Sister Cities of Detroit
Author: Heather Ericson
Lesson Overview: Students will use various
maps and data to make connections between
Detroit and other cities in the world.
Essential Question:
• What do “Sister Cities” have in
common even though they are
located on separate continents?
•
Objectives: Students will be able to:
• Locate various cities in the world by
using latitude and longitude.
• Identify characteristics of various
cities.
• Compare and contrast the city of
Detroit to its sister cities regarding
area, population, industries etc.
• Explain the advantages of having
sister cities.
Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations:
• 7-G1.1.1 Explain and use a variety of maps,
globes,
and
web-based
geography
technology to study the world, including
global, interregional, regional, and local
scales.
• 6/7-G1.2.6 Apply the skills of geographic
inquiry to analyze a problem or issue of
importance.
• 6/7-G1.3.3 Explain the different ways in
which places are connected and how those
connections demonstrate interdependence
and accessibility.
National Geography Standards
• #4: The physical and human characteristics
of places
• #10:How to apply geography to interpret
the present and plan for the future
Subject/Grade Level: Social
Studies/Geography, grades 6-8
Duration: 1-2 class periods
Student Materials: Outline world map;
Gallery Walk activity sheets
Note: An accommodated version of the Gallery
Walk Activity sheet is available at the end of
this document.
Teacher Materials: Sister City information,
accommodated activity sheets
Sister Cities PowerPoint
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Sister Cities
2013
Procedures:
1. Daily Warm-up: (5mins) (Slide 4)
• Which directions do latitude lines run?
• Which directions do longitude lines run?
• What city is located at 42 degrees North latitude, 83 degrees west longitude?
2. Opening activity: PowerPoint (10mins). Students are introduced to Detroit’s six sister cities in a
slide show. The slide show includes coordinates, so that students can identify and label locations on
an outline map of the world as each city is shown. (Slides 5-12) Using the information from their
maps, students will complete the map activity sheet or discuss questions (Slide 13).
3. Data collection activity: (40-45mins) Set up 6 stations with information and pictures about each
city. Review the directions on the Gallery Walk activity sheet. (Slide15) Students will work in
mixed-ability groups to answer various questions about each sister city using the information
provided in the “Sister City Packets”. Each group will participate in a gallery walk to find
information pertaining to a sister city of Detroit (climate, geography, population, cultural
background etc.) and answer the questions. Option: Have each group do one city and report to the
class.
4. Guided Discussion: Review answers with class and discuss each city’s connection to Detroit.
(10mins): (Slide 16)
• What do each of these cities have in common?
• What do each of these cities have in common with Detroit?
• Why might it be important for cities to partner with other cities around the world?
• How might Detroit benefit by having sister cities?
• How might cities from around the world benefit by partnering with Detroit?
• Can you think of other cities in the world that could be a good candidate for being a sister city to
Detroit?
Closure:
Exit Card: (5mins) (Slide 17)
Two Stars and a Wish: Write about two things you learned from today’s lesson and one question you have
regarding Detroit’s sister cities.
References:
All images are public domain from wikipedia.com
Nystrom Desk Atlases
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Name:
Date:
Hour:
Investigating Detroit’s Sister Cities
Answer the following questions, using the World Map that you completed during the
PowerPoint presentation on Detroit’s sister cities.
• On which continents does Detroit have sister cities?
•
Which continent contains most of Detroit’s sister cities?
•
Which continents lack a sister city of Detroit? Why do you think that is?
•
Most of Detroit’s sister cities fall in which hemisphere? Why do you think that is?
•
Which sister city is closest in line of latitude to Detroit? How do you think this city
compares to Detroit in regard to climate?
Sister City Gallery Walk: Sister cities are cities from around the country or world
that partner up with each other. These cities typically are similar in area, population,
industries, backgrounds or interests. Many cities form partnerships to learn from one
another. In this activity, you will be working in groups and investigating each of
Detroit’s sister cities. Each city will be at a separate station. Look over the pictures,
charts and background information to answer the questions. Be sure to pay close
attention to some details and consider these two questions in your investigation:
2.
How would Detroit benefit by partnering with these cities? What could it learn from
these cities?
3.
Why would these cities partner with Detroit? What could they learn from Detroit?
