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URBAN SITE AND SITUATION
Definitions
Site: the relationship between a city and the physical environment and landscape in which it is located
Situation: the relationship between a city and the rest of the urban system in which it is located
Defensive Sites
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel
Would this be a good type of place for urban growth in the 21st century? No, there is no longer a need for this kind of
protection, so isolation becomes a disadvantage Yes, 21st century cities depend (among other
things) on tourism money, and Mont Saint-Michel is a prime tourist destination
Isolation has gone from being essential to being an inconvenience to being an amenity, …
Site characteristics are evaluated differently in different periods of a culture’s evolution
Carcassonne, France
This “defensive” city is invaded by some 3,000,000 tourists annually!
Sites favoring commerce
Situation is defined by a city’s place in the urban system
Different interpretations of Manhattan’s site
http://www.carto.com/chighlights/us_east.html
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~blkyn/Map/NY.1807.html
1764
1807
Pittsburgh, “the point”
Alleg
hen
y
River
Monongahela River
Ohio River
Originally a defensive site, but perfect for river-based commerce and later for industry …
The U.S. urban system,1800
(pre-railway)
Don Meinig Atlantic America, 1492-1800
In the mid 19th century Chicago vied with St. Louis for the role of the leading city in the “West”
Why Chicago?
Why St. Louis?
Print from Don Meinig, Continental America, 1800-1867 (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1993)
Chicago’s site
Chicago’s situation
Given a certain technological system (a culture complex consisting of artifacts, sociofacts & mentifacts)
And given a certain landscape Chicago’s site predisposed it to be dominant
within the urban system Entrepreneurs and investors took advantage of
its site (some made money and some lost it) to turn this city into the leading city of the Midwest
The rail lines created a pattern…
west of Chicago they formed radial lines, like a funnel (W. to E.) or a sprinkler (E. to W.)
east of Chicago they formed a “trunk” to New York
Chicago’s situation
Dizzying time-space compression
Shipping rates were held in check by competition between water and rails
Chicago’s role was as coordinator of north-south and east-west flows
lumber traveled from north to south
hardware had to be directed from east to west
Chicago’s regional dominance was indicated by its debts in the recession of 1873-74
Compare to Peoria
What are the important site/situation factors today? Amenities
Factors that make a place appealing to prospective inhabitants
ConnectivityTo investment capitalTo educated workforceTo communication technologies such as
internet and wireless services
Austin, TX and Boulder, CO
What amenities do these cities have to offer?
Vancouver, BC
Amenities
Recreation Arts and culture Scenery Climate History All can be overlooked or drawn to people’s attention Cities increasingly market themselves for businesses as
a “great place to live,” hoping business executives will in turn believe they can use the location to attract employees
Connectivity
An Atlas of CyberspacesMartin Dodge & Rob Kitchin http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/census.h
tml Global and World Cities study group and
networkhttp://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/
Just for fun…
World Cities of Various Ranks
J.V. Beaverstock, R.G. Smith and P.J. Taylor: A Roster of World Cities
World Cities
Maintain an economic hinterland that reaches beyond the borders of the state
Act as control points for international flows of capital and information Attract headquarters of transnational corporations and producer
services companies Attract a wide range of workers from recent immigrants to corporate
executives, corporate lawyers, and major investors and real estate developers, leading to the most extreme income gaps in the world
Top tier: New York, London, Tokyo Second tier: Chicago, L.A., Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Singapore, Hong
Kong Third tier: too many to list, see GaWC website
SUMMARY
Site and situation work together At a given point in history, within a particular culture, a certain site
may be perceived as advantageous or disadvantageous It may present a threat or an opportunity
Part of this judgment relates to the potential of a city to interact with other cities (its situation)
Situation changes over time due to changes in technologies of transportation and communication
Site changes much less, but again technology can rework a site to make it more accessible, easier to build on, more profitable, etc.