Cities and Urban Areas
Guangzhou, China
Cities are highly-concentrated human settlements. They serve economic, governmental, and cultural functions. Cities developed as groups of people settled in larger and larger numbers. When studying the development of cities and urban areas, geographers search for patterns. They want to understand factors that contribute to a successful city, and those that may lead to future problems. In this topic, you will examine different functions of cities and urban areas. You will also explore influences cities and urban areas have on residents, regions, and countries.
Essential Questions
- What are site and situation?
- What are the functions of cities and towns?
- How do urban areas impact their regions, and what challenges do they face?
Warm-Up
Using a sheet of paper or a digital application, sketch a small city. Include as many buildings, services, and resources as you can. Take five to ten minutes to complete your sketch, and be sure to label each part. Once you have finished, take a look at the final product, and consider the following questions:
- How did you arrange your city? Was there a reason you placed certain elements in specific locations?
- What resources are available for your city to use?
- What do you think your city would specialize in? Does it have a major industry, product, or service?
- Does your fictional city remind you of any real-life locations?