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A. Turin, Italy:
1. Describe Turin’s relative location.
2. What is its current population? How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Turin’s climate? Land use? How is it similar or different to
Detroit?
4. What are Turin’s major industries?
5. Give three details learned about Turin that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
a.
Detroit and Turin are similar because...
b.
One thing Detroit can learn from Turin is...
c.
One thing Turin can learn from Detroit is...
B. Toyota, Japan:
1. Describe Toyota’s relative location.
2. What is its current population? How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Toyota’s climate? Land use? How is it similar or different to
Detroit?
4. What are Toyota’s major industries?
5. Give three details learned about Toyota that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
a.
Detroit and Toyota are similar because...
b.
One thing Detroit can learn from Toyota is...
c.
One thing Detroit can learn from Detroit is...
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C. Chongqing, China:
1. Describe Chongqing’s relative location.
2. What is its current population? How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Chongqing’s climate? Land use? How is it similar or different to
Detroit?
4. What are Chongqing’s major industries?
5. Give three details learned about Chongqing that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
a.
Detroit and Chongqing are similar because...
b.
One thing Detroit can learn from Chongqing is...
c.
One thing Chongqing can learn from Detroit is...
D. Minsk, Belarus:
1. Describe Minsk’s relative location.
2. What is its current population? How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Minsk’s climate? Land use? How is it similar or different to
Detroit?
4. What are Minsk’s major industries?
5. Give three details learned about Minsk that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
a.
Detroit and Minsk are similar because...
b.
One thing Detroit can learn from Minsk is...
c.
One thing Minsk can learn from Detroit is...
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E. Kitwe, Zambia:
1. Describe Kitwe’s relative location.
2. What is its current population? How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Kitwe’s climate? Land use? How is it similar or different to
Detroit?
4. What are Kitwe’s major industries?
5. Give three details learned about Kitwe that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
a. Detroit and Kitwe are similar because...
b. One thing Detroit can learn from Kitwe is...
c. One thing Kitwe can learn from Detroit is...
F. Dubai, United Arab Emirates:
1. Describe Dubai’s relative location.
2. What is its current population? How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Dubai’s climate? Land use? How is it similar or different to
Detroit?
4. What are Dubai’s major industries?
5. Give three details learned about Dubai that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
a. Detroit and Dubai are similar because...
b. One thing Detroit can learn from Dubai is...
c. One thing Dubai can learn from Detroit is...
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a.
Turin, Italy
Turin is located in northern Italy, along the Po River in the Piedmont region. It is
surrounded by the Alps. Turin is a major business and cultural center in Italy. The city has
a rich culture and history with many restaurants, galleries, parks, gardens, churches and
museums. Turin is one of Italy’s major industrial centers. It is home to the Italian
automobile industry and holds the headquarters of Fiat. Because of its history regarding
the manufacturing of cars, Turin is often referred to as the “Detroit of Italy”. In the
1980s, the city suffered major job losses, due to the movement of some automobile
manufacturing to southern Italy, which greatly damaged the economy of the city.
The city of Turin has seen a great turn around since the 1990’s. Rather than
focusing on manufacturing and the automobile industry, the city has learned to diversify a
bit. In 2006, Turin welcomed the Winter Olympics, which brought much international
attention and investment to the city. The city has invested a lot of money into improving
its historic buildings and has updated its rail and road networks, and its public
transportation systems. As a result of its improved transportation networks and the
attention it received in the 2006 Winter Olympics, the city has since seen a huge surge in
tourism. Today, it is the 10th most visited city in Italy. Turin also holds some major
universities, such as the Polytechnic University, which specializes in technology and
engineering. The city became a sister city to Detroit in 1998.
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Turin Tram
Turin skyline
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Turin and the Po River
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Castello del Valentino, Turin
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Po River, Turin
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Lingotto (FIAT) factory, Turin
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b. Toyota, Japan
The exact location of Toyota city is 35 degrees North, 137 degrees East. Toyota is
located on the Japanese mainland of Honshu, in the region of Aichi. It is west of the city of
Nagoya. The Yahagi River flows through part of the city. It is the largest city in Aichi. The
city has several rolling hills and on the outskirts are forested and agricultural areas.
