Contemporary urban environments

Question 1

What is Urbanisation?

Answer 1

Urbanisation is the growth in the proportion of a country living in urban areas

Question 2

What percentage of people live in urban areas?

Answer 2

More than 50% of the world’s population currently live in urban areas

Question 3

In LICs are there more or less people living in urban araeas

Answer 3

The proportion living in urban areas is less in Low Income Countries than that of richer
countries.

Question 4

Why does urbanisation occur?

Answer 4

It is usually young people who move to cities to find work. These people have children in the
cities which increases the proportion of the population living in urban areas.

Question 5

Why do young people move to urban areas?

Answer 5

Urban areas have better healthcare, service accessibility and life expectancy. As life
expectancy is higher, the proportion of people living in urban areas is increased.

Question 6

What is sub-urbanisation

Answer 6

Suburbanisation is the outward growth of urban
development where people move to the suburbs.

Question 7

What are the suburbs

Answer 7

The suburbs are the outlying areas of the city which
are close enough to the central business district so
accessible by commuters. They are usually
predominantly residential areas

Question 8

What is counter-urbanisation

Answer 8

Counter-urbanisation is when large numbers of
people move from urban areas into surrounding
countryside or rural areas

Question 9

What is a megacity- and example

Answer 9

population of over 10 million eg. Tokyo, Mumbai

Question 10

What is a world city

Answer 10

population under 10 mil
eg london

Question 11

negative effects of urbanisation

Answer 11

Urbanisation creates economic inequality, social segregation and cultural diversity which may
lead to a rise in racism, hate crime and abuse but this varies globally.

Question 12

What is ethnic segregation related to?

Answer 12

Ethnic segregation is closely related to economic
indicators, such as income and employment, and social
indicators such as health, crime and education .

Question 13

How can segregation and inequalities be prevented?

Answer 13

Segregation and other inequalities can be prevented by
creating awareness and facilitating the needs of those who
have been marginalised within urban areas.

Question 14

What is urban climate

Answer 14

Urban climate refers to climatic conditions within urban areas which differ from neighbouring
rural areas.

Question 15

How does urbanisation change the landscape

Answer 15

Urbanisation changes the form of the landscape and consequently produces changes in an
area’s air quality.

Question 16

How does urbanisation change the surface?

Answer 16

Surfaces that were permeable
become impermeable and dry due to
urbanisation. Urbanisation leads to a
growth in impermeable surfaces due
to the development of infrastructure ,
roads and pavements.

Question 17

How does impermeable surfaces affect urban environments

Answer 17

As well as impacting water drainage,
the impermeable surfaces cause urban
regions to become warmer than their
rural surroundings, forming an
‘island’ of higher temperatures. This is
called the ‘urban heat island effect’.

Question 18

How is urbanisation damaging for the environment in urban areas

Answer 18

urbanisation can damage rivers and the water cycle through contamination and
pollution.

Question 19

How can the damages from urbanisation be solved?

Answer 19

This can be solved through water conservation and river restoration, along with the
development of sustainable urban damage systems (SUDS).

Question 20

What is urban physical waste?

Answer 20

is generated from industrial and commercial activity alongside personal
consumption.

Question 21

What are urban areas like with waste?

Answer 21

Urban areas often have a consumerist culture which traditionally does not promote
sustainability, reuse and recycling. Additionally, many people excuse themselves from making
sustainable choices as they feel they have little input in improving the environment.

Question 22

Why is waste disposal a problem?

Answer 22

money, infrastructure, scale

Question 23

How does money effect disposal

Answer 23

Money: Poorer countries cannot afford to dispose waste sustainably and safely, such as
toxic waste which requires special treatment.

Question 24

How does infrastructure effect disposal?

Answer 24

Infrastructure: The lack of suitable infrastructure, i.e. the densely populated residential
areas makes it difficult to carry out large scale recycling schemes.

Question 25

How does scale effect disposal?

Answer 25

Scale: Waste disposal is a huge problem. Landfills are not large enough and incineration
results in further pollution and waste.

Question 26

What is sustainable living

Answer 26

Sustainable living involves meeting the needs of today without reducing the ability of people in
the future to meet their needs.

Question 27

Have urban areas grown sustainably?

Answer 27

Urban areas have grown unsustainably and have a large ecological footprint due to the amount
of waste and pollution emitted. Urban areas can however be managed sustainably through a
range of strategies and schemes.

Question 28

4 dimensions of sustainability?

Answer 28

The four pillars
are: natural, physical, social and economic .

Question 29

What is a sustainable city?

Answer 29

Sustainable cities focus on the concept of liveability. This is the sum of factors that add up to a
community’s quality of life , including the natural and built environment, economic prosperity,
social stability, educational opportunity and cultural, economic and recreation possibilities.

Question 30

How can a city become sustainable?

Answer 30

1 schemes to reduce waste and safely dispose of it: Limiting waste sent to landfills and
optimising recycling opportunities

2-Building carbon-neutral homes: For example, BedZED is a housing development in
London which aims to be a carbon neutral project, saving energy for future generations.

3 Creating an efficient public transport system : This will mean there are fewer cars on the
road so pollution is reduced.

Question 31

What is cultural enrichment

Answer 31

the additions of new traditions, ideas and beliefs due to the arrival of new people

Question 32

What is urban resurgence

Answer 32

Urban Resurgence - Also known as re-urbanisation, urban resurgence is the movement of people
back to an area which was previously in decline. This influx of people and investment further
improves the social, economic and environmental conditions of urban areas.

