Urban Development: A Comprehensive Look at City Evolution
Urban Vocabulary
- Area Urban Core: An urban area with a population exceeding the established threshold for a city, surrounded by connected land.
- Central City: The urban area with defined physical and administrative boundaries, encompassing economic, political, social, and cultural activities.
- Metropolitan Area: An urban area formed by a central city and its surrounding localities.
- Conurbation: A group of cities that were initially separate but have merged due to growth.
- Megalopolis: A large concentration of cities, conurbations, and metropolitan areas resulting from human growth.
Development of the City
Ancient Cities
The earliest cities, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, primarily served as storage and commercial centers for agricultural surpluses. The first cities emerged around the third millennium BC. In America, Teotihuacan was one of the oldest.
Classical Cities
Greek cities featured two main areas: the Acropolis, with temples, and the Agora, the center of civic activities. The Romans established a hierarchical network of cities across their empire, many originating from military camps.
The Medieval City
The Christian expansion during the 11th and 12th centuries revitalized urban areas. A new social group, the bourgeoisie, emerged, using the city as a symbol of distinction.
The Renaissance City
Urbanism was revived, with science studying the city in an integral way, incorporating architecture and art.
The Baroque City
Baroque architects expanded on the Renaissance city concept, creating grand architectural works with visual effects and grandiose buildings.
The Colonial City
Colonial cities used a rectangular grid pattern, which had been in use since the 15th century in mainland cities.
The 19th Century City
Cities had not grown much since the 15th century outside their walls. Suburbs (neighborhoods built outside city walls) emerged. New neighborhoods grew rapidly, often due to speculators, leading to the destruction of green spaces. Urban planning began to address issues like sunlight, functions, and population growth.
The 20th Century City
Industrial estates and residential outskirts, including bedroom communities (residential areas lacking essential infrastructure), appeared. These urban concentrations are found in both developed and developing countries, with significant differences.
City Maps
Irregular Floorplans
These feature narrow, winding streets with no planning, often resulting from the topography of the land, such as in Girona.
Orthogonal Floorplans
These have rectilinear streets forming right angles, with buildings arranged in a rectangular or square grid.
Radiocentric Floorplans
Streets radiate from a central point, like spokes of a wheel, with radial and perpendicular streets.
Northern Countries
The urban structure is generally the result of historical development. European cities have a historic center around a cathedral or old political buildings. These areas are residential, leisure, and cultural hubs with museums, theaters, and restaurants. Historic centers are being revitalized. Suburbs grew during the 18th and 19th centuries, housing the bourgeoisie and commercial activities. In the 20th century, suburbs expanded further, with affluent residential areas, worker housing, and industrial zones. North American and Australian cities are modern, with a central business district (CBD) for finance and commerce.
Urban Areas in the Spanish State
Most populated cities are located on the coastal periphery, except for Madrid. The Spanish urban system is hierarchical, with larger cities offering more specialized services.
- Metropolis of the State: Madrid and Barcelona are the largest cities by population and regional extent.
- Medium-sized Metropolis: Cities like Seville, Valencia, and Bilbao.
- Capitals of Province or Region: These have influence over nearby villages.
- Metropolitan Area: An urban core and contiguous municipalities with close economic and social ties.
- Conurbation: A group of merged cities.
Southern Countries
Southern cities share similar characteristics due to their socioeconomic situations. They experience continuous population growth due to high birth rates and rural-to-urban migration. Migrants often settle in densely populated areas around cities, constructing their own homes. The central city is the business and commercial hub, while the outskirts house government leaders and multinational staff.
Urban Features
Cities have interconnected residential and economic functions.
- Residential: All cities provide housing for their population.
- Economic: Cities have economic functions related to commerce, industry, or services.
Dominant Features
- Industrial: Cities dependent on industry or energy sources.
- Administrative: Cities with political bodies and large companies.
- Tourist and Leisure: Cities with tourist attractions.
- Military: Cities with military barracks.
- Cultural and Religious: Cities with universities or cultural heritage.