The city was once called Koromo, but would later be renamed Toyota, after the
founding of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937. For hundreds of years the city was a major
producer of silk. It had many silk loom factories that spun and wove silk that was then
exported to other cities and countries. However, in the early 1900s the demand for silk
began to decline, and this devastated the city. The owner of the silk manufacturing company
decided to switch gears. Rather than construct weaving looms, they began to make
automobiles and the history of Toyota Motor Corporation was set.
Today, the company has brought in over 400 car-related manufacturing companies that
are responsible for making much of the parts used to construct the vehicles. Ninety-five
percent of manufactured exports are auto related, making the automobile industry the
biggest industry of the city. This industry, however, was negatively affected by the March
2011 earthquake of Sendai and production has slowed down greatly.
Toyota city has become an environmental model city. Even though it is considered the
“City of the Automobile”, it is making efforts to become a low-carbon city. It is pushing for
more sustainable development by providing more public transportation infrastructure of busses
and trains. New homes, buildings and apartments being constructed within the city are also
more energy efficient.
Even though the city is considered an industrial center, it also has huge areas set
aside for agriculture and forests. In fact, 70% of the city is covered in forest. The forests
help prevent soil erosion, but are also maintained to provide timber for construction.
Besides the automobile and timber, Toyota’s other major industry is agriculture. The
city is the top producer of tea and rice in Aichi. It is also known for its peaches, pears,
orchids and shiitake mushrooms.
In 1960, Toyota would form a partnership with Detroit. It is Detroit’s first sister
city. As a gesture of goodwill the two cities have exchanged gifts over the years. Detroit
gave Toyota two Canadian cranes and an Amur Tiger and Toyota gave Detroit 1,000 Cherry
trees. Every other year the two cities exchange students that learn about learn about the
industries of both cities.
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Toyota skyline
Toyota city as seen from Toyota station.
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Toyota skyline
Manufacturing Plant, Toyota Japan
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Toyota
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Toyota City Bridge (skyscrapercity.com) The bridge was built over land that is prone
to flooding.
c. Chongqing, China
Chongqing is located in Southwest China in the Sichuan Province, which is the largest province in
terms of population. Chongqing is intersected by the Yangtze and the Jialing Rivers. It contains the Daba
Mountains to the north and the Wu Mountains to the east. Chongqing has a humid subtropical climate that
is influenced by the monsoon seasons.
Chongqing’s location on the Yangtze River, has helped it to become a major economic center with
regard to manufacturing. It is China’s third largest center for auto and motorcycle production. It also
contains factories that produce local goods, processed food, chemicals, textiles, machinery and
electronics. The city also produces a lot of coal, aluminum, iron and steel. Chongqing is also home to
some of China’s most important military bases involved in weapons research and development.
For many years the city was very poor and there were very few jobs for the people. In order to
improve this issue, the Chinese government began the China Western Development Plan. This plan
allowed for special areas where corporations would not be taxed and encouraged many multinational
corporations to relocate some of their manufacturing facilities in the region. As a result many foreign
investors, such as Ford, Mazda, CitiBank and Walmart, have taken advantage of this opportunity and have
opened businesses and factories in the city.
Chongqing has invested a lot into its infrastructure. It lies near the Three Gorges Dam, which
provides a lot of electricity for the city, and it has greatly improved its road networks and railways. The
city has become a central transportation hub. There are bullet trains that link Chongqing to other major
cities in the country.
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Chongqing business district
Chongqing’s monorail network
Chongqing skyline
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Chongqing skyline and Yangtze River
The Yangtze and Jialing River confluence.
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d. Minsk, Belarus
Minsk is the capital of Belarus and it is located in central Belarus, along the Svislach
River. Its major industries include metal cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, and
construction equipment. Its major exports are machinery and equipment, mineral products,
chemicals, metals and textiles. There are over 250 factories and plants in Minsk, making it
a major center for manufacturing in the country. In fact, 40% of jobs in the city are
manufacturing and it also produces 20% of all manufactured goods in Belarus.
Much of Minsk was destroyed during WWI and WWII, but it always managed to
rebuild. After WWII, the Soviets took over the region. During that time, much of the
goods produced in the city were sent mainly to other parts of the Soviet Union. The
communist government controlled all trade and manufacturing. After the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991, the city of Minsk had a major economic meltdown. The city didn’t
fully begin to recover until 1994. Since then, the city has rebounded with the help of
investing in public works projects. Minsk has free economic zones, which encourage foreign
investment. Many foreign companies have opened factories and businesses in these areas
because they have free and reduced taxes.
