Urban Transformation: From Pre-Industrial Cores to Global Cities

Pre-Industrial City Characteristics

• Its shape was compact, characterized by a small core.
• Movement relied on walking or cavalry.
• Streets were narrow and winding, often lined with walls.
• Buildings were typically low in height.
• Streets often specialized in the sale of certain products (commercial specialization).
• The nerve center of the city was usually established around a central square.

The City in the Nineteenth Century

Impact of the First Industrial Revolution

• Introduction of trams and trains; generalization of lifts allowing for higher buildings.
• Demolition of city walls.
• Extension of the city in a sprawling form; the transport network became radial.
• The center concentrated economic activities, excluding industry, which was located in the suburbs.
• Roads were widened and often laid out in a grid pattern.
• Workers' quarters featured a messy layout and poor quality housing.

The City in the Twentieth Century

• Generalization of the automobile led to urban expansion, causing the city to grow like an oil stain (sprawl).
• New industries became located in more peripheral spaces.
• The construction of motorways facilitated growth, resulting in large metropolitan areas.
• This era saw the rise of the dispersed city: nearby municipalities became more dynamic, new residential areas emerged, and industry settled in dedicated industrial sites.

Internal Structure of the Current City

A. The Center (Central Business District)

This is the most characteristic and representative area of the city.

• It develops economic, recreational, and cultural activities.
• Multifamily housing predominates.
• The population is aging, but there is a significant and variable percentage of foreign residents.
• The area suffers from circulatory congestion, especially for public transport.

B. The Periphery

• Features numerous residential areas, often offering cheaper housing and attracting younger populations.
• It is the primary area for economic activity, particularly industry, which requires large areas of land that are cheaper and more plentiful here.
• Contains specialized zones:
  • Industrial parks and technology parks.
  • Research and development (R&D) facilities.
  • Logistics centers, business parks, and shopping and leisure complexes.

Factors Driving Economic Globalization

• Improved technology in transport and telecommunications.
• Regional Economic Institutions accelerate the disappearance of borders for capital movement.
• Globalization benefits large enterprises by allowing them to expand their operations and markets. Many small businesses also globalize to expand their reach.
• Most anti-globalization movements do not propose the complete disappearance of globalization, but rather its reform.

Location of Multinational Companies (MNCs)

• Headquarters are typically located in developed countries.
• Considering the distribution of subsidiaries, the spatial distribution is less lopsided than headquarters location.
• Latin American countries often host many maquiladoras (assembly plants).
• Conflict and political instability significantly reduce the presence of multinational enterprises.