5b - London Flashcards
Describe London’s location and connectivity
- sited on a flat floodplain of the River Thames where it meets the sea
- UK’s capital city generating over 20% of income
- centre of UK’s transport system - 2 major international airports (Heathrow and Gatwick)
- was a major port til 1981 and still has shipping links
- easy access to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel
- companies attracted to region - SE & E England are two biggest regional economies
- a world city - one of the two most important financial centres in the world
Describe the city structure of London
CBD eg City of London - commercial land use, mix of new and historic buildings, expensive land so high building density, few small parks
Inner city eg Chelsea - high class residential land use, mainly old buildings, expensive land so high building density, high quality green space | also contains low-class residential land use
Suburbs eg Kingston upon Thames - middle-class residential land use, good quality 20th century buildings, large areas of good quality green space
Rural-urban fringe eg Thurrock - industrial, commercial land use, industry includes oil refineries, manufacturing, lakeside retail park opened
How has the pop of London changed?
Growing due to:
- international migration
- national migration - more young adults move to work/study
- internal pop growth - young pop means more births than deaths
Inner city has high no of ppl moving in/out - high skilled ppl moving to inner city to work high-paid jobs or low-paid migrants for service sector jobs
Migrants who’ve been in London for longer tend to move to suburbs as they become more settled
How has migration influenced the growth and character of London through age structure, ethnicity and population?
Age structure - high % of ppl aged 25-34 in inner city London and a lower proportion of over 65s.
Ethnicity - ethnic diversity higher in inner city areas but increasing rapidly in some suburbs
Population - pop growth increasing in inner city due to high immigration rates and due to many migrants being of child-bearing age
How has migration influenced the growth and character of London through housing, services and culture?
Housing - immigration may add to overcrowding so poorer immigrants live in older terraces and council tower blocks in the inner city which are more affordable
Services - in inner city where immigration is high, increased demand for services such as ed & health care. However, often amongst poorest parts so difficult to provide what’s needed
Culture - many immigrates choose to settle near people with the same ethnic background creating ethnic enclaves giving a distinct character eg Chinatown
What are reasons for different levels of inequality in London?
Deprivation highest in inner city
Services - rapid pop growth puts pressure on services eg health and ed. Funding services in deprived areas where councils get less money from taxes and businesses
Education - best state schools are oversubscribed so children from poorer families go to underperforming state schools which can lead to a cycle of poverty eg limited job opportunities
Employment - fewer manufacturing jobs in inner city so new industries locate on outskirts making it harder to locate work
Health - unhealthy lifestyles common in deprived areas. NHS healthcare free but often overwhelmed and poorer people can’t afford private
How have parts of london experienced decline - de-industrialisation, de-population and de-centralisation?
De-industrialisation - decline of manufacturing industries in 20th century led to mass unemployment causing depopulation
Depopulation of inner city also caused by suburbanisation and slum clearance
De-centralisation (when shops/businesses move out of CBD) happens when rents too high in CBD so move to less central locations where its cheaper and better transport
E-commerce has partially caused this since it puts pressure on high street shops so some shops move to the edge of the city where they can distribute goods to shoppers easily
How have parts of London experiences economic and population growth?
Gentrification - wealthier people have moved into run down areas eg Islington, and regenerate them improving the area. This causes new businesses to locate in the gentrified areas
Studentification - a high student population eg Camden has led to thriving services and entertainment venues generating jobs and wealth
Urban sprawl - more growth taken place on rural-urban fringe where large shopping centres built on edges of city where land is cheaper and less congestion and more parking space
TNC investment - TNCs locate departments in Lnd due to importance eg Shell, HSBC which attracts further investment
Financial and business services - growth of these services causes London to grow as a centre for banking, insurance and law which benefit from closeness to each other
Leisure and culture - hosted Olympic games causing deprived area of East End to have new transport links and modern housing
What are positive impacts of regeneration and rebranding of London on people?
London Docklands was regenerated and rebranded
- improved transport links with new Jubilee line and Docklands Light Railway
- env improved asw as quality of green space eg Thames Barrier Park
- businesses attracted back making jobs eg Canary Wharf home to many global banks and media organisations
- pop increase leads to more spending so thriving business
What are negative impacts of regeneration and rebranding of London on people?
- many local people had to leave since they were unskilled workers and couldn’t afford new houses and unsuited to new jobs
- some traditional businesses and old community centres closed and replaced by services for wealthier newcomers
- existing communities broken up - ppl moved to new towns on the edge of London
What are strategies aimed at making urban living more sustainable and improving QOL?§
Employment - London Living Wage encourages businesses to pay fair wages that take into account high cost of living & skills programmes mean people can progress to higher paid jobs
Recycling - waste recycling schemes include collection of household recycling boxes and recycling facilities for larger items, which uses less resources
Green spaces - lots of parks in city centre eg Hyde Park which has env benefits and remains serene
Transport - congestion charges discourages drivers from entering the city centre at peak times & self-service bikes with bike lanes encourage ppl to reduce car usage
Housing - BedZED development - houses have thick insulation, water saving appliances and solar heating systems which reduce energy consumption and conserve resources & many properties in the development have subsidised rent
How is London and its surrounding rural areas interdependent?
Labour - many ppl commute into London to work due to cheaper housing eg NW Kent
Goods - London relies on surrounding rural areas for food such as farmers who sell produce to supermarkets
Services - many Londoners travel into the countryside for leisure activities & ppl from surrounding rural areas travel to use excellent hospital and schools services in London
What are costs and benefits of the interdependence of London and rural areas?
Benefits:
- rural businesses have seen an increase in revenue due to newer residents
- farmers made money from selling land or buildings
- less pressure on housing in London
- some existing houses have been improved eg traditional Kentish oast houses
Costs:
- some villages eg Ivy Hatch have become commuter settlements leaving villages empty during day causing shops/services to close due to reduced demand
- additional traffic from commuting increases air pollution from congestion
- new housing estates built on open countryside which has affected wildlife habitats
Why has a rural area experienced economic and social changes due to links with London?
Sevenoaks District has had lots of ppl moving there (counter-urbanisation) for a better quality of lifes
This has led to housing pressure, pushing up prices due to demand
Lots of ppl retire here as its peaceful and pleasant env but young ppl leaving to London for work
Higher proportion of ppl over 50 with low proportion of those in 20s
London has huge pop of ppl with more leisure time and higher incomes creating demand for leisure and recreation services in surrounding rural areas
What are the challenges for rural areas around London?
Employment - increased tech in agriculture has decreased workers needed forcing a change in employment
Housing - rising house prices due to demand creating challenges for young people whose income are lower
Health care and ed - ageing pop requires more healthcare & schools are closing due to declining number of pupils eg Edenbridge so young ppl may have to travel long to get to school
Elderly may struggle to get to health care facilities as most don’t own cars
What are new income and economic opportunities created by rural diversification & tourism
Rural diversification eg farmers making alternate ways of making money
Farm shops - more variety of crops grown using env friendly methods as opposed to monoculture and land can continue to be farmed
Accommodation eg camping park - large caravan parks can be unsightly and pressure on natural environment from visitors through increased water, energy and waste generated
Leisure activities eg children rides - land is built on to make visitor facilities, car parks etc which increases traffic leading to air poll
Tourism - eg Leeds Castle is a historic building attracting ppl to visit but this can mean new tourist facilities are built on land and can lead to congestion
