Urban Aggolmeration

Planners often use the term "urban agglomeration" to refer to a metropolitian area that is actually a collection of several smaller cities and towns that have grown together to form one large urban entity. Los Angeles is a perfect example of this. For example, you might live in South Pasadena, or even -- gasp! -- the Inland Empire, but you still belong to the urban agglomeration that is LA.

Sometimes I like to think about the term "urban agglomeration" in another way -- where the "agglomeration" refers to collections of like things within the urban environment, not simply the cities themselves. I used to contemplate this quite a bit when driving up and down a stretch of Robertson Avenue near my old apartment in Los Angeles, where there are over five stores selling fancy, imported Persian carpets and rugs in a matter of mere blocks. (I guess you need something to cover those gorgeous hardwood floors!).

It's fascinating to think about all the reasons that certain types people, shops and businesses gravitate towards each other. There of course are economic factors: proximity to customers, employees and materials; transportation costs & technologies; etc. And then of course there are cultural and historical reasons for these agglomerations too (though historic factors are usually just economic and political factors from previous eras).

Hanoi's historic old quarter is a perfect example of the past's effect on modern day life and the layout of cities, and wandering through this area was definitely a highlight of my visit.

In the old quarter there are whole streets and areas dedicated to selling or making one type of product. For example, on one series of streets nearly all of the store fronts are selling shoes, and in the next block only towels and fabrics, or in the next only candles and other religious supplies. And the streets aren't just limited to finished goods either -- there was a block with metal works shops (welding and the like -- right on the street!) and another dedicated to engraving headstones (replete with photo-style portrayals of the deceased).

Acording to my guidebook and a bit of online research, the agglomeration of these merchants is a holdover from the artisan guilds which began to form in the early 13th century.

Craftsmen from villages came and settled together in the quarter, generally choosing to live with other crasftmen from their home village. Eventually they formed guilds and developed cooperative systems to transport merchandise from their village to the Old Quarter. Thus, staying close together (or agglomerating) in one geographical area just made this transportation process easier, and because each village generally had a special craft or trade, these areas often focused on one type of finished product or trade.


The photos included here are from Long Ong Street, which is dedicated to spices and herbal medicines. If I had to pick a favorite section of the Old Quarter -- this would be it. Cinamom sticks the size of small baseball bats (pictured above), piles and piles of aromatic herbs, and jars of special medicine with various snakes, scorpions and snakes holding scorpions in their mouths -- it kept me entertained for hours.