It has a major transit system, the Minsk Metro, which links various parts of the city
together along with other major cities in Belarus. The trains also link Belarus to Moscow,
the capital of Russia. Russia is a major trading partner and supplies Belarus with most of
its energy.
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Svislach River, Minsk
Independence Square, Minsk
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Victory Square, Minsk
Minsk Metro Station
*All pictures were taken from the official website of belarus (www.belarus.by)
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E.
Kitwe, Zambia
Kitwe is located in northern Zambia west of Ndola in the Copperbelt region. The city
lies close to the Kafue River and Makwera Lake. There are huge forested areas on the
outskirts of the city. Kitwe is considered the “hub of the copperbelt”, because of its
centrality to major economic activities such as mining, agriculture, trade, commerce,
manufacturing, forestry and fishing. It is the second largest city in terms of size and
population in Zambia. It has also become home to the major European populations of
Zambia.
Throughout it’s history, mining of copper has been Kitwe’s major industry. In fact,
the city was founded in 1928 as the result of copper mines located within the region. Many
businesses have been founded on the mining, processing and distribution of copper to many
parts of the world. It was also a central stop along the rail line that was built by Cecil
Rhodes Railway Company.
Today, many of the mines are being closed down and private investors are
outsourcing the manufacturing of copper. This has led to the loss of many jobs within the
city. However, many new industries have formed. Other major industries of Kitwe include
furniture manufacturing, batteries, clothing, cement production and the quarrying of
construction materials like gravel and sand.
Kitwe is not without its problems. The city has an estimated population of 700,000
people (1.2 million if you count the number of people who commute to the city to work). It
is estimated that the city will double within the next decade. The issue of population has
led to other problems such as overcrowding and traffic congestion in the city center,
poverty, poor city services and pollution.
There are 21 estimated slums within the city. Over ninety thousand people live in
these areas, which receive few to none city services like access to clean water, electricity,
and garbage collection.
Another issue of concern for Kitwe is that of health. There are 3 hospitals and 39
clinics with very little funds to meet the needs of the people. There is little medicine to go
around and the hospitals are understaffed. HIV/AIDS and Malaria are the major diseases
found in the city. Twenty-five percent of the population is estimated to be infected with
HIV and ten percent of the population dies from malaria.
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Chisokone Market in Kitwe.
Nkana Copper mine, Kitwe.
Kitwe skyline
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F. Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Dubai is one of seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates. It is located south of
the Persian Gulf on the the Arabian Peninsula. The city is surrounded by desert. It is
largest in population of the emirates with a huge and growing population of immigrants
(primarily Iranian, Indian, Philippino and Pakistani). Many of these immigrants moved here
to take part in the Dubai’s growing industries of oil, construction, banking and tourism.
The city was first recorded in 1095 C.E., but did not become formally established
until 1833. Because of its location on the Persian Gulf, it became a central port for trade in
the region. In 1966, oil was discovered and this led to a huge influx in foreign workers,
causing the city to greatly expand. Today, 84% of Dubai’s population is foreign born. Most
of Dubai’s immigrant population come from India.
In the late 1970s, Dubai set up a free trade zone, which encouraged foreign
companies to open businesses in the city because they did not have to pay taxes.
However, during the Gulf War of the 1990s, many of these foreign investors fled, which
negatively impacted the city. Dubai, however, has since transformed itself by making it a
central business hub. Many foreign businesses have returned bringing money and more
investment to the city. Some of these industries responsible for bringing more wealth are
tourism, real estate, banking and financial services. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s,
Dubai pushed construction. It is home to some of the tallest hotels and skyscrapers in the
world. The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is located here. It has also built a
major metro system, which links many parts of the city together.
Dubai offers many resorts, malls, golf courses and restaurants. Many tourists
travel from all over the world to visit Dubai. It is surrounded by desert, yet you can go
skiing (in one of their many malls). The city spends more money on bringing fresh water to
its residents and visitors than it does on oil.
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Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in the world.
