The relationship of climate to land-surface morphology and genesis has been investigated by numerous writers for well over half a century. Such studies have focused in part upon interpreting erosional cycles, but more importantly they have to an increasing degree been oriented toward understanding the areal variation of specific surface forms and geomorphic processes. Especially pertinent to the geographer are recent attempts in the United States, and particularly by Julius Budel in Germany, to use climatic influence as a basis for establishing morphogenetic and climato-genetic regions. EVERAL papers published in the Ani1a1.s LUTZ HOLZNER AND GLEN D. WEAVER December 40 This would account for the steplike longitudinal profiles characterizing the Congo, Niger, Nile, and other tropical rivers.
Cities of pre‐industrial cultures with long‐standing and continuous urban life as part of their indigenous tradition are likely to retain historical characteristics even after complete industrialization and modernization. Also, in old cultures with a pre‐industrial urban tradition, urban innovations and changes may need to be molded to fit the traditional and inherited pattern. This thesis is based on the observation of contemporary urban characteristics and trends of postwar West Germany. Today West Germany is one of the most highly developed and industrialized nations in the world but has nevertheless retained a number of pre‐industrial and early industrial traditions and institutions only slightly adjusted to the modern urban economy. In addition, many innovations of the modern age have been adopted only after considerable adjustment to existing patterns. In view of the vast and sometimes complete destruction of most German cities during World War II, even the typical appearance of the urban layout and build of contemporary German cities cannot be explained by their remarkable age alone. The most notable processes behind this urban traditionalism in Germany are the influential political and social reactionism and the positive sense for historic and humanistic responsibility.
With the exception of urban morphology, the overall cultural influence upon cities has received inadequate attention in the field of urban geography. Yet every culture influences all aspects of its cities in a way different from all other cultures. This in turn results in modified types of cities which can be grouped according to culturalgenetic, rather than functional or economic criteria. In spite of only sporadic empirical observations in this subject, a theory of the cultural-genetic classification of cities is initiated. Future research will determine whether or not evidence in support of this theory can be produced.MPIRICAL observations of modifying E cultural influences upon the layout, vertical configuration, and architecture of cities are countlessa2 Nevertheless, a careful study of urban geographical literature reveals the lack of comparable observations in each of the other aspects of the city: social structure,
Most cities are influenced b y those cultures which they serve and represent. At the same time, the cultures are influenced by their respective cities. This mutual relationship among cities and cultures constitutes a complex of processes of functional interrelationships. The geographic approach to these processes leads to the delimitation of twelve major world-regions and several sub-regions that are characterized by the areally varying processes associating cities and cultures. A system of world-regions of this nature is proposed in the present paper. The proposed system places every city of the world into a hierarchy of functional regions, far beyond the city's own hinterland. Every city is then visualized as a molder and reflector of its cultural environment. In addition, the following implications of such a regional system on the field of urban geography are discussed. First, the urban geographer is able to contribute to regional studies by considering the influence the cities have upon a given region. Secondly, the urban geographer adds another aspect to the research on any city by purposely studying the city as the expression of the surrounding cultural realm. Thirdly, the proposed regions are a tool for systematic and comparative study on the regional variation of cities from one culture-region to another.HE spatial VaridtiOll or formzcandel of the T great world-cultures and sub-cultures seems to be accompanied by a similar formtcandel of the cities of the world. Research on this areal variation of cities in relationship to cultural variance might lead to the delimitation of a system of world regions which hitherto has not existed within urban geography. In the present paper some ideas are suggested lvhich it is hoped will promote this regional approach in urban geography.The observation that human settlements in general and cities in particular reflect the characteristics of the cultural area in which the settlements are located is not a new one. Anyone who compares photographs, paintings, or street-plans of cities in different cultures will be impressed by the differences in urban street-pattern, vertical configuration, and architecture. In addition, this casual observation of a marked cultural-genetic contrast in urban morphology is more professionally attested by Acccpted for puhlicatioti Jutw 9, 1966.
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