Overview:

In this lesson, students will compare physical and cultural landscapes of the Twin Cities between 1990-2000.  Using census data, aerial photos, and land use maps, they will discover and analyze the changes that have occurred in the region as a result of increased suburbanization.  They will take a close look at their own neighborhood and compare it to the metropolitan region as a whole, and they will consider the reasons why people choose to live in certain areas.  They will compare recent suburbanization to post-WWII suburbanization, attempting to identify similarities and differences.  Finally, they will recommend possible alternatives to increased suburbanization in the metro area.

This lesson is designed for a school in Columbia Heights, an inner-ring suburb of Minneapolis, but it can be easily adapted for other areas.

Objectives:

1. Students will compare aerial photographs and land use data for the Twin Cities region in 1990 and 2000 and observe changes that have taken place.
2. Students will examine Twin Cities census data and interpret what it says about suburbanization.
3. Students will analyze their own neighborhoods and how they fit into the suburbanization pattern. 
4. Students will identify reasons that people choose to live in certain areas.
5. Students will create a Venn diagram comparing 1950’s suburbanization with that of today.
6. In an essay, students will recommend an alternative to further suburbanization and evaluate the costs and benefits of their recommendation.

Grade Level: 7-9

Time: Five 45-minute periods for instruction, an additional day for student work

Subjects: Geography, American Studies, Social Studies, History

Required Materials

• Internet access for students
• Computer screen projector
• Overhead projector with blank transparencies and markers
• Large map of the Twin Cities metro area (current)
• Maps of the Twin Cities area from 1980 or 1990
• Student handouts titled “Suburbanization in the West Metro Region”
• Load and save aerial photos ahead of time (See Day 2)

Prerequisites:  This lesson would ideally come after lessons about 1950’s suburbanization and society, including discussions of “white flight.”

Optional Technologies:

Suggested Procedure (Pedagogy):

Opening:  The day before the lesson begins, give students the following assignment:  Write a brief description of the block where you live.  What kind of buildings do people live in?  How much lawn space is there?  How big is the street and how much traffic goes by?  How far are you from a major road?  How far are you from the nearest store?  How far are you from downtown Minneapolis?

Day 1-2:  Explain to the students that people live in different neighborhoods for a variety of reasons.  Individuals and families have to determine what their most important needs are, and then decide how best to meet those needs.  Some examples of people’s needs could be access to public transportation, affordable housing, quiet neighborhoods, etc.

Explain that we will be looking at changes in the metro area to see what kinds of choices people have made about where they want to live, and how these choices have made changes in our area landscape.  Explain that we will be looking for similarities and differences between what we see today and what we read about the 1950’s.

Sketch the Burgess concentric zone model of urban development on the overhead.  [This model is a set of concentric circles, with the inner circle representing the “central business district,” the next ring representing the “zone of transition” or “zone of new arrivals,” the next ring representing working-class homes, the next ring middle-class homes, with expansion moving ever outward.  You can find a description at http://www.kesgrave.suffolk.sch.uk/Curric/geog/burgess.html]  Explain that many people believe that this is how cities – and suburbs – develop and grow.  Make sure students understand the model.

Connect the model to the students’ experience.  Put the Twin Cities area map on the wall.  Ask them, if the Central Business District is downtown Minneapolis, where on the model does Columbia Heights appear?  Fridley?  Roseville?  St. Anthony?  If Central Avenue comes directly out of the Central Business District, what would we expect to find along it as we move north?  In what ways is this model accurate in describing the Twin Cities?  In what ways is it incorrect?  Students should see that although the model has some basis in truth, it is not an accurate description of the area.

Have the students take out their assignments.  Ask them to share what they wrote, and point out their neighborhoods on the map.  For each student who shares, discuss whether their neighborhood fits the model.  Collect the assignments.

Brainstorm with the students a list on the overhead about what is necessary for a person to be able to live far from the Central Business District and have the students copy it into their notebooks.  It should include things such as transportation, drinking water access, other access to services (roads, sewers, etc), and so on.

Compare the 1980/1990 and 2000 maps of the Twin Cities area.  Discuss the changes – more roads, more towns, more densely populated suburban space, etc.

Discuss what might be some of the “push” and “pull” factors causing migration to these areas.  List the factors on an overhead transparency.

Brainstorm as a class and write on the overhead: what do you think are the environmental effects of increasing suburbanization?  (less green space, less farmland, more pavement, etc.)  What do you think are the social effects of these changes?  (people live further apart, possibility for increased class separation if wealthier people are moving further out) 

Explain that tomorrow we will be looking at census data, photos, and maps to see some of the more specific changes. 

Day 3:  Computer Lab.  Project an aerial photograph of the school neighborhood in 1990 (accessible at www.terraserver.microsoft.com) on the wall and have the students point out landmarks.  Project the same photo from 2000 (accessible at www.gis.metc.state.mn.us/website/METC_RiverMap/viewer.htm) and have them look for changes.  [Note:  because the images take a while to zoom properly and load, they should be located and saved ahead of time.]  Around the school neighborhood, there are few changes in the past ten years.

