I. Outline of Political Power

A. The United States: A Federalist, Democratic Republic

• Federalism
• Democracy
• Republic

B. American Cities: Creatures of the State

• general law cities
• charter cities
• home rule charters
• Dillon's Rule

C. Forms of City Government

1. Mayor-Council

• strong mayor form
• weak mayor form

2. Council-Manager

3. Commission Form

D. Referendum, Initiative, and Recall

II. Balkanization

A. Local Governments

 B. Regional Governing Entities

C. Local Government Trends

• reapportionment
• incorporation
• annexation
• consolidation
• privatization
• local improvement districts (LIDs)

III. Models of Power: Getting Things Done

1. Pluralism
2. Elitism (based on work of Floyd Hunter, Community Power Structure (1953)
3. Growth-machine model (neo-Marxists and sociologists such as Harvey Molotch and John Logan)
4. Regime theory (based on Clarence Stone's Regime Politics: Governing Atlanta, 1946-1988), published in 1989

I.    Population Shifts:  Review of Concepts

A.  Urbanization

B.  Suburbanization

C.  Growth of Sunbelt

II.    Metropolitan Area:  Census Concepts

A.  Defining and Measuring the Metropolitan Area

B. See this map to explore the different components of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (Sacramento County)

C.  What is the difference, according to the Census, between "urban" and "rural"?

D. Central City

E.  CBD

III.  Systems of Cities

A.  Walter Christaller's Central Place Theory

• Key terms:  hinterland, threshold, range

B.    Classifying Cities by Function (Chauncy Harris & Edwarde Ullman)

• central places
• transport cities
• specialized function cities

C.    New Spatial Models

1. First-tier cities
2. Second-tier cities

• specialized command cities
• divisional command cities
• specialized manufacturing cities
• state command cities

IV.   Internal Structure of Cities

A.  Burgess Concentric Zone Model

• The Chicago School and Urban Ecology

B. Comparison of Other Models

• Hoyt's Sectoral Model
• Harris & Ullman's Multiple Nuclei Model

C.    Criticisms of Traditional Spatial Models

• Compare Mike Davis's spatial model from his 1992 book, Ecology of Fear
• What are other factors influencing settlement patterns of individuals and firms?
• What is meant by "functional interdependence"?

V.        Types of Space

• Personal Space
• Public Space

VI.        Concepts of Ideal Form

A.    Daniel Burnham and the City Beautiful Movement

Features include:

• classical style, with symmetry, domes, pillars
• large, monumental buildings
• grand boulevards and parkways
• beautiful parks and central plazas

B.  Ebenezer Howard and the Garden City

• Garden City Concept
• The Three Magnets

C.    Le Corbusier

• Dom-Ino House (1910)
• The Contemporary City (1922)
• The Radiant City (1930s)

VII.    Architectural Determinism:  The Effects of Imposing "Ideal Form"

• The "answer" to public housing needs: Pruit-Igoe in 1954
• Perfection gone awry (1974)

VIII.    Neotraditionalism and Urban Form

• Example of low-density suburban stripmall development
• Contrast with traditional development
• To contrast elements in typical suburban development(upper half) with same elements rearranged in a traditional development (bottom half), click here

IX.     Metro's Region 2040 Growth Concept

• central city
• regional centers
• town centers
• inner neighborhoods
• outer neighborhoods
• employment areas
• industrial areas
• corridors
• main streets
• proposed & potential regional throughways
• green corridors
• planned & existing light rail lines
• proposed light rail lines
• light rail stations
• airports
• terminals
• rail yards
• exclusive farm use
• urban reserves
• rural reserves
• open space
• Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
• neighboring cities

• Cascade Link is the best jumping-off point for finding out about government in Oregon and Washington
• The Oregon Blue Book is the official state directory and manual concerning state, county, city, federal and tribal governments, with related general information
• The Secretary of State's office has many useful products, including information related to elections
• The most recent voter's guide is online.
• The Elections Division includes historical information about previous measures so you can compare how voters in different counties voted for certain measures, such as the 1996 Measure 32 that would have authorized a bond issue to fund light rail.
• The State Legislature's site has many important archives, including searchable bills and laws, a copy of the US Constitution, a copy of Oregon's Constitution, the Oregon Revised Statutes
• Oregon's Administrative Rules are part of the Secretary of State's archives.
• Project Vote Smart gives you information about candidates in your area.
• Basics about Christaller's Central Place Theory (good info, but most links don't work)
• More on Central Place Theory
• More on Urban Land Use Theories and Models
• Cyburbia:  Internet Resources for the Built Environment
• The City Beautiful Movement:  basics and images
• Daniel Burnham Page
• Letchworth:  An Actual Garden City
• Le Corbusier, one of Time Magazine's People of the Century
• The New Urbanism:  Peter Calthorpe's Metrostreets Project for Portland
• New Urban News:  The New Urbanism includes fundamental principles of the new urbanism
• Congress for the New Urbanism
• Metro's Regional Transportation Plan: Resolution Draft, with links to extensive text and maps regarding the Regional Framework Plan and transportation improvements planned through 2020.