The third graphic takes one of the most extreme cases–Atlanta-and makes an example out of it. Obviously, this is where the clearest inferences about density can be made. Karachi has more people than all of the New York Tri-State Region, yet its footprint is just a fraction of its size. This provides for some sharp juxtapositions. In the second graphic, the cities are arranged by population. This is usually due to geographic barriers like water bodies and mountains, although it can also reflect urban development that is catalyzing farmland in a scattershot fashion, as is the case of Shanghai). Other cities are highly perforated (Seoul), elongated (Miami), or scattered (San Francisco). Some cities, like Beijing, London, and Bakersfield, are highly compact they’re not perfect circles or rectangles, but they’re not far off. What can we see in these simplified urban footprints? Apart from size, shape is the most obvious factor. You’ll notice that when arranged in this fashion, there is no correlation to population. You’ll notice that all the top contenders are from the United States (surprise surprise). In the first graphic the cities are arranged by size (or thereabouts…since the footprints are geometrically complex I had to eye-ball the approximate size). Some smaller or lesser cities I threw in at random. Chinese and US cities over-represented since those are my countries. Among these 54 are some of the world’s major cities, at least a few from each world region. They are presented side-by-side at the same scale, allowing the viewer to compare these cities in a new light. “I created comparing the physical footprints of 54 cities around the world. I will allow him to explain the rest (UPDATE: In 2013, Matt provided this update). This is a series of infographics (or geo-infographics) created by Matthew Hartzell, a friend of mine that I met when we were both geography graduate students at Penn State in few years back.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |