Changing Cities Flashcards
State what a megacity is and give 2 reasons for their growth.
A city with more than 10 million people such as London or Mexico City.
They grow due to rural-urban migration in the country as the urban area is perceived as having better services and higher wages.
They may grow due to natural increase, as birth rates are higher than death rates.
This may be due to the fact that migrants tend to be young.
Define the term population density.
The number of people per square kilometre
Describe the population density of the United Kingdom.
Densely populated areas tend to be in the
SE of UK, for example London. Generally, the north and north west has a lower population density than the SE. Anomalies to this are the large cities, such as Glasgow and cainburen in scotiand and Manchester In NW England.
Explain how the physical geography of the UK has influenced urbanization
In the NW the land is at a higher altitude.
This gives steeper land and colder, wetter weather. These areas are more difficult to develop and therefore lack infrastructure.
They are also more difficult to farm due to shorter growing seasons.
The SE has richer soils eg East Anglia.
Explain how historical factors have influenced urbanisation in the UK.
The industrial revolution in 19th century led to growth of towns and cities close to the raw materials e.g. close to coal fields of S Wales.
This importance has since declined as industry as closed down.
Some cities, including London and Liverpool grew due to their location and growth as important ports for trade.
Exolain now recent economic factors nave
influenced urbanisation in the UK.
From 1950s there has been a growth in tertiary and quaternary sectors, which need space and good transport links. This has led to the growth of areas that are transport hubs, such as London and also places close to European
markets eg SE England
What is meant by the term emerging country?
Give an example
An emerging country a country that is seeing an improvement in standards of living and economic growth. Examples include India Indonesia, Brazil
Explain what a shanty town is and why they grow in developing countries such as Indonesia
An area of illegal and poor quality housing, often built by the local people out of basic materials.
They are growing in some regions as the population growth in the urban areas is rapid and there are not enough houses for people
What is meant by suburbanization
The outward spread of the urban area. This is often into greenfield areas and creates suburban sprawl. These areas are often at a lower population density than the inner city areas
Explain the difference between counter-urbanisation and re-urbanization
Counter-urbanisation is the movement of people away from major cities to smaller settlements and rural areas. Whereas, re-urbanisation is the movement of people back towares the city centre from rural areas and the Suburbs
