Micro-Essay by Isabel Flores
“a new conceptual lexicon must be created for identifying the wide variety of urbanization processes that are currently reshaping the urban world and, relatedly, for deciphering the new emergent landscapes of socio-spatial difference that have been crystallizing in recent decades.” (Neil Brenner & Christian Schmid, p. 02)
Planetary Urbanization” (2013) explores the juxtaposition of aging urban design principles with an ever-changing global economy and interconnected networks. In the early 20th century, scholars defined urban areas in contrast to rural ones, establishing seemingly fixed boundaries. At that time, industrial cities and suburbs were expanding rapidly, while rural areas were also undergoing significant changes, which created a clear urban-rural divide. However, over time, these boundaries have blurred as urban growth has led to interconnected URBAN GALAXIES that transcend national borders, such as BosWash or the Pearl River Delta. These examples illustrate how urbanization now shapes entire regions, representing new scales of growth and challenging traditional boundaries.
Planetary Urbanization” (2013) explores the juxtaposition of aging urban design principles with an ever-changing global economy and interconnected networks. In the early 20th century, scholars defined urban areas in contrast to rural ones, establishing seemingly fixed boundaries. At that time, industrial cities and suburbs were expanding rapidly, while rural areas were also undergoing significant changes, which created a clear urban-rural divide. However, over time, these boundaries have blurred as urban growth has led to interconnected URBAN GALAXIES that transcend national borders, such as BosWash or the Pearl River Delta. These examples illustrate how urbanization now shapes entire regions, representing new scales of growth and challenging traditional boundaries.
Key Terms:
URBAN GALAXIES: A cluster of cities and towns that have grown together creating an interconnected region.
SOCIO-SPATIAL: Refers to how social and spatial factors are connected and influence each other.
CONCEPTUAL LEXICON: A set of terms needed to better describe and understand the changing nature of urbanization.
