Topic 11 - Metropolitics Flashcards
What is the “Gap in government”? (metropolotics)
fundamental missmatch between politcal geography (borders) and socio-economic goegraphy
What characterizes Metro Life?
- Population size and Density (BIG)
- Heterogeneity(diversity) of Population
- Social/economic interdependence(reliance)
- Authority fragmentations (no regional government)
What is the biggest problem of Metro Regions?
The different parts of a metro rely on each other(interdependent), but they all have to deal with their problems seperatly even if they are cause by other people.
Example: My tax dollars go to keep my local park nice and pretty, but I can go to other parks and mess them up even though Im not contributing with my taxes.
Example: I go to work on the opposide side of town but my car gives polution and makes traffic worse on that side of town.
What is the geography of a Suburb like?
Outlying communities (on the border of the city) that are mostly houses and are low density.
Can be their own little city or a part of a bigger city.
What increases suburbanization?
- Middle class expansion
- Transportation revolution (relying on cars more(can drive farther to get home))
- Racial division (white/rich people want their own clean communities)
What is the Demography(personality/ideas) of Suburbs?
- Social class: suburbs are middle class
- Race: less diversity in suburbs
- Partisanship: Downtown-Democratic, Suburbs-republican
- Lifestyle: suburbs have a “Pull-factor” (aura). People just tend to be attracted to the suburb lifestyle.
- Taxes: Use to have lower taxes then the city but its getting fixed
In what directions do urban (cities) area grow?
Up (skyscrapers) or out (expand the border)
Whats the “Problem of flight”?
When cities grow, the rich people tend to leave to avoid all the poor people
This means that communites lose consumer spending and tax revenues, making services decline!!!!
What is Gentrification? Pros and Cons?
Rich people buy land in poor areas because it’s relatively cheap.
Pros: Areas get nicer, less crime, new buisnesses
Cons: All the poor people tend to lose their houses and get kicked out
Who has power in local communities? (Influence towards growth)
Local banks, developers, builders, and landowners use to have a shared “pro-growth” mindset and they had a lot of local power so they could make cities grow.
But now most of these factor have gone national (not local anymore) and they dont have the “pro-growth” mindset
What is considered when increasing infrastructure?
The collective benefit brough by it (the benefits everyone will experience)
BUT ALSO…………
The burden that area has to adopt (who has to suffer the negatives for it?)
Example: It is beneficial for everyone to have windmills that collect energy in the town, but whatever part of town that gets them will be uglier with them.
What are Anti-growth forces cities experience? (things that stop them from growing)
- Middle/upper class people hate stuff like polution, traffic, and overall ‘ugliness’
- Lower class people dislike new stuff because its usually more expensive then what they’re use to
- People very close to new stuff often argue on why it’s being built so close to them (‘Not in my neighborhood!)
What are some things that make cities growing hard?(restrictions)
People are emphazising walk-able cities which means they are passing more laws and regulations
ex:zoning laws, subdivision control, utility regulations, building permits
ITS HARD TO BUILD STUFF WHEN THERES SO MANY RULES
What is zoning?
When you categorize land in advance, and only let it be used for that. Supposed to seperate inconpatible areas
Ex: reserving an area of a city for just houses, and making sure its far away from the sewage zone
Consequences of growth restrictions? Pros and cons
Intended pros:
Elimination of blight (empty/abandoned houses)
Increase in taxes (more money for city)
More housing for residents
Cons:
affordbale housing shortage
Most of the negatives really affect poor people
