Sumer, an ancient country in what today is Iraq, the city of Ur was settled
Around 4500 B.C.
Ur grew to be home to as many as 34,000 people
Archaeologists believe that Ur was one of the first cities in the world
Within the city walls of Ur, a broad avenue led up to an immense temple with a roof that loomed 80 feet above the ground
Surrounding the temple in Ur were private homes and large open markets with shops on streets resembling those in cities of Southwest Asia today
Some people in Ur lived in two-story houses with balconies and even had clay-lined drains for waste disposal
A canal ran through the city of Ur from the river to a harbor built on its northern edge
Ur was not an overgrown village, but a real city
Urban geography
The study of how people use space in cities
Cities
Areas with large populations
Centers of business and culture
Birthplace of innovation and change in a society
Urban area
Develops around a main city called the central city
Includes suburbs, which are political units touching the borders of the central city or touching other suburbs that touch the city
Includes smaller cities or towns with open land between them and the central city, called exurbs
The city, its suburbs, and exurbs link together economically to form a functional area called a metropolitan area
Several metropolitan areas growing together form a megalopolis
Nearly half the world's population lives in urban areas
Cities fulfill economic, residential, and cultural functions in different ways
Urbanization
The dramatic rise in the number of cities and the changes in lifestyle that result
The trend to live in cities increased rapidly over the last two centuries as more and more people moved into cities to find work
Today, some cities are enormous in physical area and have populations exceeding 10 million residents
Cities are found on all continents except Antarctica
Locations of cities
Many cities are found in places that allow good transportation, such as on a river, lake, or coast
Others are found in places with easy access to natural resources
Cities serve as economic bases, attracting businesses and people to work in those businesses
Cities are often places where goods are shifted from one form of transportation to another
Cities may specialize in certain economic activities because of their location
Central business district (CBD)
The core of a city, almost always based on commercial activity
Land use patterns in cities
Residential, including single-family housing and apartment buildings
Industrial, areas reserved for manufacturing of goods
Commercial, used for private business and the buying and selling of retail products
The value of the land in the CBD is very high, often leading to the construction of skyscrapers
As you move away from the CBD, other functions become more important, such as residential housing, which begins to dominate land use
Generally, the farther you get from the CBD, the lower the value of the land, which may lead to less expensive housing
Industrial activities and retail areas, such as shopping centers, markets, or bazaars, are often tucked into the less expensive areas away from the CBD
Patterns for urban activities vary by culture and geography
Functions of cities
Shopping, entertainment, and government services are often located in the CBD
Educational and cultural activities such as libraries or museums may be located in the CBD
Manufacturing, wholesaling, residential, recreation, and a variety of religious and social services may be located in other parts of the city
Cities need a great deal of space to accomplish these functions, which makes good transportation absolutely essential
Major cities may have several forms of mass transit, such as bus systems, subways, or commuter trains, to move thousands of people to and from the areas of the city where the various functions take place
Freeway systems may link people in the suburbs to the activities in the city