Changing Urban Environments Vocab Flashcards
Informal sector
That part of the economy where jobs are created by people to try to get an income (e.g. Taking in washing, mending bicycles) and which are not recognised in official figures
City challenge
A big initiative of the 1990s, where local authorities, private companies and the local community worked together to improve housing, environment and services.
Park and ride scheme
A bus service runs to key places from car parks located on the edges of busy urban areas in order to reduce traffic flows and congestion in the city centre. Costs are low in order to encourage people to use the system - they are cheaper than fuel and car parking charges in the CBD
Self-help
Sometimes known as ‘assisted self-help’, local authorities help those in squatter settlements to improve their homes by offering loans or grants and often installing water, sanitation, sewerage, etc
Site and service
Land is divided into individual plots and water, sanitation, electricity and basic road layouts are supplied, before any building by residents begins
Air pollution
Putting harmful substances, such as excess carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere
Brownfield sites
Land that has been built on before and is to be cleared and reused. These sites are often in the inner city
Central Business District (CBD)
The city centre with shops, offices, services and entertainments. Characterised by high-rise buildings and a high diurnal population density
Disposal of waste
Safely getting rid of unwanted items such as solid waste
Function
The purpose of a settlement or particular area e.g. residential use, recreation or shopping
Green belt
An area of land around a large town or city which is protected from development in an attempt to halt the expansion of towns into the countryside
Greenfield sites
Land that has not been built on before, usually in the countryside or on the edge of the built-up area
Household
A person living alone, or two or more people living at the same address, sharing a living room
Incineration
Getting rid of waste by burning it on a large scale at selected sites
Industrialisation
The process by which an increasing proportion of the population are employed in the manufacturing sector of the economy
Inner city
The zone around the CBD. In Britain it developed during the Industrial Revolution when factories were built with many rows of terraced houses to house the workers. A zone of redevelopment today.
Landfill
A means of disposing of waste by digging a large hole in the ground and lining it before filling it with rubbish. Most of the UK’s waste goes to landfill
Land use
The types of buildings or other features that are found in the area e.g. terraced housing, banks, industrial estates, roads, parks etc
Quality of life
How happy someone is with their life. Measured by things such as quality of housing and environment, access to education, healthcare, how secure people feel and how contented and satisfied they are with their lifestyle
Regeneration
Improving an area e.g. by improving housing, or carried out by organisations such as UDCs or initiatives like City Challenge
Recycling
Collection and subsequent reprocessing of products such as paper, aluminium cans, plastic containers and mobile phones, instead of throwing away
Rural-urban migration
A process in which people move from the countryside/rural areas to towns and cities
Segregation
Occurs where people of a particular ethnic group choose to live with others from the same ethnic group, separate from other groups
Settlement
A place where people live, anything from an isolated farm to a vast sprawling area called a metropolis
Squatter settlements
Areas of cities (usually on the outskirts) that are built of any material that people can find, on land that does not belong to them
Suburbs
The area on the edge of a city. Many suburbs were built after 1945 and get newer as they reach the edge of the city
Sustainable city
An urban area where the residents have a way of life that will last a long time. The environment is not damaged and social fabric (due to local involvement) are able to stand the test of time
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
Transnational corporations (TNCs)
Companies that operate out of more than one country in an attempt to reduce costs
Urban Development Corporations (UDCs)
Set up in the 1980s and 1990s using public funding to buy land and improve inner areas of cities, partly by attracting private investment
Urbanisation
A process whereby an increasing proportion or percentage of people live in urban areas (towns and cities)
Urban sprawl
The uncontrolled expansion of towns and cities into the countryside
Water pollution
Putting poisonous substances such as sewage, industrial effluent and harmful chemicals into water courses