Dubai Metro
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The Dubai World Trade Center
The Jumeirah Islands are man-made islands to house residential areas of Dubai.
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The Dubai Skyline
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The following pages are the Accommodated Version of the Activity Sheets for the Sister
Cities Gallery Walk. It is usually called A Version and the original is B. It can be switched
so students do not feel uncomfortable or identified in front of the group as “special
needs”.
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A. Turin, Italy:
3. Describe Turin’s relative location.
Turin is located in ______________ ______________, along the ____ _________ in
the ____________ region. It is surrounded by the _________.
2. What is its current (2010) population?
How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Turin’s climate?
Land use?
How is it similar or different to Detroit?
4. What are Turin’s major industries?
The major industries of Turin are the _______ ________ industry, often referred to
as the “___________ __of__ ___________”.
6. Give 3 details learned about Turin that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
Use the following sentence starters:
a. Detroit and Turin are similar because...
2. One thing Detroit can learn from Turin is...
3. One thing Turin can learn from Detroit is...
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B. Toyota, Japan:
5. Describe Toyota’s relative location.
It is located on the Japanese ___________ of _______, in the region of _________.
It is _______ of the city of ___________.
The ________ ________ flows through part of the city.
6. What is its current population? (2010)
How does it compare to Detroit’s population?
2. How would you describe Toyota’s climate?
Land use?
How is it similar or different to Detroit?
3. What
are
Toyota’s
major
industries?
Toyota’s
major
industries
include
the
manufacturing of ___________. The main company is ____________ Motor
Corporation. ___________ is also a major industry with 70% of the city being covered
in forest. Another major industry is __________. The city is the top producer of
_______.
4. Give 3 details learned about Toyota that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
Use the following sentence starters:
5. Detroit and Toyota are similar because...
6. One thing Detroit can learn from Toyota is...
7. One thing Toyota can learn from Detroit is...
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C. Chongqing, China:
3. Describe Chongqing’s relative location.
It is located in ________________ ______ in the __________ _________.
Chongqing is intersected by the ______________ and the
_________ ________. It contains the ________ ___________ to the _________
and the ____ Mountains to the ______.
4. What is its current population (2010)?
How does it compare to Detroit’s?
5. How would you describe Chongqing’s climate?
Land use?
How is it similar or different to Detroit?
6. What are Chongqing’s major industries?
Chongqing’s major industries are ___________ and _____________ production. Also
contains factories that produce local _________, _________ _________,
__________, ________, ______________ and ______________. The city also
produces a lot of __________, ____________, ______ and ________. It is also home
to some of China’s most important _________ _________.
2. Give 3 details learned about Chongqing that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
Use the following sentence starters...
3. Detroit and Chongqing are similar because...
4. One thing Detroit can learn from Chongqing is...
c. One thing Chongqing can learn from Detroit is...
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D. Minsk, Belarus:
6. Describe Minsk’s relative location. (found in 1st paragraph)
2. What is its current population?
How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Minsk’s climate?
Land use?
How is it similar or different to Detroit?
4. What are Minsk’s major industries? (1st paragraph)
Its major industries include…
5. Give 3 details learned about Minsk that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
Use the following sentence starters:
6. Detroit and Minsk are similar because...
b. One thing Detroit can learn from Minsk is...
c. One thing Minsk can learn from Detroit is...
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E. Kitwe, Zambia:
1. Describe Kitwe’s relative location.
2. What is its current population?
How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Kitwe’s climate?
Land use?
How is it similar to or different from Detroit?
4. What are Kitwe’s major industries?
5. Give 3 details learned about Kitwe that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
Use the following sentence starters:
a. Detroit and Kitwe are similar because...
b.
One thing Detroit can learn from Kitwe is...
c.
One thing Kitwe can learn from Detroit is...
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F. Dubai, United Arab Emirates:
1. Describe Dubai’s relative location.
2. What is its current population?
How does it compare to Detroit’s?
3. How would you describe Dubai’s climate?
Land use?
How is it similar or different to Detroit?
4. What are Dubai’s major industries?
5. Give 3 details learned about Dubai that make it a perfect sister city to Detroit.
Use the following sentence starters:
a.
Detroit and Dubai are similar because...
b.
One thing Detroit can learn from Dubai is...
c.
One thing Dubai can learn from Detroit is...
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