Question 33

What is rural to urban migration

Answer 33

Reasons for rural-urban migration are divided into push and pull factors.
* Push factors cause people to move away from rural areas.
* Pull factors attract them to urban areas.

Question 34

Push factors for rural-urban migration

Answer 34

Push factors are largely due to poverty caused by:
 Population growth, which means the same area of land has to support
increasing numbers of people, causing over-farming, soil erosion and low
yields
 Agricultural problems, including desertification because of low rainfall, systems
of inheritance that cause land to be subdivided into small plots, systems of
tenure and debt on loans taken out to support agricultural change
 High levels of local diseases and inadequate medical provision
 Changes introduced to try to pay off the interest on national debts. Land
previously used to grow food for local people is now used to produce cash
crops for sale to more developed countries
 Natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and earthquakes – people flee
rural areas and do not return
 Wars and civil strife cause people to flee their land

Question 35

Pull factors

Answer 35

Pull factors include the prospect of:
 Employment in factories and service industries, which is better paid than work
in rural areas
 Earning money from the informal sector, e.g. selling goods on the street,
providing transport or prostitution
 Better quality social provisions, from basic needs such as education and
healthcare to entertainment and tourism
 A perceived better quality of life in the city, fed by images in the media

Question 36

What are the effect of counter-urbanisation for ST ives cambridgeshire?

Answer 36

St Ives, in Cambridgeshire is about 100 km north of London and 25 km northwest of
Cambridge.

The population structure of the town is changing. One section of the community is ageing, but
another is becoming more youthful. A large proportion of the working population is now
employed outside the town. There has been an influx of commuters from in and around
London. Housing in the area is affordable and there has been a boom in demand for property.
People in St Ives have higher incomes and higher standards of living than those in many other
parts of the UK. Retired people are also moving in to the area. Their impact is noticeable in the
increased demand for bungalows and small riverside apartments

Question 37

What is gentrification?

Answer 37

Gentrification is a process of housing improvement. It is associated with a change in
neighbourhood composition in which low-income groups are displaced by more affluent
people, usually in professional or managerial occupations.

Question 38

What is urban depreivation

Answer 38

Urban deprivation
Inequalities occur in all urban areas – enormous contrasts in wealth can be found over
relatively small distances. The wealthy and the poor seem to concentrate spatially - a form of
social segregation.

Question 39

What is re-use (waste)

Answer 39

reusing products

Question 39

What is reduction (waste)

Answer 39

The best way of managing waste is to prevent it. Businesses are being encouraged to reduce
the amount of packaging used

Question 40

What is recycling (waste)

Answer 40

Waste products such as paper, glass, metal cans, plastics and clothes can be recycled if they
can be collected economically

Question 41

What is river resoration?

Answer 41

River restoration is the process of managing previous damaged rivers to reinstate natural processes to restore biodiversity, providing benefits to both people and wildlife.

Question 42

Where is Seoul, South Korea?

Answer 42

Seoul is the capital and largest city in South Korea. It is situated in the northwest part of South Korea on the Han River which roughly bisected into northern and southern halves. It is one of the world’s largest cities with a population of 10,197,604 million people (2017).

Question 43

What is the Cheonggyecheon River restoration project

Answer 43

Cheonggyecheon is a small region in a central area of the city. It contains the Cheonggyecheon River, which had been badly damaged in the past and was restored from 2003. The restoration was needed because of decades of human alteration of the river;

Question 44

Features of the cheonggycheon river project

Answer 44

2 Bridges added in total including 12 pedestrian bridges and 10 motorist bridges to improve communications from North to South across the river
The Hanang River was used as source of water pumped into the Cheonggyecheon River to deal with variable flow rates and maintain a regular flow of 40cm depth. The pumped in water is treated to prevent pollution.
The historic central zone had underground waterways redirected and given a new stream bed and landscaped banks
The Middle zone of the project has fountains and waterfalls to increase biological oxygen supply
Final zone has the stream allowed to widen and designed to look overgrown and wild The Hanang River marks the end point of the Cheonggyecheon River where the river flows into a wetland conservation area, and the end of the project. 4

Question 45

How has urbanisation changed?

Answer 45

the urban population has grown from 746 million in 1950 to 3.9 billion in 2014

3 countries- India, china and Nigeria- together are expected to account for 37% of growth of the world population

Question 46

Characteristics of suburban areas

Answer 46

large houses compared to inner city, however increase in flats due to rising urban populations

Larger gardens and the ability for open space

Large shopping centres and industrial areas take advantage of cheap land and big spaces

Majority of land is built on green field sites

Question 47

Positive impacts of counter urbanisation

Answer 47

-Some shops see and increase in business- newer residents/ retired people have more disposable income

• older housing and buildings are restored by housing developers. Farmers are able to make money by selling land
• new residents (with families move into smaller towns and villages the services such as schools are able to stay open

Question 48

Negative impact of counter urbanisation

Answer 48

• the newer developments might affect the local character of the area
• due to having more residents having the ability to travel to cities and shop online the local shops and services may close
• rural roads and infrastructure will struggle to cope with traffic- causes congestion and air pollution
• schools may have to close if all new residents are older people with no children
• house prices are going to increase, this might mean only older people can afford the housing and it may push the local people out of the area