Class notes
Spatial economic development
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Learning unit 1 Spatial economic development
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LEARNING UNIT 1: Urbanisation and Urban Geography1
LEARNING UNIT 1
Urbanisation and Urban Geography
1.1 INTRODUCTION
“The fundamental task of the student of urban geography is to make sense of the ways that towns
and cities have changed and are changing, with particular reference to the differences between urban
places and within them” (Knox & McCarthy, 2014:17).
PORTO.
Photo: André C Horn
Something to consider …
The module GGH3704 Development of Urban Space is presented by the Department
of Geography, but Geography is not the only discipline that studies urbanisation and
cities. There are so many aspects and dimensions associated with cities and urban
life that not one discipline can claim exclusive ownership of the study thereof. For
example, no discipline is able to deal on its own with the planning, construction,
intervention, management, economy, politics and environment of the city, and with
the welfare of the urban society and its different communities. There are many
specialists who are interested in and involved with cities, such as planners, architects,
engineers, environmental scientists, development scientists, managerial specialists,
historians, sociologists, psychologists, criminologists and psychologists (to name
only a few). Urban geography do not claim any exclusive space in the study of cities
and urban society – it shares space with the other disciplines and therefore it shares
foundations and theories with other disciplines while making a contribution through
the central themes of space, place, territoriality and distance.
To give two examples:
• In this Learning Unit you will encounter the term “social ecology” of cities which
refers to ethnic, income, status and other social patterns in cities. Although such
patterns haven always existed in cities, it was the “Chicago School” (a group
, LEARNING UNIT 1: Urbanisation and Urban Geography
2
of scholars, many from the discipline of sociology in the city of Chicago) that
developed the concept of the “social ecology” of cities into a scientific paradigm
from the 1920s. Today, the ecological approach particularly finds expression in
Geographical Information System (GIS) applications.
• You will also read about “mental maps”, a concept referring to the “perception
“of urban space. The idea of “mental maps”became quite popular in geographic
studies in the 1970s, but it was mainly the urban planner Kevin Lynch that opened
this door towards urban research. Nevertheless, the concept of creating “mind
maps” of the city is associated with the behavioural paradigm and is a spill-over from
the discipline of psychology.
As you can see, the above illustrates the importance of taking note of or acknowledging
the impact that other disciplines have on our field of study and of realising that other
sources of information can greatly enrich your understanding of the field.
In Learning Unit 1, we will first establish what a geographical focus on the study of
the development of urban space is (1.3.1). As part of the same theme (1.3.1), several
approaches to the study of urban space are then presented and we conclude Learning
Unit 1 with a schematic overview explaining the relations between urbanisation,
triggers of change, resultant urban processes, outcomes and responses within the
current complexity of globalisation (1.3.2). You will see throughout the Learning Unit
that there are several activities that you can complete. Completing these activities
will enhance your understanding of the content. We also include some activities
where we expect you to share your views with your fellow students. Please make use
of these opportunities as we have found that students learn a lot from one another.
Finally, at the end of the Learning Unit there are some Test yourself questions that
have been designed to assist you in achieving the outcomes of this module and in
helping you prepare for the examination.
1.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES AND READING
Learning outcomes
After working through the prescribed material and reading for this Learning Unit,
you should be able to:
• Explain your understanding of the study of the development of urban space from
a geographical perspective
• Explain the (main) approaches applied by urban geographers in the study of cities
• Explain the relationship between cause, condition and effect by linking urbanisation
to its processes and outcomes within the context of time and location
Reading
• In order to achieve the above outcomes you are required to read the
recommended material for this module.
• You can also do further searches on the internet to enrich your knowledge.
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