- How are cities in the developing world influenced by their colonial pasts? If you had to create a model for land use in such cities as Mumbai and Bangkok, what essential elements would you incorporate?
There are two factors that could influence the emergence of cities in a developing city. One is the growth of an old urban center and the other one is the influence of the foreign culture. Cities of the developing countries are influenced by their colonial past since most of the planning and control of the city were created for the benefit of the colonizers. One of the main influences of the colonization for the cities of the developing nation is the migration of labor. The result of the influence is the congestion of cheap labor on the cities since it is the major advantage of capitalism. Another influence is the alteration of the trading access routes. The colonizers usually planned the routes for trades for their own benefit (MacDonald, nd).
The essential element or model for land use in the cities of Mumbai and Bangkok should be the vertical pattern in which the ground floors are reserved for commercial use while the upper floors are for residential purposes. It is essential because large number of market should be present on the streets because it is also a center for travelers. To accommodate the migrants or travelers, residential areas should be near the market (MacDonald, nd).
- How has suburbanization damage the economic base and the financial stability of the central city?
Suburbanization is the process or growth of the areas near the central cities. It is mainly the result of the settlement or migration of the laborers from the main city area. One of the main effects of suburbanization is the shift of jobs and upper class residents from the central cities to the suburban areas. The shift of jobs is mainly because investors or companies usually prefers less densely populated areas due to the low cost of land area and low tax. The shift of the middle class and upper class residents is mainly due to the risk of crime in the central cities. It damages the economy and financial stability of central cities because it will decrease the profit that the urban areas will acquire from the companies and the rich people. In general, suburbanization will damage the economy of the central cities since it will reduce the tax that will come from industries and residents (Mieszkowski & Mills, 1993).
- Briefly describe the urban land use pattern predicted by the concentric zone, sector, multiple-nuclei, and peripheral models of urban development. Which one, if any, best corresponds to the growth and land use pattern of the community most familiar to you?
Concentric zone model of urban land use is based on the theories of human ecology by Burgess. It these model, social groups are distributed in the urban areas according to their functions in the society. The lands are distributed in a ring model in which the central business district was in the center and the urban area will expand its ring with the various land uses. The sector model of urban land use is the modification of the concentric model which was proposed by Homer Hoyt. The model included the progression of growth which is outward from the concentric zone model. The multiple-nuclei urban land use is the model which could layout the urban areas. It was developed by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman. The model notes that similar industries or common financial benefits tends to emerge near each other. For example, hotels emerged near airports due to high quantities of customers. Lastly, peripheral models refer to the growth of the core area together with the development of the remote area which has less dense activities. The most common or familiar model for land use is the multiple-nuclei model. It is common because land use is often based on the economic benefits (Oluseyi, 2006).
- What are primate cities? Why are primate cities in the developing countries overburdened? What can be done to alleviate the difficulties?
A primate city is the largest or the leading city for any nation or region. Usually, primate cities are disproportionately larger than any urban areas in a country or region. The primate city leads the country in economy, culture, education, media and politics. It was first developed by Mark Jefferson in 1939 which defines to be a city that is twice developed than the city next to it. In most of the developing countries, primate cities are overburdened due to the reliance of the nation towards it. Due to the development and progress of the primate cities, the citizens of the developing countries tend to congest to these areas which could cause problems to the city. To alleviate the difficulties, the areas around the primate cities should also be developed to accommodate the increase in population and industries (Mokhtar, 2013).
- What are the main reasons for the decline of the Central City and how would you reverse this decline for healthier, more vibrant city cores?
The decline of the central cities is the result of suburbanization. However, there are other push factors that could be associated with the decline of central cities. One of these reasons is the higher tax caused by higher service cost within the central cities. This will result to the shift of industries and residents to the suburban areas. Another reason is the decline of quality of services and goods in the central cities due to the large amount problems such as crime rate and congestion. To alter this decline, public financing should be modified to benefit the development of industries. Financing should be focused on the development and removal of the hindrances such as congestion and crime rate (Schlichting, 1981).
References:
MacDonald, D. (nd). The developing city: A comparative analysis of urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Retrieved from http://atlismta.org/online-journals/0607-journal-gender-environment-and-human-rights/the-developing-city/.
Mieszkowski, P. & Mills, E. (1993). The causes of metropolitan suburbanization. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 7(3): 135-147
Mokhtar, B. (2013). Urban system and primate city in Oman. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. 13(1):84-95
Oluseyi, O. (2006). Urban land use change analysis of a traditional city from remote sensing data: The case of Ibadan Metropolitan Area, Nigeria. Humanity and Social Science Journal. 1(1):42-64.
Schlichting, K. (1981). Decentralization and decline of central city: A case study of demographic and economic change in Bridgeport Conn. American Journal of Economics and Sociology. 40(4):1-75
