Changing Urban Environments Flashcards
Urbanisation
A process where an increasing proportion of the population lives in towns and cities (there is a reduction of those living in rural areas)
Rural to urban migration
A process in which people move from the countryside to towns
Land use
The type of buildings or other features that are found in the area eg. terraced housing, banks, industrial estates, roads, parks
CBD
Central business district; the main shopping and service area of a city. The CBD is usually found in the middle of the city as this is the most accessible point for most people
Irregular street pattern and narrow streets (built for horses and carts often)
Inner city
The area often found around the CBD, usually built before 1918 in the UK - often contain old factories and have regular and tightly packed together street patterns
Suburbs
Lots of coldecots and housing estates with wider roads and often detached or semidetached housing
The area on the edge of the city. Many built in interwar period (1918-1939) and 1945 onwards. They typically get younger as you go closer to the edge of the city
Household
Person living alone or two or more people living at the same address, sharing a living room
Brownfield sites
Land that has previously been built on and needs to be cleared to be reused. These sites are often found in the inner city
Greenfield sites
Land that has not been built on before, usually in the countryside of the edge of a city or built up area
Regeneration
Improving the built and natural environment of an area
Sustainable community
Community (offering housing, employment and recreation opportunities) that is broadly in balance with the environment and offers people a good quality of life
Quality of life
How good a persons life is as measured by such things as quality of housing and the environment, access to healthcare, education, how secure people feel and how contented and satisfied they are with their lifestyle
Park and ride scheme
A bus service run to key places from car parks located on the edge of busy areas to reduce traffic flow and congestion in the city centre
Eg. Cambridge
Segregation
Occurs where people of a particular ethnic group choose to live with others from the same ethnic group, separate from other groups
Squatter settlements/informal settlements/shanty towns/favelas (Brazil)
Areas of cities (usually on marginal land - not desirable due to risk of hazards eg. floods, landslides, waste) that are built up by people of any materials they can find on the land that doesn’t belong to them.
Informal sector
The part of the economy where jobs are created by people to try to get an income (eg. taking in washing, mending bikes etc) and not recognised in official employment figures. Workers typically have no rights and may be exploited
Self help
Sometimes also assisted self help - local authorities or charities improve their homes by offering finance in the form of loans or grants and often installing water, sanitation etc.
Site and service
Occur where land is divided into individual plots (including tenure - ownership of the land) and water, sanitation, electricity and basic road layout are supplied before any building by residents begin
