:: The 4th Era ::

Urban ecology, environmental justice, gendered inequities, primate city politics, the struggle of growing megacities…it’s all here in this fantastic piece of investigative reporting.  The article highlights the ecological problems that Mexico City faces (high-altitude exacerbates air pollution, interior drainage worsens water pollution, limited aquifers that are overworked lead to subsidence, importing water outside of the basin requires enormous amounts of energy, etc.).  just because the article doesn't use the word 'geography' doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly geographic. All of these problems are at the heart of human-environmental nexus of 21st century urbanization. 

Tags: urban, megacities, water, environment, Mexico.

A multicultural research project:  by foot, by car, or by plane

Select your site:  Detroit?  Kansas City? Feguson? New York?

Take some pictures.  Start observing.  Interview some people.  Assemble some facts.   Justify your opinions. 

Deindustrialization and globalization are some of the reason why Detroit fluctuates configurations in the geography of manufacturing. The reduction of production in the car industry and all activities along with it is harmful to Detroit’s citizens, leaving a lot of workers without jobs. Globalization was adopted and American companies became attracted to the very low wages of workers in other countries that produce similar quality products as the US. Unfortunately, since globalization became the preferred option for the US, deindustrialization in Detroit rapidly increased. On the other hand, with the continuing advancements in technology, it turns out to be manageable with a few employees. Wealthy Detroiters sprawl out in the suburbs out of the city.  Due to the elimination of manufacturing jobs and relocation of residents out of the state, Detroit city remains with a population of 700,000 people. The effect of deindustrialization has been devastating, not only for workers, but also for the city itself. The regions with the lowest population rate will find it hard to survive with the increase of infrastructure and less income in taxes.