Changing Places- shifting flows Flashcards
How do external flows cause places to change?
1) The character of a place has changed because of the external influences that have occurred over time e.g. flows to and from places of things like people, resources, money and ideas.
2) Flows of money, people and resources have increased over time, this is due to improvements in transport, which have made it easier for goods to be transported, and communications improvement.
3) Globalization has increased due to increased flows of money, people, resources and ideas.
How is demographic change caused by shifting flows?
> Flows of people can change any of the demographic characteristics of a place e.g. the age and gender balance. Younger people live in more towns and cities, where housing is less expensive. Older people are found more on the outskirts of the world e.g. seaside, investing in more expensive properties.
> Flows of money ad investment, either by governments or businesses, can change the demographic characteristics of places. For example, governments can invest money into places in order to attract people to live there. For example, London Docklands economically improved, increasing the population.
> Flows of ideas and resources- ideas such as the use of birth control can flow to new places and affect their demographic characteristics e.g. by reducing the birth rate and affecting the population size. For example, many poor countries have low birth control, whereas have high population growth.
How do flows affect the cultural characteristics of a place?
Flows of people- new people moving to a place, or even visiting it, bring their culture with them, which can change the characteristics of a place. e.g. in the 20th century the UK experienced mass migration from India, pakistan and other commonwealth countries, creating a multi ethnic community.
Flows of money, investment and ideas- new cultural ideas introduced to places can change the characteristics of those places, e.g. fast food companies, pizza hut, mcdonalds and KFC.
How are economic characteristics affected by many different flows?
Flows of people- people visiting places can change the economic characteristics of those places e.g. st Ives in Cornwall used to be a fishing settlement, but now is a popular tourist destination.
The flows of tourism have altered the types of jobs available in the area from service-based jobs in hospitals, shops, and restaurants.
Flows of resources- the outward flow of local products or natural resources from one place to another can have a large impact on the economy. Many products that are sold locally/regionally can now be sold globally, therefore bringing employment and money to a wide range of places.
Flows of money and investment- reduced investment and competition from global markets have led to the decline of some primary industries in the UK (deindustrialization), which has damaged the economies of many places.
For example, thousand of jobs were lost in South Wales when many coal mines were closed between the 1950s and 1980s.
How do flows affect social inequality?
Flows of people- regional migration from rural areas to urban areas in poorer countries has changed social characteristics and levels of social inequality. e.g. India, large-scale rural-to-urban migration has led to slums developing in cities such as Mumbai.
Flows of resources- the outward flow of natural resources from poorer countries can change levels of social inequality.
For example:
- large amounts of oil are extracted around Warri in Nigeria and then exported around the world, but most of the wealth goes to people with a higher quality of life while people in overt remain in poverty.
Flows of money and investment:
The process of gentrification ( where wealthier people buy run-down housing) has increased the social characteristics of some places, but it can also increase inequality.
For example; Notting hill was once one of the most deprived areas in London, but now has much lower levels of deprivation.
