Deep dive 2 How the US became an urban nation part I Cities in the US South Readings 1 John Palen The Rise of Urban America 2 Jonas et al pages 53 68 Production Economy and the City Graded between 0 and 5 points 5 of final grade Please note students must complete 5 of 10 deep dives over the course of the semester Which 5 you complete is totally up to you Due Sakai Assignments by 1 27 at 11am ie before the start of Thursday s class Sakai will close the submission at 11am so it is not possible to submit late Do not email me late assignments They will not be accepted Length 400 500 words Background Both Jonas et al and Palen explain how US cities grew declined and took new forms during different historical periods In explaining the growth and decline of cities over time Palen tends to emphasize socio spatial processes associated with technology By contrast Jonas et al focus on economic factors particularly how the changing geographical requirements of production in different periods produce quite distinctive patterns and trajectories of urban development at the global regional and intra urban scales 75 Question In this deep dive activity your task is to explain the trajectory of cities in the US South drawing on economic and technological factors Both authors briefly describe cities in the South and the Sunbelt so you can draw on their work as well as other sources e g properly cited websites books etc You might consider the following questions why did Southern cities grow more slowly than their northern and midwestern counterparts Why did their growth take off in more recent decades What kinds of cities in the South have grown in recent years and what kinds have declined stagnated Is the internal structure of southern cities different than in other parts of the country Please note 1 Because your response is short do not try to explain every relevant factor You should be selective about the information you choose to share judging which factors are most relevant and interesting You are being asked to consider economic and technological factors only It can be difficult to decide if something is economic technological political cultural etc Use your best judgement 2 The US South is a diverse region and there is not a universal story to be told about cities in the South However the task asks that you make generalizations about the South 1 Therefore you must walk a fine line between making general statements while also recognizing that not every city in the same 3 You should give a geographical definition of the US South which turns out to be no easy task It is up to you to choose which states to include and why Because of the brevity of the assignment you can simply state your definition in a footnote or include a map You do not need to provide a justification for which states you are including The US Census has an expansive definition of the South https www census gov prod 1 gen 95statab preface pdf 4 Include a references section where you cite your sources including the class readings You must choose a common citation system eg MLA Chicago Harvard and employ it consistently My preference is for the Author date style of the Chicago Style https www chicagomanualofstyle org tools citationguide citation guide 2 html 2