Cities of the twenty first century are typically large and complex agglomerations in which people live and work. Large cities divide into neighbourhoods, suburbs and localised areas each with their own distinct characteristics displayed through architecture, demographics, business and retail trade and other social infrastructure. These unique areas although linked to the larger city area are completely unique with forces of change that render these and all urban areas dynamic.
Textbook extract: Urban Dynamics
Extract from Macquarie Study Guide: HSC Geography
Travelling time has changed with transport technology
- 1800- Walking Cities (people lived in cities which seldom exceeded an 8km radius)
- 1860- Railway technology (radius of these cities spread to 10-20km)
- 1940- Automobiles (increased car ownership saw increased desire for more space)
- 2000- Post Automobile (multi-nodal cities, large urban areas with edge-cities)
All city areas undergo change due to various factors, of which include:
- Flows of people in and out of the city
- Construction of buildings and other types of infrastructure
- Transport and communication technologies
- Various forms of landuse
Globalisation has been the most significant force that has shaped Australian cities along with most other cities globally. Associated with this process, developments in transport and information technologies has seen the form and function of urban areas change significantly in the previous century to the present day.
Some associated impacts of globalisation that have been related to dynamism of Australian cities include:
- A decrease in the significance of local manufacturing to the national economy
- Increase in the service and information economy- The New Economy
- Growing presence of headquarters of TNCs in capital cities
Geographers seek to determine the causes of change when studying urban areas. These processes responsible for these changes are known as Urban Dynamics.
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