Geography Unit 4 Flashcards
What is Residential Land use?
MAIN: It’s where people live.
What are a few factors that influence where residential land use is located?
- Downtown Areas = more expensive residential areas
Residences tend to be small, clustered together and are also more expensive
- Outside of downtown areas = residences are cheaper, bigger, more spaced out
- Tend to be built on flatter pieces of land
- Zoning by municipal governments determines where residential areas are located
What is Zoning?
A method of urban planning where the government divides land into “zones”, which specifies exactly what land uses are allowed in each part of the community.
What is transportation land use?
Use of land for transportation purposes.
What are a few factors that influence where transportation land use is located?
- Landforms - it’s more expensive and difficult to build on hilly/mountainous terrain
- Flat land = easier to build roads, terminal facilities
- Takes a lot of space because it connects all the other land uses together so people can access them!
What is commercial land use?
Real estate is intended for use by businesses such as offices, shopping malls, restaurants, banks, etc.
What are a few factors that influence where commercial land use is located?
- Commercial land use is clustered in downtown areas = greater economic productivity
- Close to transportation links for access
- Political factor of zoning - special zoning for commercial areas
- Tends to be on flat land- easier to build high rises
What is industrial land use?
Pieces of land designated for industrial purposes, such as manufacturing, storage in massive warehouses, and distribution centers
What are a few factors that influence where industrial land use is located?
- Close to key transportation (big highways, airports, waterways for shipping cargo in and out)
- Usually outside of the downtown areas
Close enough to downtown to transport items - Located away from residential areas to reduce noise and air pollution
Special zoning for locating industrial land use
What are institutional and public buildings?
In this category it includes schools, hospitals, jails, public buildings, places of worship, and municipal facilities (fire, police, and ambulance stations)
What are a few factors that influence institutional and public buildings?
- Tends to be evenly distributed throughout a community
- Important for different parts of the city to have nearby schools, places of worship, fire, police, ambulance stations
Makes a community LIVEABLE & safe - Government buildings usually located downtown
What is open space and recreational land?
Open Space: Land that is vacant and awaiting future development
Recreational Land Use: Includes parks, playgrounds, playing fields, golf courses, community centres, and arenas
What are a few factors that influence where open space and recreational land use is located?
Recreational land tends to be located near water (if there is water) for scenery, beaches, etc.
Scattered throughout residential areas to increase liveability
Political zoning a factor for prioritizing green spaces and protected areas
What is Urbanization?
Growth in the % of a country’s population that lives in cities and towns (people moving from rural areas to urban areas)
What is urban growth?
Growth in the number of people who live in cities and towns.
What is Urban Sprawl?
Largely uncontrolled expansion of cities into surrounding rural lands
What are a few Characteristics of Urban Sprawl?
- Grows outwards from urban centers
- Low density of people (low density, single-family homes in subdivisions)
- Excessive consumption of land
Automobile dependence
a. Increased use of fossil fuels, water, and air pollution
What are the consequences of urban growth and urban sprawl?
In Canada, urban sprawl has resulted in a lot of loss of valuable farmland. (Loss of Vegetation and agriculture)
Social Consequences of Urban growth and sprawl
- Stress related to overcrowding
- Conflict over land development
- Crowded schools
- Faster spread of disease in densely populated communities
Economic Consequences of Urban growth and sprawl
- Increased poverty if local government unable to provide service to all people
- Cost of expanding infrastructure
- Cost of expanding public services
- Higher taxes
Environmental Consequences of Urban growth and sprawl
- Increased air pollution (from cars, concentrated energy use)
- Increase asthma attacks as a result of poor air quality
- Increased waste
- Increased flooding because there is nowhere for water to drain
Political Consequences of Urban Growth and Sprawl
- Conflict over land development
- Cost of expanding infrastructure
- Coat of expanding public services
- Higher taxes
What is liveability?
All of the characteristics that contribute to a community’s quality of life
Social factors of what makes a community liveable
- Strong community connections
- Access to schools
- Access to hospitals
4.Cultural events and diversity
Economic factors of what makes a community liveable
- Job opportunities
- Affordable housing
- Growing local businesses
- Fair income distribution
Political factors of what makes a community liveable
- Stable government
- Far and effective leadership
- Helpful public policies
- Community participation in decisions
Environmental factors of what makes a community liveable
- Parks and green spaces
- Clean air and water
- Good public transportation options
- Plans to handle climate change
What is sustainability?
Meeting our needs and improving the quality of human life NOW, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
What is the pillar of sustainability?
- Environmental sustainability
Looking after the natural environment and the Earth’s resources without compromising them for future generations
- Social sustainability
Making sure people have basic necessities, are healthy, and secure, and ensure their human rights are respected
- Economic sustainability:
Everyone has access to a secure and safe job and has enough money to meet their needs, countries are able to maintain their economic independence, and world economic systems stay intact.
What is Sustainable Development?
Advancing and growing things (e.g. a city) in such a way where there’s a balance between the needs of the environment and economy, in order to maintain a quality standard of life for both present and future generation
The difference between liveability and sustainability
Liveability: Improves the life of people living in the area
Sustainability: Improves the natural habitat, and limiting more of our resources so we can provide more for future generations
