Contemporary Urban Environments (Human) Flashcards
What is the population of London?
Over 9 million
How many languages are spoken in London?
Over 300
Mass immigration London
Empire Windrush 1948-
brought mass immigration
How many Londoners born outside the UK
Over 1/3
London Urban Heat Island
10 degrees warmer in urban areas than surrounding rural areas.
Sheffield
- 90,000 people left unemployed due to steel industry decline
- Meadowhall reinforced deindustrialisation - declining CBD with 7000 new jobs in service.
- Opened in 1990
Define Diaspora
A group of people with similar heritage or homeland who have settled elsewhere in the world
Define Urban Social Exclusion
Economic and social problems faced by residents in areas of multiple deprivation
State 3 issues with Gentrification
Focus on specific improvements may leave other areas lacking
Poor balance between cost and quality
Increase in housing prices forces current residents out
What are cultural and heritage quarters?
Centres of cultural significance which are renovated for use as tourist attractions which are created by local government
What is a mixed development?
A single building/ space with multiple uses, including street vendors and nightlife businesses
What are fortress landscapes?
Areas which have developed a range of defences against possible threats e.g. theft; they are built by wealthy private investors
Give an example of deindustrialisation
Sheffield, UK
Give an example of decentralisation
Detroit, USA / Sheffield
Give an example of Urban Regenerative Policy
Hulme City Challenge
What are urban forms?
- Physical characteristics that make up built areas
What characteristics make up urban forms?
- Density, size, organization and shape
What are the types of urban form shapes [3]
- Linear - settlements appearing in line
- Nucleated - settlements clustered around central point
- Dispersed - no clear pattern
What is urban morphology?
- The spatial structure & organisation of an urban area
Physical factors affecting urban form (5)
- Topography
- Climate
- Relief
- Rivers
- Natural resources
Human factors affecting urban forms (4)
- Factories
- Infrastructure
- Transportation
- Demand for housing
Definite Sustainable Urban Development
- Meeting needs of today w/o reducing ability of people in future to meet their needs
What factors do sustainable developments need to address?
- Physical
- Natural
- Economic
- Social
Why are most cities unsustainable? [3]
- Consume 3/4 of world’s resources
- Cities have grown unsustainably
- Large ecological footprint –> Waste & Pollution
Give at least 3 factors that help make sustainable cities
- Effective public transport system
- Building on brownfield sites
- Conserving natural environments and historic buildings
- Schemes to reduce waste –> limit landfills
- Building carbon neutral homes –> e.g. BedZED = housing dev. aiming to be carbon neutral
What is dead heart syndrome?
the decline of the centre of cities when retail, manufacturing and people left the traditional ‘down town’ areas.
What is urban resurgence?
This is the movement of people back to the city centre.
Why does urban resurgence occur? [3]
- Due to lack of jobs in rural or suburban areas
- Attracted by new developments (e.g. high quality housing)
- New shops & services open in an area
Disadvantages of urban resurgence [2]
- Gentrification might increase prices and force locals out,
- services might change that do not benefit original residents
Urban Development Corporations 1979-1990s [3]
London Docklands UDC:
- Aimed to attract businesses, improve local environment, create jobs & houses for professionals
- Betw. 1981 and 1998 the Corporation built 24,000 new homes & 85,000 new jobs
- Criticised for ignoring needs of local residents e,g, affordable homes & suitable jobs
City Challenge 1991-7 [3]
Hulme City Challenge:
- Local authorities competed for government funding. Focused on tackling ec, soc and env problems
- Over 50,000 jobs
- Many deprived areas didn’t receive funding
New Deal 2000s [3]
Devonport, Plymouth
- Focused on the 39 most deprived neighbourhoods. Partnership between public and private
- NDC areas saw an improvement in 32 out of 36 indicators e.g. crime, health
- Education and worklessness did not have such positive outcomes.
Partnership Schemes 2010-Present [3]
New East Manchester Partnership
- Providing financial support for urban regenerations improving conditions on deprived areas
- Built new homes as well as new leisure facilities.
- Sometimes smaller scale – focusing on one local area.
What are edge cities? & give an example
New areas of offices, shops and leisure facilities that develop close to major transport links
e.g. Las Colinas near Dallas, Texas
What is happening with architecture in developed countries?
