Contemporary urban environments

Question 1

urbanisation

Answer 1

increase of proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas, 55% of people live in urban areas which is a 25% from 1950

Question 2

rates of urbanisation

Answer 2

its decreasing and the rate of rural to urban migration is also decreasing

Question 3

suburbanisation

Answer 3

urban areas grow so that surrounding rural areas get absorbed into urban areas, this can be bad as it leads to inner city areas becoming deprived

Question 4

counter urbanisation

Answer 4

process of people moving out of cities into rural areas which can occur as people seek a better standard of life

Question 5

urban resurgence

Answer 5

process of people moving back into the city

Question 6

megacities

Answer 6

population over 10 million

• number of megacities has been rising since 1950s when there were 2 and now there are 31
• Tokyo 2015- 31 million, 2025-39.8million

Question 7

world cities

Answer 7

cities which have significance politically and economically on a global scale, they also have rich culture, for example London, New York, Tokyo

Question 8

urbanisation leads to

Answer 8

• increase in culture
• employment shifts from primary to tertiary sector
• demographic changes

Question 9

urban change

Answer 9

urban areas are dynamic and experience lots of change due to different processes happening in society

Question 10

deindustrialisation

Answer 10

decline of industry within a place measured by reduction of industry employment, normally insufficient resources to help people out and create opportunities for them

Question 11

drivers of tertiary sector expansion

Answer 11

rising affluence- services have grown to match supply due to rising disposable incomes, technological change- technology has enabled businesses to expand beyond geological limits

Question 12

decentralisation

Answer 12

process of urban developments away from the city centre such as large retail parks away from the city

Question 13

urban regeneration in Britain

Answer 13

1980-98 policies to ensure effective use of land, 1981-now, enterprise zones are specific areas of land with tax breaks and other incentives, 1982-now, government grants to develop some areas of land, 1990-now several new initiatives set up to help regeneration

Question 14

urban forms

Answer 14

refers to the characteristics of a city such as layout size and land use

Question 15

mixed use developments

Answer 15

areas separated for different uses of land such as residential, industrial and commercial

Question 16

cultural and heritage quarters

Answer 16

areas which are recognised for having particular cultural importance

Question 17

edge cities

Answer 17

area of business, shops and entertainment services on the outskirts of cities

Question 18

fortress developments

Answer 18

gated communities which are secured off from the public

Question 19

post modern western cities

Answer 19

idea that contemporary cities are changing their industries, architectural style and land use to keep up with changes in society

Question 20

gentrification

Answer 20

process of housing improvements associated with poorer people being moved out because they can’t afford the new nice houses

Question 21

benefits of gentrification

Answer 21

rise in level of prosperity and range of services, increased tax revenue for local authority, improved physical environment

Question 22

costs of gentrification

Answer 22

threat to a community, tension between new and old residents, losses to lower order local services, low income get priced out of places

Question 23

CBD

Answer 23

central business district is present in almost every urbanised areas

Question 24

Inner city land use

Answer 24

In LICs inner city areas are normally home to high cost luxury apartments, HICs high rise flats are present where rent is usually cheaper and quality of life is poorer

Question 25

Suburban areas in HICs and LICs

Answer 25

in HICs the more expensive housing is usually located in the suburban areas whereas in LICs its usually poorer housing such as slums

Question 26

Economic inequality in urban areas

Answer 26

urban areas usually have large gaps between the rich and the poor especially in LICs where because the difference is so large many people are forced into homelessness, which can lead to higher rates of crime

Question 27

social issues caused by inequality

Answer 27

people can be forced into crime especially in LICs where the gap is more severe, in Rio de Janeiro many gangs have emerged as a result of this which causes threats to those communities

Question 28

benefits of cultural diversity

Answer 28

people migrate to cities hoping for a better quality of life which brings in different cultures to that area which is beneficial as it can bring tourism to an area

Question 29

problems with cultural diversity

Answer 29

people may not be tolerant to these people coming into the city, new cultures may feel under represented and not have the access to their culture, may not be the resources in place to help them for example if they don't speak the language

Question 30

social segregation

Answer 30

is caused by cultural diversity and is when people live in bubbles of their own cultures and live apart from others

Question 31

social segregation issues

Answer 31

areas can have racism, people can feel isolated

Question 32

strategies to managing urban issues

Answer 32

city minimum wages, fair rent and housing policies, recognising informal housing issues, encouraging multiculturalism

Question 33

urban policies and regeneration

Answer 33

restraining- leads to higher skilled workforce, economic policies-governments can encourage people to do business with incentives, environmental policies-government can set out environmental standards

Question 34

role of government policies

Answer 34

investing in infrastructure helps accessibility, can control the type of housing developments, decisions about International migration, can create business environments

Question 35

re-urbanisation

Answer 35

large scale movement back into city centres

Question 36

trends in re-urbanisation

Answer 36

increase in central residential buildings, increase in student centred places, growth of 24 hour culture and entertainment districts, growing effectiveness of public transport

Question 37

urban heat island effect

Answer 37

characteristics and activity within urban areas means that they retain and produce more heat than the areas around them

Question 38

reasons for urban heat islands

Answer 38

wasted heat from urban activities such as traffic and homes, urban materials such as concrete, lack of evapotranspiration(heat is usually lost through this) because of a lack of vegetation

Question 39

weather in urban areas

Answer 39

atmospheric instability which causes greater cloud coverage, altering wind because of obstructing tall buildings, aerosols and particulates cause water vapour to condense causing clouds

Question 40

wind in urban areas

Answer 40

wind is greatly restricted in urban areas because of tall buildings but turbulence can be caused as air is forced into a small space

Question 41

reasons for poor air quality in urban areas

Answer 41

vehicle exhausts, industrial activities, construction work

Question 42

photochemical smog

Answer 42

particular type of air pollution caused by particulates reacting with UV light which forms harmful pollutants such as ozone

Question 43

policies to reduce air pollution

Answer 43

legislations such as on cars, reducing congestion, technological improvements such as better fuel

Question 44

Mumbai case study

Answer 44

4th largest city in the world, 20.5 mil population, 40% of Indias foreign trade, 60% of people live in slums,

Question 45

east London regeneration

Answer 45

1982 London docklands regenerated including financial districts and improved transport links, most of east London suffered from deindustrialisation between 1960-70s

Question 46

What is fog

Answer 46

Low lying clouds which are less dense that mist

Question 47

Formation of fog

Question 48

Formation of fog

Answer 48

Requires low wind so it’s not dispersed, moisture in the air, and temperature to meet the dew point

Question 49

Dew point

Answer 49

The temperature to which air must be cooled to be able to be saturated with water vapour