3.2.3 contemporary urban environments Flashcards
Why do we study contemporary urban environments?
- From 2007 to 2008 there are now more urban environments then rural dwellings
- To prevent economic social inequality
- Cities, change and develop over time and buildings have changed
- Teaches us how to use green space and landscapes
- Weather and climate
- People, and then movement (who, what and why)
- Sustainability e.g. waste, transport and derelict buildings
What is urbanisation?
What is urban growth?
What is urban expansion?
Urbanisation is the increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas
Urban growth is the increase in total population of a town or city over a period of time
Urban expansion is the increase in size or geographical footprint of a city
What is a mega / meta city?
Mega city = metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people
Meta city = urban areas that have merged to form continuous built-up areas with more than 20 million people
Describe urbanisation
urbanisation is an uneven process
in 1800, only 3% of the world’s population lived in cities. Rose to 47% by the 20th century.
UN forecasts that the global urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030
3/5 of people will live in cities
most urban growth about 25 years will be in LICs
1/7 of the world’s population live in shanty towns
Urbanisation analysis
- Urbanisation started increasing in the 1800s
US was the first to urbanise the quickest
India progressed the slowest along with China - Overall increase in urban and rural areas
In 2000, rural population started slowing with urban population increasing
In 2007, urban population over took rural - northern hemisphere = majorly urban population
southern hemisphere = majority rural hemisphere
LICs have more rural areas
what is suburbanisation?
suburbanisation is the movement of people from living in the inner parts of the city to living on the outer edges
describe the process of suburbanisation in the UK
- The towns and cities in the UK demonstrate the effects of past suburbanisation. In the 1930s there were few planning controls and urban growth took place alongside main roads = ribbon development.
- By the 1940s this growth, and growth between the ribbons, became a cause for concern. This led to the creation of green belt-areas of open space and low density land use around towns where further development was strictly controlled
- Since 1950, suburban expansion has increased and has been better planned. During the 1950s and 60s large-scale construction of council housing took place on the only land available, which was the suburban fringe
- In the 1970s, there was a move towards homeowner ship, which led to private housing estates being built, also on the urban fringe. Building in these areas allowed people to have more land for gardens and more public open space
- As car ownership grew, the edge of town, where there is more land available for car parking and expansion, became the favoured location for new offices, factories and shopping outlets. In a number of cases, the strict controls of the green belts was ignored
- In recent years new detached and semi-detached houses and bungalows have been built in suburban areas, along with local shopping centres and schools
what are the causes of suburbanisation?
- attractions:
pleasant environment
greenspace
room to expand
restaurants/entertainment - decline:
slum clearance - technology:
ICT and computer developments, means more people work from home
Advances in transport - people can commute longer distances
4, de-industrialisation:
inner cities experienced spatial problems
loss of manufacturing jobs in the city - workers lacked skills to work in the service sector
- de-centralisation:
shift of jobs into service sector
non-centralised locations - cheaper land prices
what are the effects of suburbanisation?
- Urban sprawl - leaves a hole in the CBD as people move out to the suburbs
- Better sense of community and more family orientated in the suburbs
- Increase in and out of city congestion and air pollution - 40% travel by car and increase in commuting
- Increase pressure on the greenbelt
- Increased demand for local retailing and increased employment opportunity
- Increased amount of derelict and empty buildings in the CBD
what is ethnic enclaves?
a geographical area where a particular ethnic group is spatially clustered and socially and economically distinct from the majority group
what are dormitory settlements?
what are edge cities?
dormitory settlements = where many commuters sleep overnight but travel to work elsewhere during the day
edge cities = concentration of business, shopping and entertainment outside a traditional downtown
what are the global patterns of 1945?
Urbanisation = An increase in the proportion of a country’s population living in a town or city. The drawer of urban areas can often be due to better economic opportunities, centres for education, access to more reliable food supplies and clean water. Additionally, people may be drawn to urban living as a lifestyles found there are more attractive to them.
Suburbanisation: people are attracted to less densely populated areas with more open space, greenery, and driveway parking. The growth of lower density housing developments are often closely linked to road and public transport networks, which shorten travel time into the cities. People choosing to live on the edge of the cities can lead to urban sprawl.
Counter-urbanisation: people moving away from the city can be due to a range of urban push factors, such as crime, traffic congestion, degradation of the city buildings and spaces. Environmental push factors such as a lack of green space and air pollution can also be a reason for people moving out of cities and into more rural villages.
Urban resurgence: The improvement of city buildings leads to people being pulled into life in the city centre - this especially is centred for young professionals, graduates, students. The influx of wealth and youth leads to the revival and regeneration of some inner city. This then leads to more people returning
describe these terms:
natural increase
fertility rate
birth rate
death rate
natural increase = birth rate minus the death rate of a population
fertility rate = the number of lives birthed per 1000 women of a child-bearing age
birth rate = the number of births a year per 1000 population
death rate = the number of deaths a year per 1000 population
what is counter urbanisation?
the process of people moving away from urban areas to smaller settlements and rural areas - often leap frogging the green belt
depopulation of major urban areas to small areas - leads title growth of rural areas beyond the city
boundary between rural and urban becomes less obvious as more people become involved
what are the social characteristics of counter urbanisation?
hobby farmers replace traditional agricultural life
suburban villages have a mixture of traditional dwellers and commuters
segregation of new migrants (commuters) and old rural residents
highly mobile population
who is involved in counter urbanisation?
middle aged families
young professionals
existing rural dwellers
affluent people moving of their own accord
what has caused counter urbanisation?
negative reaction to city life
air pollution
aspirations of a quiet country life
land and house prices are cheaper
higher personal car ownership and increase in public transport
working from home
improved roads
what are the push factors of counter urbanisation?
air pollution
increasing house prices
traffic congestion
crime rates
social changes
what are the social effects of counter urbanisation?
