New York is the largest North American city. The North American city is a type of city in North America. Many North American cities are built according to this type of city. Do you know what the North American city is all about? If you want to learn how the North American city developed historically and exactly how it is structured, read on.
North American City – Definition
Cities in North America only emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries.
the north american cityalso referred to as a United States city, is a type of city in North America.
The first European cities are around 500 BC. in Greece. So the North American cities are still very young. The North American cities developed when settlers came to North America from Europe and built the cities. As a result, the North American cities less historical background and do not have an old town with city walls and castles.
Would you like to learn more about the different city types? With a click on «City types» you get to the corresponding explanation.
The largest North American city is new Yorkfollowed by Los Angeles and Chicago.
North American City – Characteristics
The North American city has typical characteristics:
- The road system is arranged in a chessboard pattern.
- In the city center (Central Business District or Downtown) you will find many high-rise buildings that form a skyline.
- The city is divided into the CBD in the core, the transition area and the suburbs.
- The upper class lives in the suburbs.
- Core cities are crumbling and ghettos are formed.
You can find out more about the individual points below in the explanation.
North American urban development
The development of the North American city begins in the 16th and 17th centuries with European colonial powers and immigrants on the east coast of North America who founded new settlements.
colonial powers are countries that govern other regions outside their national borders.
Inland waterways for ships and railway lines were built from east to west.
Under inland waterway means navigable traffic routes within a landmass. Rivers and canals are examples of an inland waterway.
The cities were built quickly in the following centuries, which is why there are no typical historical features like in the European cities. There are no city walls, castle complexes or marketplaces. Further differences between the city types can be found below in the explanation.
For more information about European cities, click on «European city» to get the explanation.
Rarely are North American cities built around a center. Due to the rapid construction of the cities, there is a lack of architectural and urban planning diversity: the cityscape of almost all North American cities is characterized by a chessboard-like street layout.
The structure typical of today’s North American city developed in the mid-19th century. Due to a lack of space and the ever increasing price of land in the city center, the construction of skyscrapers began at the end of the 19th century.
A skyscraper is a very tall building.
The first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885.
New building regulations were issued in 1916 to improve the lighting and ventilation of the city. For this reason, the high-rise buildings became thinner and thinner towards the top.
An example of such a construction is the Empire State Building in New York (Figure 1).
After the Second World War (1945), the high-rise buildings were built with many glass windows and several wings. The high-rise buildings were now used as residential, office and commercial buildings. In the inner city, the business center (CBD) developed, in which, for example, banks and insurance companies settled.
CBD = Central Business District
North American city – structure
Today’s North American city can be divided into three sub-areas: the Central Business District (CBD), the transition area and the suburbs. The city model of a North American city depicts these three zones.
North American City – City Model
In Figure 2 you can see the city model of a North American city.
A city model is a simplified representation of the spatial, economic and social structure of a city.
Are you more interested in the city models? Then click on «City Models» to get to the explanation.
CBD (Downtown)
The center of a North American city is called Downtown (Figure 2 pink). Downtown is the Central Business District (CBD). The CBD (Figure 2 pink) is the actual business core, which houses commercial and office buildings. Business facilities belong to the tertiary sector, such as banks and offices.
Of the tertiary sectoralso called service sector, deals with services.
Are you more interested in the tertiary sector? Then click on «Development of Economic Sectors» to get to the explanation.
The CBD therefore has a workplace and business function.
The lower class lives on the outskirts of the city center. The houses are shabby and will not be renovated. These neighborhoods are also called ghettos or slums designated.
A slumquarter describes a densely populated and neglected neighborhood near the city center where the lower class lives.
You can find out more about the slum districts in a separate statement. Click on «Slums» to get there.
transition area
The transition area, also known as the transition zone, (Figure 2 yellow) adjoins the ghettos. Many functions are mixed there: services, parking lots, houses and shops. In the Transition Zone is the residential area of the middle class, too «residential area» called.
People live in tightly built multi-family houses on small plots of land. The transition area has easy access to downtown through major roads that «commercial strip» mean. Due to this good connection, many people from the transition area work in the city center.
However, the houses in the transition area are being renovated because they are becoming increasingly popular with the upper class due to the good connections and proximity to the city. The middle class can then no longer afford the houses and is pushed out, which is called gentrification.
When a socially weaker stratum is displaced by groups from a socially higher stratum, one speaks of gentrification.
You can read more about gentrification in a separate statement. To do this, click on «Gentrification».
Suburbs
On the outer edge of a North American city are the suburbs, also known as suburbs (Figure 2 green). Many factories and office buildings have settled along the highway because it is much cheaper here than in the city center. These factories and office buildings form a so-called urban sub-centre, also known as «edge city» referred to as. This so-called decentralization created jobs outside of the city.
the decentralization describes the distribution of factories and office buildings in the surrounding area.
20 to 50 km away from the city center are the residences of the upper middle class and the upper class. People live in large single-family houses with a large garden. In addition to the residential buildings, there are leisure facilities such as golf and tennis facilities or jogging and hiking trails. So-called suburbanization came about.
Under suburbanization one understands the urban exodus of the residents from the city center to the surrounding area.
Want to learn more about suburbanization? Then click on «Suburbanization» to get to the explanation.
North American city comparison
The North American city is just one of several city types. It can be distinguished from the European, Latin American and Oriental city (Figure 3):
- in North America
- checkerboard pattern
- skyscraper (skyline)
- Upper class lives outside
- Land prices increase from the center to the edge
- CBD with Downtown
- transition area
- suburbs
- new York
- los Angeles
- Chicago
European City Classic Antiquity (circa 500 BC)
- in Europe
- Old town with city wall
- Town halls, churches, palaces/castles
- Land prices increase from edge to center
- old town
- older residential and commercial areas
- new business districts, commercial and residential parks
- residential area
Latin American city between 1550 and 1850
- in Central and South America
- Checkerboard pattern with square Plaza Major
- Town hall, church, school, administration in the center
- Land prices increase from the edge to the center
- Center (Major Plaza)
- Upper Class Neighborhood (Mansions)
- Middle and lower class neighborhoods
- Mexico City
- Bogota
- Santiago de Chile
Oriental City7. century
- from the Near East to North Africa
- Dead end floor plan in the old town (Medina)
- ring-shaped city wall
- courtyard houses
- (Main) mosque as a religious center in the center of the city
- Bazaar as economic center
- Old Town (Medina)
- new city with industrial districts
- New town with business and residential districts
- Outskirts with individual houses and oases
- Damascus (Syria)
- Istanbul (Turkey)
- Marrakech (Morocco)
The European cities are therefore clearly different from the other cities.
The first European cities are in antiquity, around 500 BC. in Greece. In Germany, the first cities were built by the Romans and then others in the Middle Ages (13th century). European cities have historic old towns. Therefore, there are features such as city walls and castles. Cities are slow growing and feature a star-shaped street pattern.
This is different with the North American cities, which only 18th and 19th centuries caused by colonization.
colonization describes the settlement of America by Europeans.
As a result, the North American cities also have less historical background and do not have an old town with city walls and castles. In the center are skyscrapers. The city was planned in a checkerboard pattern and built quickly.
North American City – Essentials
- the north american cityalso referred to as a United States city, is a type of city in North America.
- Characteristics: chessboard-like street system, skyscrapers in the city center skyline, ghetto formation in the center
- Structure: Downtown with CBD, transition area, suburbs
- Unlike European cities, North American cities only emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries.