability of
labour and the communication network.
Nowadays, the industrial areas are being moved
to industrial estates on the outskirts of the city.
 Tourist. This function is related:
◦ To a rich historical or artistic heritage (Rome or Athens).
◦ To natural attractions (Cancun).
◦ To leisure (Las Vegas or Monaco).

 Political and administrative. This function exists
in cities where political power is concentrated.
◦ Some cities are home to the headquarters (sede central)
of the main political bodies (Madrid, Brussels…).
◦ They are usually the state capitals, carrying out
administrative functions that affect the entire country.
 Cultural and religious (tourist).
◦ This function takes place in most cities, as they have
museums (Venice…), universities (Salamanca,
Oxford…) or are religious pilgrimage cities, such as
Rome, Mecca and Jerusalem.

1.3. THE MORPHOLOGY OF CITIES
The morphology of a city refers to the factors that influence
its external form. The distribution of urban elements (streets,
buildings and green spaces) generates an urban plan, which is
the graphical representation of the structure of a city. We can
distingue different types of urban plans:
Grid, Linear, Radial, Irregular
GRID (also known as chequerboard or
orthogonal plan): in this type of urban
planning, the streets intersect at right
angles and the space is divided into
blocks. For example: New York, Madrid
(barrio de Salamanca) Turin, Lima,
Montevideo and Barcelona.

Linear: the city is organised according
to a main road, and the buildings and
public spaces are distributed around it.
For example, Castrillo de los
Polvazares (León) or Burgo de Ranero.
Radial: in a radial plan, we can
distinguish the central core form which
several roads branch out. These roads
are intersected by others streets that
form concentric rings. For example,
Palmanova (Italy) or Camberra.
Irregular: this type of plan is caused by
a lack of planning. It is characteristic
by a very complex and disorderly
network of streets. For example,
Venecia or Toledo.

1.4. URBAN STRUCTURE
It refers to the internal organization of space in a city.
We can differentiate:
 The city centre: the main business, financial and
commercial areas are found.
◦ In older cities, it usually coincides with the old town, where
most of the historic monuments are located.
◦ The residential function is also important.

 Peri-urban areas: areas around the centre.
◦ It is mainly characterised by its residential
function. In many cities, this area has many
streets, parks and squares.
 Outskirts (afueras): is the outer area of the
city.
◦ It emerged more recently as a result of the city´s
expansion. The majority of the population lives
on the outskirts.
◦ Industrial areas and commercial areas have also
appeared over recent years.

To work this section, YOU WILL HAVE TO DO in
class a TEXT COMMENTARY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUs8jA7AHk
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
A lot of educational and cultural
activities
Problems with traffic and parking
Centres of trade In poor countries, many inhabitants do
not have a guaranteed supply of drinking
water and energy
Healthcare is more accessible Large amounts of solid waste and
wastewater
More extensive labour market Pollution
Wide range of leisure options Live in depressed areas or build slums
Different backgrounds and cultures
come together
Problems with integration different social
classes

Unit 5.cities

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