Stages of Urban Growth

1. Stages of Urban Growth • Stage of Export Specialization: The local economy is centered on one principal industry/product/firm. Examples: Natural resource towns, Tourist towns (Flint) • Stage of Export Complex: Local economy broadens to other related products and/or expands to other facets of the production of this single industry/product/firm. Examples: Detroit in 1910-1930s; Seattle in 1970s • Stage of Economic Maturation (Local Service Sector Puberty): The local economy replaces imports with local products and services. Examples: Jacksonville, Tallahassee • Stage of Regional Metropolis: When the city serves as a node for travel, products, etc. from nearby cities, and now exports products and services to these satellite cities. (can be followed by the Stage of National/International Metropolis) Examples: Atlanta in 1960s, • Stage of Technical/Professional Virtuosity: National eminence in some specialized skill. Examples: Detroit, Los Angeles

2. Why Cities Grow (or Don’t Grow) • Why do cities move from stage to another? For what reasons is Tallahassee “Tallahassee” and Orlando “Orlando”? • 1) Momentum • 2) Local Advantages • 3) Luck • 4) Others?? • What factors can act to limit urban growth? • 1) Failure of Momentum • 2) Competition • 3) Lack of Natural Advantages • 4) Lack of Cultivated Talent/Urban Management • 5) Economic restructuring • What does Thompson mean by “Challenge and Response”?

3. The Urban Size Ratchet Theory It has been argued that once cities reach a certain size, they will not experience major population losses. Areas of the city will age and decline and neighborhoods may suffer, but the urban area will see a shift in the spatial location of population, jobs, etc., not an absolute loss. Why might this be? 1) Industrial Diversification: Large cities have an economy that is broad enough to recover from tough times. 2) Political Power: Large cities have enough political power to request and receive aid locally, regionally, and nationally. 3) Sunk Costs: Billions in fixed assets cannot be abandoned. 4) Customers Drive Firm Location: In the service economy, firms will not relocate from large populations. People are now seen as a local natural resource. 5) Large Areas have More Entrepreneurship: The sheer size of a population guarantees more opportunities for new products, firms, etc.

4. The Urban Hierarchy (Central Place) Model 1) There are as many size classes of cities as markets. 2) Cities of the same order have similar economic characteristics and population sizes. 3) Higher order cities have all the services of a lower order city, plus functions that they export to lower order cities. 4) Smaller cities have smaller hinterlands and are closer together. 5) Central places of the same order will be equally spaced across the regional/national landscape. 6) Commodities generally do not flow up the hierarchy. Evaluating the Model How well does this theory explain the location, size, and industries/services of American cities? Big Point A useful, but not perfect model that underscores the importance of recognizing the local city’s role in the regional economy.