12/3/2008 Zachary Neal
University of Illinois, Chicago
The Trajectories of Cities and Urban Theory
A number of disparate theoretical perspectives emerged over the 20th century to explain cities' economic trajectories. In this presentation, I begin by tracing the explanatory rise and fall of five particular perspectives: (a) central place, (b) spaces of flows, (c) human ecology, (d) path dependence, and (e) natural advantage. Each of these perspectives is found to play an important role at some point during the past century, but by the 21st century, the role of networks is among the most critical for urban development. Thus, in the second half of the presentation, I consider how to move beyond a purely metaphorical use of networks in urban research. In particular, I describe some methodological challenges in measuring urban networks and offer a solution that relies on air traffic data. These data are then used to model the structure of exclusively business-oriented flows among US metropolitan areas. Finally, I conclude with a brief discussion of the next steps in my research program on urban networks.
Wednesday, December 3
3:30 pm
Condon Hall 311
Zachary Neal holds a BA in philosophy and classics from the University of Arizona, and is completing his PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He currently serves as the managing editor of City & Community, the official journal of the Community and Urban Sociology Section of the ASA, and as an editor of Routledge's new book series 'The Metropolis and Modern Life.' His past work has examined the role of restaurants in defining a city's image (Urban
Studies) and the use of the niche as a theoretical tool (Annual Review of Sociology). He is now working on an edited volume that addresses the various roles that public space plays in the city, and has several projects underway that focus on how interurban networks can be measured and what consequences these networks have for the economic development of cities.
|
