Contemporary Urban Environments 🏙️ Flashcards
What is urbanisation?
. The growth in the proportion of a county’s population living in urban areas
What does urban mean?
. A built up area in which people live (a town or city)
Why was 2008 a significant year for urbanisation?
. UN reported by end of 2008 50% of people in world lived in urban areas
. Predicated to rise to 70% by 2050 even though city’s occupy 3% of earth’s land
What was the urbanisation percentage in 2023?
56.2%
What are some of the most urbanised regions and there percentages of urbanisation?
. Northern America (82% living in urban areas in 2014)
. Latin America and Caribbean (80%)
. Europe (73%)
. African and Asia projected to be 56% and 64% urban by 2050
What does the process of urbanisation involve?
- Rural to urban migration - mass movement of people from countryside to city
- Industrialisation- the growth of industry (UK Industrial Revolution from 1760-1840)
- Improvements in transport followed - trains/ cars developed quickly
. Happened hundreds of years ago in HICS but now happening in LICS
What is suburbanisation?
The outward spread of built up area often at lower densities (fewer people per km squared) or people moving from urban centre to the edge of the urban area
What causes suburbanisation?
- Social segregation- rich, white families move to more desirable areas (WHITE FLIGHT)
- The growth of cities physically spreading into the greenfield land around city
- Improvements in transport- surge in commuting, more cars and more motorways / railway networks
Where is suburbanisation happening?
NEE’s
What is urban sprawl?
. The continued outward spread consuming farmland and smaller towns/ villages leading to vast conurbations
What causes urban sprawl?
- Continued increased improvements in transport
- Improvements in communications= working from home
- Decentralisation as old industries begin to shut down
- Change in wealth+ lifestyle
- Inner city issues (poverty and deprivation)
What is counter-urbanisation?
. The movement of people from major settlements to smaller settlements beyond the city
What causes counter-urbanisation?
- Changes in wealth, transport, lifestyle and communications
- Changes in surrounding rural settlements (dormitory villages)
- Change in working habits (exacerbated by Covid)
Where does counter-urbanisation occur?
In HIC’s only at present
What is reurbanisation?
. Movement of people back into city centres leading to regeneration. Be seen in most Western cities to some extent
. Sometimes planned or more random over periods of time
What is the significance of post 1945?
. End of ww2, Hiroshima, the fall of Berlin to Soviet Union
What is the difference between urban growth and urbanisation?
.Urbanisation - increase in proportion of people living in urban areas
. Urban growth - increase in the total population of a town or city
What are some of the urban growth stats between 1960 and 2020?
. HIC’s have very slow rate of urbanisation= uk growth rate 5.4% between 1960 and 2020
. NEE’s have very fast rate of urbanisation= China growth rate 45% between 1960 and 2020
. LIC’s steady rate of urbanisation= Sierra Leone rate 25.5% between 1960 and 2020
What trends can be seen with urban growth since 1945?
. In 1970 world’s largest cities found in East Asia, Southwest Asia
. India = 2 5-10million cities and around Japan 2 10 + million
. North America (East and West) see 2 5-10 million cities e.g California, New York (10million + city)
How has the location of the world’s largest cities changed by 2030?
. Predicted to be South East Asia, Southern Africa and Eastern South America
. South East Asia has 13 10+ million cities e.g Tokyo, parts of China
. Increase of 6, 10+ million cities
. Large cities in Southern Africa and 5, 10+ million cities e.g Johannesburg, Kinshasa
What is a summary of urban growth from 1970-2030?
1.Most of the world’s land area still less than 80% living in urban areas
2. May cities with large population over 5 million in South East Asia
3. South East Asia % urbanisation atoll pretty low (less than 60%) although urbanising rapidly
4. Anomalies on West coast of Africa
5. North and South America highly urbanised also Europe and Australia
What is a megacity?
. A metropolitan area with total population over 10 million people
. There are 38 global megacities
Where are the world’s megacities?
. Most located in Asia- 24 out of 38 in Asia
. Tokyo largest megacity in Asia with 38 million and Jakarta with 34 million
. Africa and Europe contain least amount of megacities. Only 3 in Europe Paris, London, Moscow, Lagos
What is happening to the world’s megacities?
. Asian cities growing most rapidly e.g Guangzhou growing by 5.2% , Beijing 4.6%
. African cities beginning to grow slowly too e.g Lagos 3.9%, Kinshasa 4.2%
. Europe, North and South America aren’t growing that quickly in their megacities
What factors have caused growth of megacities?
- Rural to urban migration - lack of jobs in countryside. Overpopulation+ poor crop yields = push factors to leave countryside
. Better jobs in cities and more reliable food+ higher living standards = pull factors - Natural increase- people who migrate to cities have children due to better medical conditions and more successful births
What is a world city?
Cities which are seen to have an important role in the global economic system
What are world cities categorised into and what are some examples?
. Categorised into Alpha, beta and gamma
. Alpha cities are most important and categorised into alpha ++, alpha+, alpha and alpha -
. Alpha ++ = most important
. Alpha++ London, New York
. Alpha+ Hong Kong, Paris, Tokyo
. Alpha Johannesburg, Moscow, Mexico City
What categories do world cities have to satisfy?
- Prestige
. Demographic e.g Large population, ethnic diversity and tolerance
. Technological e.g good access by air, communication links, centre of research and development - Status
- Power
. Economic e.g TNC’s, equity market, international banking and stock exchange - Influence
. Political e.g government ambitions, democratic government
. Cultural e.g rich heritage, universities, arts and entertainment
What are the causes of urban growth?
