Changing Urban Environments Flashcards
Define urbanisation?
The rise in the percentage of people living in urban areas (towns and cities), in comparison with rural areas.
Define rural to urban migration?
The movement of people from rural to urban areas due to rural push and urban pull factors.
List three push factors?
Drought and flooding Lack of services Few opportunities Low pay Rural poverty
List three pull factors?
Better quality of life Better services (e.g. education, health and entertainment) Better houses Better paid jobs Better opportunities
When and why did urbanisation occur in MEDC’s?
During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries- during the industrial revolution.
When and why did urbanisation occur in LEDC’s?
Since the 1950’s (although some people did begin leaving the countryside to move to Mumbai in the mid-nineteenth century).
What is a megacity?
A city with a population of 10million people or more.
Name three megacities?
Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Karachi, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Dhaka, Jakarta, Metro Manila, Shanghai, Osaka, Tokyo.
For a named location, outline three problems faced by this urban area
Birmingham Not enough good-quality affordable housing Too much traffic and pollution CBD with rundown or unused buildings High unemployment in certain areas Mixed culture with ethnic segregation
What is the ‘NDC’ project?
New Deals for Communities (NDC) was launched by the labour government in 1999 as a way of helping struggling inner city areas. It identified 39 of the most deprived inner city areas in the country. The local communities in those areas were then involved in helping to find solutions to the problems they were facing.
What is rebranding?
Rebranding an area involves giving it a new image so it attracts development and employment and leads to an upward spiral into success.
What is ethnic segregation ?
Ethnic Segregation: people from a particular ethnic background will often live in an area of the city, separate from other groups
What does ethnic segregation happen?
People prefer to live near other who have the same background and language
Often live close to places that are important to their culture (e.g. a place of worship)
May live where housing is cheaper, so end up in similar areas.
Describe four ways to reduce the impact of traffic in cities
Park and ride: drivers leave cars in a car park on the outskirts of the city and bus into the centre so fewer cars in city centre.
Bus lanes: Lanes for buses and sometimes taxis only so buses aren’t held up, fewer cars on the roads
Trams: Urban tramways powered by electricity lines so less air pollution.
Congestion charge: People pay to enter certain zones in the city so people avoid this route by car, money raised re-invested to improve public transport.
Where do squatter settlements occur ?
Usually in least favourable parts of the city (e.g. steep hillsides or swamp areas) For example; Kibera (Nairobi, Kenya) and Rocinha (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Why do squatter settlements occur?
Usually because of rapid rural-urban migration so governments don’t have time to provide houses, drainage, clean water, schools etc.
Define shanty town?
A squatter settlement that springs up in an area that used to have no houses. (Also called spontaneous settlements).
Define squatter?
Someone who settles on land without the legal rights to stay there
Define informal sector?
People working that do not receive a regular wage, making and/ or selling goods/services unofficially, often for ‘cash in hand’. They don’t have a contract, health and safety protection, health insurance or pension schemes. They don’t pay taxes
Summarise the ‘Vision Mumbai’ project into six bullet points. Be specific!!
AIM: Tackle poor quality of life for residents.
Demolish Dharavi’s buildings and sell land to developers who use some of the land to build better homes.
1.1million low cost, higher quality homes (high rise blocks to fit into a small space).
Would cut residents living in slum housing by 90%.
Water supply, sanitation, education and healthcare would be improved also.
Problem- no-where for current residents to live/ work between demolition and construction.
2009- Vision Mumbai delayed (Global economic crisis), organisations dropped out.
Describe the three stages of The SHHA Scheme?
Phase 1: Basic site and service provision
SHHA marked out land for basic services (e.g. roads, basic water supply, drains). Building plots given to families. SHHA provided cheap building materials and loans.
Phase 2: Improved site and service provision
Water supply, drains and pathways improved. Water standpipes and rubbish collection points put in place for every five homes. Schools, shops and community facilities developed
Phase 3: Improvements up to 2009
Standpipes and proper sanitation provided for every home. Electricity provided to every home for a few hours a day. Local small business enterprises were set up.
Describe three environmental problems caused by rapid urbanisation in LEDC’s (Mumbai, India)
Water Pollution (Mithi River): industries in Mumbai dump untreated industrial waster straight into rivers, airports dump untreated oil, untreated sewage, food waste, cattle slurry, metal, old batteries. Toxic problems.
Flood Risk: Waste into rivers blocks drains so increases the chances of flooding.
Air Pollution: Exhaust gases from vehicles, smoke from burning rubbish and factories all pollute the air. Becomes a bigger problem as industry continues to grow and more electricity is needed.
Outline solutions to one environmental problem caused by rapid urbanisation in LEDC’s (Mumbai, India)?
Flood risk: (Mithi River Project) channel dredged to make it deeper, widened, banks smoothed near bends, all aims for water to flow more easily to sea.
Air pollution: new metro system started running in 2011, diesel banned as a fuel in all taxis- 58, 000 now use compressed gas instead, 55 flyover roads built to help traffic flow smoother.
Define sustainability?
Meeting the needs of people today, while not putting the needs of future generations at risk.
