Commonalities and Contrasts in the Development of Major United States Urban Areas: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis from 1910 to 2000

Abstract

Using newly available data, simple measures, and recently developed spatial analysis techniques, this paper addresses the following questions: 1) What are the general patterns of growth and decline in United States urban settlements from early in the twentieth century through 2000? 2) How varied are the patterns found? Do they vary by urban area or by period? 3) For three major metropolises in the United States, is the pattern of growth similar over the entire history of each city? How are they different or similar? Relying upon the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) data for census tracts from 1910 to 2000, this paper uses comparable data to assess patterns of growth in all urban areas with available data in the United States. Findings indicate that cities grew away from their centres in the early decades, but growth was more patterned in Chicago and Los Angeles than in the New York area. Later, growth and decline coexisted in similar zones; by 2000, no patterning was apparent in any of the three major metropolises. Implications are drawn for further research.