Class notes
learning unit 3
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
The Origins and Growth of Cities and Urban Life
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LEARNING UNIT 3The Origins and Growth of Cities
and Urban Life
3.1 INTRODUCTION
From the beginning, cities have been crucibles of innovation that have produced some of the most
incredible breakthroughs (Knox & McCarthy, 2014:36).
To start with …
Although closer settlements for agricultural and defensive purposes existed at least
11 000 years ago, the first large cities appeared no more than 5 500 years ago in the
modern-day Middle East. Cities therefore represent a rather new phenomenon in
human history. Large-scale urbanisation is an even more recent event that only took
off after 1700 BC (textbook: p. 55, figure 24). Within the space of 300 years, almost
50 per cent of the world population became urbanised. The history of urbanisation
as we know it is so short that no present-day development of urban space can take
place without reference to it.
3.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES AND READING
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After working through all the prescribed study material for this Learning Unit,
you should be able to:
• Identify and discuss the pre-conditions for urbanisation
• Compare and discuss theories of urban origins
• Relate urban origins to locations and conditions
• Explain the internal structure of the earliest cities
• Explain urban expansion from the regions of origin
• Discuss frontier urbanisation and the role of the mercantile city
, READING
• NB: To be able to complete this module successfully, you will have to consult
the recommended reading material. The information contained in the Study
Guide alone will not be sufficient to pass the examination for this module.
• For further enrichment you can also do further searches on the internet to enrich
your knowledge.
3.3 LEARNING CONTENT
In Learning Unit 1, it was indicated that cities exist within the context of space
(locality) and time (past and present). To be able to understand and contribute to the
development of urban space, we must know how, where, why, when and under what
circumstances cities originated. Building on the understanding of what cities are
(discussed in Learning Unit 2), Learning Unit 3 attends to (3.3.1) the preconditions of
urbanisation and theories of urban origins, (3.3.2) urban origins, (3.3.3) the internal
structure of the earliest cities, (3.3.4) urban expansion from the regions of origin,
and (3.3.5) frontier urbanisation and the mercantile city.
Approach: There is an enormous amount of detailed information related to this
Learning Unit, but your approach should be to obtain and understand the main themes
and trends (highlighted below) rather than to focus on intricate detail (although it
is interesting to read even for the fun and enjoyment of it).
3.3.1 Preconditions for urbanisation and theories of urban origins
In this main theme we ask two questions: (1) What were the required conditions for
large-scale urbanisation and (2) How can the emergence of cities be explained?
• Preconditions for Urbanisation
There were a number of preconditions for the development of pre-industrial
“cities”:
◦ Population: A relatively large population residing permanently in one
location was the first requirement. The size of the population was initially
determined by the agricultural surplus available. Only a few of the earliest
cities had more than 25 000 residents.
◦ Location and environment were also key factors in the origin of cities.
Aspects such as topography, climate, social conditions (harmony/conflict),
trade routes and natural resources were major determinants.
◦ The development of technology to maximise agricultural output and to
manage water resources, while at the same time minimising the risk of
flooding.
◦ Increasingly complex social organisation structures were needed to manage
the increasing populat ion and the exchange of agricultural products
and commodities.
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