Moving away from uniformity in architecture & clear-cut patterns of land use
Name 3 characteristics of post-modern cities & give an example
- Multiple centers with different purposes rather than a single centre e.g. just industry
- A focus on tertiary and quaternary industry
- Less uniform architecture - buildings have a wide range of styles
- Planning prioritises the aesthetics over practical use
- Higher social & economic inequality
What are the economic inequalities in London? & what has been done to solve it [3]
- 16% of London are in the poorest 1/10th
- 27% living in poverty
- Increasing London Living Wage by more than 5% to £8.30/hr
What are issues with social segregation in London? & what has been done to improve it [3]
- Richest tend to be white British in areas such as Kensington & Chelsea
- EMG’s tend to be in poorer areas
- ‘London Enriched’ - integration strategy for refugees and vulnerable migrants
Cultural diversity in London & how to improve it [3]
- Turkish born Londoners highest levels of part time work at 17%
- EMGs on lower wages
- Building stronger neighbourhoods & cohesion ‘Team London’ volunteering
Economic inequalities in Bengaluru & plans to solve it [3]
- 16% of population live in slums
- Richest 2% have monthly income 37x more than bottom 30%
- Plans to reduce slum areas & providing sustainable energy
Social segregation in Bengaluru & ways to improve it
- ‘Caste system’ - social class defined by birth
- Those of Dalit caste face discrimination, poverty & segregation
- Improvements to transport system made
Population of Bengaluru
8.43 million in 2011
What is a microclimate?
Local areas atmospheric conditions may differ from the surrounding area - urban areas usually have their own climatic dome
What is the urban heat island effect? [2]
Difference in temperatures between urban and surrounding rural areas
Usually 1-3 degrees warmer in urban areas
Why are there more thunderstorms in urban areas? [2]
It rains more often and more intense:
- UHI means air is warmer, and warm air can hold more water. The warm moist air rises (convectional uplift), as it rises it cools and the water vapour condenses and it rains causing convectional rainfall
- More dust & pollution floating about act as condensation nuclei (encourage water to condense around them), encouraging clouds to form
How much more waste do people in HICs produce
10-30x more waste
What are the 3 primary sources of waste in urban areas? [3]
Industrial waste - produced by manufacturing e.g. power plants or building sites
Commercial waste - produced by businesses e.g. shops, restaurants, offices
Personal waste - produced in private homes e.g. plastic bottles, food packaging, newspapers
Unregulated waste management [3]
Waste is dumped in places that aren’t official disposal sites
- Can damage ecoststems e.g. if chemicals enter environment
- Animals and birds can be harmed if they swallow or get tangled in it
Recycling to manage waste [3]
Waste is reprocessed into new products e.g. plastic bottles can be turned into fleece jumpers
- Recycling reduces demand for raw materials, reducing environmental strain
- Recycling requires seperate collections and the construction of new facilities to process waste, contributes to emissions
Incineration to manage waste [3]
When waste is burnt
- Reduces amount of waste going to landfill & waste burnt can generate electricity, energy recovery
- Burning of some waste can release toxic chemicals into the air or water
Recovery to manage waste [3]
Involves using waste instead of new products e.g. waste concrete can be crushed and used for new roads & buildings
- Reduces amount of waste being sent to landfill
- Means fewer natural resources are exploited because goods are reused
Submergence to manage waste [3]
Disposing of waste by dumping in oceans
- Completely illegal, but still common in some areas e.g. coast of Somalia
- Can release toxic or radioactive substances, damaging ocean ecosystems
Trade to manage waste [3]
Waste can be bought and sold by countries e.g. developed countries may offshore their waste
- Developing countries may not dispose of hazardous waste safely
- Can damage local environments e.g. heavy metals may pollute groundwater
Waste management in York [2]
- For over 30 years Harewood Whin was the landfill site where waste from the City of York was sent to landfill, could process 320,000 tonnes of waste a year
- Allerton Waste Recovery Park built to replace, can tackle 1400 tonnes a day
Why was Harewood Whin closed?
It was unsustainable and detrimental to the environment
What were environmental challenges once the site had been closed? [2]
- Seagulls: THOUSANDS OF THEM
- Trying to safety maintain the area around the site
How much energy does Allerton Recovery site produce?
Enough to power 40,000-60,000 homes
How much waste at Allerton can’t be processed and is sent to landfill?
10% can’t be processed
How many tonnes of what from Allerton is sent to construction projects?
74,000 tonnes of ash is sold to construction projects
Cons of incineration [3]
- Visible pollution
- Can cost millions to run and operate
- Incineration creates ash
In the long term what should be done with waste in York?
Long-term the council should get into recycling more.
