Climate & Location

Gsah

Author: Jackie Sheehan

The development and outside factors of a city’s location can influence the success and failure of its development. Any city can be built or destroyed but a city needs to be built on a solid foundation and potential for growth for it to attract resident to build a culture. A city needs four basic domains to build a social life for its residents, ecology, politics, economics and culture. Ecology includes things such as natural resources, soil, temperature and terrain. These principles of ecology are influenced by climate.
Climate can influence the types of food grown in an area, how often food can be harvested, and the quality of the food harvested. If a climate is cold all year round or for majority of the year, the amount of food harvested is limited and the soil is not farmable. The lack of an abundance of food in an environment can cause famine or not attract people based on a poor diet. A city that has people who are undernourished will not survive based on survival of the fittest.
Climate also plays a role in terrain and resources. Based on a locations climate, they have different natural resources such as coal, water, oil, wood, plants, metals and many more. Natural resources are used to develop and run a city and are a source of income. For example, a city can mine for coal and sell it to neighboring cities or worldwide. This would create jobs for a city’s residents and provide an income for businesses and for the overall city. One of the most valuable natural resources for a city is fresh water. Water provides fresh water for residents to drink, fishing for food, and irrigation for harvesting food. Depending on the body of water, it can also provide importing and exporting goods to and from a city.
Personal preference of a climate can also attract residents to a city. A city with an extremely hot or dry climate may not be the most desirable place for people to live because the climate is not enjoyable. Vice versa, a climate that is constantly cold is not desirable and limits the activities residents can do. A relatively steady and warm climate is what is most attractive to people because it is enjoyable all year round. It also attracts tourists which generates income to a city and jobs for its residents.
These factors are influenced and determined by a climate. Climate influences almost all the characteristics of a city including weather, income and desirability for residents to live. According to “Good City Principles” the most desirable climate for people to live in based on desirability and resources is a Mediterranean. It is a constantly warm climate which allows for all year farming, tourism, natural resources and a high desirability rate for people.

An example of this principle at work:

Back