Geo Urban environments

Question 1

Urbanisation

Answer 1

An increasing percentage of a country’s population living in urban settlements that leads to growth

Question 2

Differences between towns and cities. hamlets and villages

Answer 2

Their economies: population makes a living from manufacturing and services rather than agriculture
Their size: they are larger in population and extent
They density of people and buildings
Their way of life

Question 3

What type of countries shows the higher levels of urbanisation

Answer 3

Emerging and developed

Question 4

What happened this past 50 years

Answer 4

Towns and cities are growing in number and size
The population more than doubled
Half of the worlds population now lives in urban areas
The rate of urbanisation is much higher in developing countries

Question 5

Why do high rates of urbanisation happen in developing and emerging countries?

Answer 5

• Economic development: most new economic development is concentrated on the big cities
• Push pull factors: these are leading to high rates of rural to urban migration
• Increase population: cities are experiencing high rates of natural increase in population

Question 6

Suburbanisation

Answer 6

As towns grow they expand outwards

Question 7

The creation of these new suburbs which are made up of houses, places of employment and services is encouraged by:

Answer 7

Improvements in transport
Overcrowding, congestion and raising land prices in the older parts of the town
A general decline in the wuealkty of the residential enviroment near the centre
The arrival of more people

Question 8

Counter urbanisation

Answer 8

When countries grow even bigger. Rather than just moving out to suburbs and dormitory settlements, people and businesses move further out

Question 9

Suburbs

Answer 9

A place on the outskirts of the city, this way more people can live in a city

Question 10

The main factors affecting the rate of urbanisation are:

Answer 10

• The lace of economic development
• Rate of population growth: economic growth needs an increasing supply of labour. The demand for more workers can be met in 2 ways; Natural increase or by Rural/Urban migration
• Economies of scale: Distances within a megacity are less than between smaller cities. There are financial savings in terms of transport, communication between people and businesses will be easier
• The multiplier effect: once a large city is prospering it gathers a momentum which will carry it forward. This leads to yet more prosperity and growth. There are more jobs, so more people move into the city, which means there are more people who need good and services. So the cycle goes on.

Question 11

Megacity

Answer 11

City where the population is 10 million +

Question 12

The problems with rapid urbanisation:

Answer 12

• Growth of shanty towns: poor can’t find houses so they live in shanty town
• Informal economy: people can’t keep up with the rate of urbanisation
• Air and water pollution: traffic, industry, housing
• Low quality of life

Question 13

Kibera slum

Answer 13

• Housing: Extremely poor conditions, overloaded houses, toilets are shared between 50 families
• Health: lack of higiene and lack of doctors, 15% have HIV
• Education: very expensive, children’s education is unestable b/c parents can only afford 1 or 2 T. If they do t get the right education they can’t gain money so they’ll live like their parents
• Water: No seurage system, they spread cholera, lack of piped fresh water, lead to illness so people can’t go to work and gain money.
• Crime: very high crime, no police government has no taxes

Question 14

Favela Bairo

Answer 14

• No formal waste management: residents create self help schemes to collect rubbish. Local authority then collects it
• Transport: streets have been widened to allow access by emergency services
• Education: school attendances increase
• Employment: adult education courses run at the community centre, day care centres and after school shield care set to help people get work
• Transport link created to help slum residents to get to the city

Question 15

Case study Hong Kong

(Urban challenges in a developed country)

Answer 15

• Food: most of the food comes from outside china
• Energy: the energy supply of honk Kong is mainly in the form of electricity. 75% is generated by burning fossil fuels. A quarter is generated ny nuclear power
• Transport provision: Honk Kong has well developed transport network. Most of the population use public transport .
• Ethnic segregation: factor contributing to social polarization.