Week 13: URBANIZATION IN THE DEVELOPED NATIONS

Urban development in the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century is defined by multicentered regions resulting from the deconcentration of commercial, retail, and government services in the city center and the reconcentration of these land uses in functionally specialized regional mini centers. This spatial pattern is the product of the political economy of American late capitalism. Other societies around the world exhibit their own patterns of urban and regional development, the result of historical circumstances, position within the world system, cultural influences, and other factors. Many share a similar fate of in-creasing regional sprawl characteristic of the United States. Although large cities re- the main important centers of commerce and culture, particularly in cities of the developed nations, many have reached slow or stable population growth. Redevelop- ment and gentrification occur within the central city, but the newest development occurs in suburban settlement space. Land use is mixed and shared among densely populated cities, mini centers of various kinds, and expanding suburban regions of residential housing. Metropolitan regions confront problems that are intensified by locational inequities. Income and racial segregation are increasing and, in many cases, has led to serious inequalities in employment, housing, education, medical care, and other aspects of everyday life.