Reading To Be Done before This Discussion:
Hinshaw, Mark. 2005. "The Case for True Urbanism." Planning 71, no. 6: 24-27.  

Davis, Lisa Selin. 2009. "A (Radical) Way to Fix Suburban Sprawl." Time 173, no. 24: 54-57.

Things to Bring to Class: Notes from your readings or a printout of the articles.
Due in Discussion This Week: Answers to the questions below
Due in Discussion Next Week: Questions as usual

How This Discussion Connects To Lecture: Cities and urban areas play an important role in shaping human geographies.  They way they are structured may influence social structures, economic opportunities, and culture. Throughout history people have moved to cities in order to gain access to better paying jobs, services (such as education and health care), and other opportunities.  However, in the last hundred years, the processes of urbanization and urban growth have accelerated rapidly, and, the majority of the world’s population will soon be living in cities and urban areas.

In your text and lecture we first look at the incredible urbanization of the world's population.  We then zoom in to look at how cities are structured.  In lecture you will learn about a number of urban models which describe the way the classical American city is structured. These models make an attempt to represent the logic behind the distribution of residential and commercial areas largely on the basis of economic criteria, but also on the basis of class and ethnic divisions.  It is important to remember, however, that a model is always an ideal, sometimes even a normative (how things ought to be) representation of a reality that turns out to be more complex.  These models may also be increasingly irrelevant given changes in urban structure over the past century. Even so, many students who explore cities after taking this class can recognize many of the patterns that we examine.   

To Prepare for Discussion:

In North America the distinction between urban and rural is increasingly hard to discern.  You may be under the impression that as a resident of Valparaiso you’ve moved to a small town in the country.  Cornfields and the lack of “basic” amenities like a shopping mall or sidewalks would support that assertion.  Valparaiso may seem like the typical American small town, but a short drive north or west of town should convince you otherwise.  In fact, it is hard to live in Valparaiso without at least occasional visits to Hobart, Chesterton, or Merrillville for higher order goods.  In contrast with its popular image Valparaiso is really a node in the larger city-region of Northwest Indiana, which itself is a satellite in the “galactic city” of Chicago.  Our traditional categories of rural, urban, and suburban have not caught up with the very visible changes in the urban landscape.

During the long history of cities life in the city has become increasingly regional.  We no longer live in discrete cities, but rather in city regions.  These changes in urban form are fueled by industrialization, economic development and advances in transportation technologies.  In the articles you read for this week's discussion we consider what this regional urban form means for quality of life in the city.  Are the cities we currently inhabit ideal cities or is there a better way to build cities.  Many people would indeed say that our city regions, dependent on the automobile but also filled with options for entertainment, recreation, and low density living are the best possible of options.  However, our cities also come with significant costs in time wasted commuting to work on congested highways, the expense of extending infrastructure to serve low density development, and the environmental costs associated with fossil fuels, and the conversion of agricultural and natural areas to urban land uses. There may be ultimate limits to the sustainability of the continuing growth of our city regions. In discussion we will ask what makes an ideal city.  The two articles you read for this week provide a few  answers.  Among the commonalities are an increase in density to allow for more use of alternative modes of transportation and bring back social life to the streets. 

The case for true urbanism by Mark Hinshaw argues that increased density also allows for the existence of "mom and pop" stores which have largely disappeared from our urban landscape in favor of the big box outlet. Cultural diversity as well as a dynamic urban environment are essential for creating neighborhoods with a good quality of life. The article contrasts the "New Urbanist" approach to achieving these goals, which focuses upon creating more sustainable and efficient urban forms, but according to the author, does not take into account the social life of the city.

 

View Larger Map

Search for Tyson's Corner on Google and the top link you will find is to a shopping mall directory rather than a city web site. Looking at Tyson's Corner from the air one observes a spaghetti-like tangle of highways and roads, as if planners banned   A (Radical) way to fix urban sprawl by Lisa Selin Davis focuses upon efforts to reshape Tyson's Corner, an edge city outside of Washington D.C. More people work than live in the Tyson's Corner area which creates heavy traffic congestion and long commutes.  Moreover, it is a landscape designed for cars rather than people.  Walking is often not an option for office workers wanting to go to lunch at a restaurant across the street. The article describes what doesn't work in Tyson's corner and describes a plan for creating a more livable community. 

In this week’s discussion, we will discuss our sprawling cities epitomized by places like Tyson's Corner and address the challenges they present, and think about the implications for the way we live. We will also think creatively about what would make for an ideal city.  How can we plan for cities that not only provide a good quality of life but are also environmentally sustainable. What do you think would make for an ideal city? Do the visions presented in these articles fit with your own vision of the ideal city? 

 United States would you include in your own ideal city?

Name: Honor Code:
Questions to be Answered before Discussion

1. What are the essential characteristics of "True Urbanism" according to Hinshaw?

 

 

2. What are the benefits of increased density according to both of the articles?

 

 

3. What role does the type and design of transportation infrastructure play in making cities environmentally sustainable?

 

 

4.  Do you think the plan for Tyson's Corner will be successful?  Why or why not?

 

 

 

5.  What do you think the idea city would look like?  What would some of its most important characteristics?

 

 

6. What is one question about the issues covered in the reading that you would like to see discussed during class?