Next, project aerial photos of the area south and west of Weaver Lake in Maple Grove from those same years (accessible at the same websites).  Have the students point out changes from the past decade.  Compare the differences between Columbia Heights and Maple Grove.  Which city has had more development?  Why?  What kind of development is going on?  Looking at the metro area map, what features would make Maple Grove an attractive location?  (transportation – interstate access, far from city problems)  What would you need to be able to live in Maple Grove?  (money to cover transportation costs)

Next, have students work to complete the handout “Suburbanization in the West Metro Region” investigating changes in population and land use in 6 cities over the past decade.  They will use the Minnesota Planning’s DataNet website (http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/datanetweb/demographics.html) to find population growth and residence by race in the cities, and the Metropolitan Council’s GIS website (http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/) to find land use information.  They are looking for evidence of change in residential, commercial, industrial, highway, water surface, and vacant/agricultural land. 

[Note to teacher: The handout asks the students to find the populations of white, African-American, and Asian residents in each city.  Hispanic population is not included because they are not considered a separate race in the census data.  You may want to clarify this for your students.]

The handout asks students to find and chart data, and then to draw conclusions about the impact of suburban development on the area.  Recommend that they find and record the data first, then if they run out of time they can still complete the questions at home.

At the end of class, collect the handouts.

Day 4:  Pass back the handouts to the students.  Discuss their findings.  What were the fastest-growing cities?  Which cities were not growing much, if at all?  How does this relate to their distance from the central city (Minneapolis)?  It might be helpful to record their findings on the overhead for reference during the discussion.  Discuss the land use data.  Which cities were gaining the most residential land?  Which were losing the most open land to other uses?  What effects can they foresee from this data?  Guide the discussion to the point where the students recognize that if sprawl continues, farmland will continue to decrease.  Have them debate possible outcomes.  (Is this pattern sustainable?  Can metro areas increase infinitely?)  Ask for their ideas about what could be done to prevent further loss of open, arable land.  What are the alternatives to sprawl?  As they suggest alternatives, probe them to identify opposing viewpoints.

Discuss the census data about race.  What did they find?  Where do most of the metro area minorities live, based on the information they charted?  What might be some of the possible reasons for this?  Does “white flight” continue to be a cause for migration as it was in the 1950’s?  How might it affect the rate and extent of suburbanization? 

Have the students work in pairs or threes to make Venn diagrams comparing the 1950’s to today.  They should show four ways in which they are similar, and three ways in which each is distinct. 

After 10 minutes, have groups share their diagrams with the class. 

Closing (Days 5-6):  As an assessment, the students should choose one of the alternatives discussed in class.  In a short (3-5 paragraph) essay, they should answer the questions: What is a possible alternative to increasing sprawl?  How would this alternative work?  What are some arguments for and against this alternative?  Why do you support this alternative?  Use data from the census or land use websites in your essay. 

Have the students meet in groups of 3-4 for 15-20 minutes to discuss alternatives.  They should refer to the discussion from the previous day. 

Allow the students time to brainstorm and make outlines.  You may want to make a blank outline or concept map on the board that they can use to organize their essay. 

Have students walk through their outline with you before starting to write their essay.  Clarify any questions or misunderstandings they may have. 

Differentiation

1.  Select different areas for study according to where students live.

2.  Assist students who may have more trouble locating the proper information in the computer lab, or have them work in partners to find the information. 

3.  For more advanced students, include discussion of population density differences between the cities.

Suggested Assessment

• Participation in class discussions and partner work
• Accurate completion of computer lab handout
• Recommendation essay

RESOURCE BAR

Definitions

• Working-class
• Middle-class
• Suburb
• Land use
• Residential
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Wetland
• Vacant/agricultural
• “white flight”
• absolute vs. relative (growth)

Standards

Minnesota State Standards: Current Issue Analysis, Geography and Culture

Weblinks

• Minnesota Planning’s DataNet website at http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/datanetweb/demographics.html

has census data by county and city

• The Metropolitan Council’s GIS website at http://gis.metc.state.mn.us/

has excellent land use data and maps

• A description of the Burgess Concentric Zone model of urban development can be found at http://www.kesgrave.suffolk.sch.uk/Curric/geog/burgess.html

Discussion Questions

See lesson procedures and student handout for discussion questions.

Extension Activities

1.  Spend more time investigating the land use maps at the Metropolitan Council’s GIS website.  Analyze the differences between cities and counties in detail.

2.  Have students conduct research into the history of their own community.  When was it first established?  Who lived there?  How has the population and land use changed over time?

Credits

Kate Mattessich, Immaculate Conception School, Columbia Heights, MN