- Natural increase- the difference between birth and death rate
. Urban areas tend to have a higher percentage of younger people - Rural to urban migration- the movement of people from countryside to city
. Migrate due to push factors in countryside and pull factors in the city
What is the area form Clapham to Fulham nicknamed?
The ‘Nappy Valley’ as there are so many young families
What are some push factors to leave the countryside?
- Wars and civil strife cause people to leave land
- Natural disasters
- High levels of local disease
- Agricultural problems including desertification
- Agriculture being organised globally
What are some of the pull factors to the city?
- Earning money from the informal sector
- Employment in factories and service industries
- Better quality of life
- Better quality social provisions
- Better education opportunities
What are some positive impacts of urbanisation?
- Better public transport
- Lower unemployment rates
- Better overall infrastructure
- More education opportunities
- Easier to socialise
What are some negative impacts of urbanisation?
- Littering
- Higher level of air pollution
- Traffic jams
- Development of slums
- Lack of natural spaces
What are the consequences of urban growth?
- Urban sprawl - spread of urban area into surrounding countryside
. Loss of open spaces + increase fossil fuel consumption due to commuting - Shortage of housing in LIC’s
. Population density increase = shortage in housing+ lack of basic essentials - Shortages of affordable housing in HIC’s- in Uk increase house demand= increase in house price + rental costs
. Houses prices rose by 50% between 2010-2015 - Lack of urban services and waste disposal
. Financial restraints= lack of basic services + maintenance of infrastructure limited - Unemployment and underemployment - so many young people = pressure to create jobs
. Underemployment = person not doing work that makes use of their skills + abilities - Transport issues- urbanisation + suburbanisation led to increased traffic across world
. Increased congestion+ pollution damaging the environment and human health
What are the 3 main contemporary urban processes that occur in HIC cities?
- Suburbanisation (urban sprawl)
- Counter-urbanisation ( go into surrounding villages)
- Urban resurgence?? (Going back into cities)
What is suburbanisation?
The increased movement of people/services and industries from the centres of inner urban areas outwards, towards and onto the edges of the built up area
When did suburbanisation begin in the UK?
. Suburbs continued to grow rapidly in all British cities in the inter and post war periods
. During this period were fewer planning regulations+ urban growth took form of ribbon development along main routes
. 1800-1900 very rapid urban industrialisation
. Industry could pay most for city centre cities
. Unplanned housing develop around factories
. Middle class began to move in suburbs= most known as ‘white flight’
What are the causes of suburbanisation?
- Decentralisation
. Shift of jobs into service sector
. Non centralised locations = cheaper land
. Many service industries located in suburbs - De-industrialisation
. Loss of manufacturing jobs in inner cities
. Inner cities experience spiral of problems e.g unemployment, deprivation
. Workers often lacked skills for jobs in service sectors - Attractions of edge of city location
. Green space
. Cheaper land
. More pleasant environment - Technology
. Can commute longer distances
. ICT and communication developments = people can work from home
What are some positive effects of suburbanisation?
- Development of brownfield sites
- Gentrification of certain areas
- Green belt policies in place
- Development of science parks, shopping malls e.t.c
What are some negative effects of suburbanisation?
- Infilling of houses and buildings in open spaces
- Traffic congestion increase
- Segregated city ‘WHITE FLIGHT’
- Cost of land cheaper in suburbs so people want to do live in the suburbs instead of in the city
What is counter-urbanisation?
Movement of people from urban areas into rural areas surrounding the city ( beyond green belt)
Who does counter-urbanisation?
. Most affluent and mobile people
. Families with children ( keen to avoid inner city issues)
What are the push factors for counter-urbanisation?
- Traffic congestion
- Pollution
- Fear of crime (burglary, theft e.t.c)
What are the pull factors for counter-urbanisation?
- Rural dream
- Improved transport
- Estate agents, housing developers e.t.c (encourage outward movement)
What factors have helped counter-urbanisation?
- Technological change - Emails,+ phones = teleworking and working at home
- Freezers, telephone TV e.t.c- allow rural lifestyle but not isolation
- Improvements in transport- commuting easier from rural to urban areas
- Urban renewal process during 50’s and 60’s- rehoused council estate estates on edge of the city in New Town/ overspill settlements
What are the steps of counter-urbanisation?
- Individual new homes (barns converted into homes) built on vacant land in village
- Ribbon development of more homes along main roads
- Land between roads entering village is infilled with larger housing developments- many occupied by people from nearby towns and cities hoping to find balance between rural and urban lifestyle
What may be the differences between a normal village and a suburban village?
- Social- small close knit community ➡️ ‘dormitory village’ + resent,ent of new arrivals
- Inhabitants- primary jobs e.g farming, manual labour jobs+ working locally ➡️ professionals, executives, often wealthy middle class families or retired
- Transport- limited cars, rural bus service ➡️ declining bus service, congestion, improved roads
- Environment- quiet, relatively pollution free + green spaces ➡️ more noise and pollution+ loss of open space and farmland
What is urban resurgence?
. Movement of people back to live in old inner city areas which have been redeveloped
What are the 2 processes of urban resurgence?
- In-movement by individuals or groups of upper middle class white individuals, into older hosing which is improved- GENTRIFICATION
- In- movement of people as part of large scale investment programmes aimed at urban regeneration in a wider social, economic and physical sense - PROPERTY LED REGENERATION SCHEMES e.g Birmingham, London docklands
