Urbanization of America (Ch. 2)

Question 1

What are some of the forces behind growth in the United States from 1800 to 1900?

Answer 1

1. Industrial revolution
2. Low-cost transportation
3. Increase in consumer goods (department stores)

Question 2

What made nineteenth-century cities so concentrated?

Answer 2

1. Water transportation was cheap and land transportation was expensive. Areas with direct water access became very concentrated.
2. Railroad rates were lower than horse-wagon rates, so being located close to the railroad provided cost savings

Question 3

What factors impacted the decentralization of cities?

Answer 3

1. Streetcars provided cheap transportation to the edges of cities
2. Health issues
3. Pollution/environmental issues
4. Trash build-up

Question 4

What are the forces behind the growth of suburbs?

Answer 4

1. Mortgage finance was readily available
2. Employment was high
3. Surge of highway system
4. Automobile ownership
5. Improvements in electronic communications
6. Baby boom meant the need for bigger houses for kids

Question 5

What are the “Boomburgs”?

Answer 5

Places large enough to be cities that grew at double-digit rates for each of the past three decades of the twentieth century and which are generally located within metropolitan areas. They contain millions of people, with dozens of office buildings, but only have a few highrise buildings.

Question 6

What are some trends in urban growth over the past 100 years?

Answer 6

1. Movement from North to South

2. Central city shrinkage in bigger, Eastern cities

Question 7

What are some reasons why some cities are seeing re-urbanization?

Answer 7

1. More childless couples
2. Reduction in crime
3. Less ability to afford a home
4. Preference for urban life among young adults