- newcomers may not appreciate the traditional values of village life
- there may be some conflict with new residents
- rural services may close and use services in city instead
- people left behind are usually working class
what are the economic effects of counter urbanisation?
- young cannot afford to buy in the village, causes resentment
- old properties are converted = modernised
- small industrial units are being sited on the main roads including settlements
- farmers can make large amounts of money from reselling land to authorities or developers
- population decline means that cities miss out on local tax
less fund for local facilities
what are the environmental effects of counter urbanisation?
- former Greenland sites are built on
- the spread of the rural urban fringe
- agricultural buildings are redeveloped at homes and businesses
what are the 4 sectors of urban change?
urban resurgence: refers to the regeneration, both economic and structural, of an urban area which has suffered a period of decline. often been initiated by regeneration schemes but also due to wider social, economic and demographic processes
de-industrialisation: the reduction of industrial activity as capacity in the region. refers to the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector.
de-centralisation: the movement of population and industry from the urban centre to outlying areas
encompasses both suburbanisation and counter urbanisation
rise of service economy
what is urban resurgence?
the regeneration of an urban area resulting in an influx of population , typically young and highly mobile
what are the main causes and effects of urban resurgence?
causes: deindustrialisation, suburbia, urban population, government incentives and public private partnerships
effects: converted warehouse accommodation, restaurants, bars and cafes
what are the main reasons of urban resurgence?
de-industrialisation in the second half of the 20th century
cities have revived their fortunes by developing strong financial centres
movement from the secondary sector into the tertiary sector
what were the social, economic and environmental effects of the london olympics (urban resurgence)
social:
- de-industrialised areas have been made into sociable areas
- shopping centres
- health and public services increased
economic:
- house prices increased
- renters kicked out due to BBC
- increased local economy
environment:
- toxic industrial waste released when dug up, however was cleaned up
what is urban form?
urban form is the physical characteristics of built up areas including shape, size, density and make up in settlements
conducted using a variety of scales from street level to an entire city
what causes urban form to change?
- population
- environment
- economy
- technology
- policies
what is a world city?
a city that acts as a major centre for economic activity - finance, trade etc
serves not just the country its located in but the whole world
100 cities count for 30% of world’s economy
global economy is channeled through knowledge, capital and expertise
increases the development gap, only functioning in certain locations
list some characteristics of a world city
variety of international financial services including insurance and real estate
centres of media and communications for global network
headquarters of multinational corporations
major manufacturing centres with post and container facilities
domination of the trade and economy of a large area
centre of new ideas and innovation
considerable decision making power at global level
high quality educational services and unis
multi-functional infrastructure offering some of the best legal, medicinal and entertainment facilities
what are the characteristics of a mega city?
- environmental problems = increased levels of pollution - from increased cars, factories and high population density
health and waste concerns - residential differentiation = different socio-economic groups live further apart. housing shortages force poorest into inadequate housing
- urban sprawl = expansion of the urban area, usually with insufficient infrastructure
- edge cities = surrounded by new forms of retail, leisure and industrial etc
- high density living = vertical resident zoning eg high rise developments
- transit oriented development = urban areas develop around major road routes, bus routes
- peripheral growth = development of new growth poles and dispersed settlements
- car dominated = high use of cars led to low density housing estates on the edge of cities - leisure and retail centres created further out
- redevelopment and conservation = protection of historic cores and redevelopment of former industrial sites
what are the physical factors affecting urban morphology?
topography = steep slopes or flat land
water = lakes and seas may limit growth
rivers may encourage development
dry points = areas locates away from flooding
natural resources eg coal
land type = swamps and wetland may limit growth
what are the human factors limiting urban morphology?
planning = urban expansion can be planned or unplanned
LICs = unplanned growth
government policies = focus of regeneration will result in gov ideologies
infrastructure = new developments are built along transport lines
land value, trading centres and conflict
what are the main land uses of a city?
out of town retreat:
spread out
low density
motorways
trials
resedential:
newer
driveways
gardens
CBD:
entertainment
services
high buildings
offices
shops
restaurants
inner city:
industrial
little green space
residential
green areas:
wood
park
protected green space
what is land value?
the peak land value intersection (PLVI) is the point with the highest land value and from here land prices decline - distance decay
usually only very profitable businesses can afford the high prices of the PLVI
describe the bid rent curve
the price and demand for real estate changes as the distance from the CBD increases
price of land closer to CBD is higher
different land uses will compete for desirable places of property in order to maximise profits
accessibly increases the potential for more customers
trade off between accessibility and cost of land
what are informal settlements?
shanty towns or favelas
commonly found in LICs
traditionally developed on the edge of cities and edge of transport routes
often located on undesirable on difficult building conditions eg steep slopes
describe the waugh model
outside: favelas
periferia
high cost housing
industry
CBD
what is the difference between HIC model and LIC models?
difference in HICs to LICs, wealth disparities
rapid rural to urban migration
poor infrastructure, build next to few existing roads
lack of regulation
squatter settlements
improvement over time while new arrivals to the city
industry re locating
lack of government policies
describe the burgess model
land values were the highest in the CBD and cities grow outwards in a series of concentric rings of land use
centre is the oldest and the newest part is on the outside
size and quantity increases from distance from the CBD
