A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to miniature metropolitan areas on the fringe of larger ones.
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Satellite cities are small or medium-sized cities near a large metropolis, that:
In the United States, the easiest way to tell if a community is a satellite city or some other type of development (see below) is to look up whether it has its own independent urbanized area or is considered to be part of the urbanized area of its larger neighbor. This rule has exceptions, but should generally be followed.
Satellite cities are different from and are sometimes confused with the following related patterns of development.
Satellite cities differ from suburbs in that they have distinct employment bases, commutersheds, and cultural offerings from the central metropolis, as well as an independent municipal government. Satellite cities are not bedroom communities.
Satellite cities differ from edge cities, which are suburbs with large employment bases and cultural offerings, in that satellite cities must have a true historic downtown, a distinct independent municipal government, existed as a city prior to becoming interconnected with the larger metropolitan core, and are surrounded by both their own family of bedroom communities and a belt of rural land between themselves and the central city.
Conceptually, both satellite cities and some types of edge city could be (and once were) self-sufficient communities outside of their larger metropolitan areas, but have become interconnected due to the suburban expansion of the larger metropolis. However, while edge cities may have their own government and share many characteristics with satellite cities, they are much more physically integrated with the core city and would not exist in anything like their present form if not for the suburban expansion of their larger neighbor. Edge cities are activity nodes within a metro area, not miniature metro areas themselves.
Some satellite cities that are particularly close or well connected to their larger neighbors and/or have their own historic downtown may also qualify as the Uptown variety of edge cities, but the terms are not synonymous.
See the main article for edge cities for more information.
In some cases large metropolitan areas have multiple centers of close to equal importance. These multi-polar cities are often referred to as twin cities. Multi-polar cities differ from satellite cities in two key ways:
For example Fort Worth, Texas is a twin of Dallas, Texas because though Fort Worth is somewhat smaller, it is proportionally close enough and physically integrated enough with Dallas to be considered a twin rather than a satellite. Generally speaking, cities that are listed as being part of the same urbanized area should be considered twins, rather than one having a satellite relationship to the other.
Conceptually, satellite cities are miniature metro areas on the fringe of larger ones. Satellite cities are sometimes listed as part of the larger metro area, and sometimes listed as totally independent. In the United States, satellite cities are often (but not always) listed as independent Metropolitan Statistical Areas within a single Combined Statistical Area that is unified with the larger metropolis.
Some examples of satellite cities in the United States include: (This list is not comprehensive)
| Satellite City | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Starring |
Boyd Clack Ri Richards Michael Neill Islwyn Morris Rhodri Hugh Shelley Miranda Barrett Einir Sion Kirsten Clark |
| Country of origin | Wales |
| Production | |
| Running time | Approximately 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One Wales |
| Original airing | Series 1 (1996) Series 2 (1997) Series 3 (1998) 1 Hour Long Episode Special(1999) |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Satellite City was a Welsh sitcom which started out originally as a radio show on BBC Radio Wales in 1994 and then evolved into a TV version made by BBC Wales and was first broadcast in 1996.
The setting was an imaginary small town in the South Wales Valleys. The plot centred on the arrival of Randy (Michael Neill), an American visitor, who was taken in by the Price family (but had to share a bed with pensioner Idris, played by Islwyn Morris. Randy soon formed a relationship with local girl Mandy (Shelley Miranda Barrett). The other main characters were Idris's son, Gwynne (played by Boyd Clack, who also co-wrote the series), Gwynne's wife Moira (Ri Richards), barman Dai (Rhodri Hugh), and Mandy's friend Bridget (Einir Sion), replaced in the final series by the character of Donna (Kirsten Clark). In the final episode Randy moved into his own house with Mandy. There are continual references to Idris's ferret Sylvester (his beloved pet), and he eventually discovers that it is, in fact, a girl ferret.
The reason for the title is explained in the first episode: the district had been used for the initial testing of satellite dishes, but when the time came to return the dishes or pay for the service, no one returned them and no one paid. Satellite City thus suggests a run-down area.
In 1999 the series won a BAFTA Cymru Award[1] for Best Light Entertainment.
Eighteen 30-minute episodes and a one-hour special were made in all.
The show is currently re-running for the eighth time on BBC 2 Wales.
Satellite cities are smaller cities that are next to a large city that is the center of a metropolitan area. They are different from suburbs, subdivisions and bedroom communities because they have their own governments and enough jobs to support their own people. Satellite cities could be separate cities outside of the larger metropolitan areas. However, working as part of a metropolis, a satellite city gets "cross-commuting" (people living in the city working outside of the city and people from other places working in the city).
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