Human Geo 13.4 Questions Flashcards
Descirbe the job skills of inner city residents:
They’re very disadvantaged in competing for jobs. Because few of them complete high school, they lack technical skills. In the past, they only would’ve been able to work in factories or filing clerks, but today these jobs require tech skills. Inner-city residents don’t even have access to the remaining low-skilled jobs (custodial, fast-food) because they’re in suburbs and poorly served by public transport.
What challenges do inner-city families face?
Unwed mothers give birth to 2/3 of the babies in US inner-cities, and 80% of children there live with only 1 parent. Because of inadequate childcare services, single mothers may be forced to choose between working to make money and staying at home to take care of kids. If the father or another partner moves back home, the mother may lose welfare benefits.
What are challenges to health and safety faced in inner-city neighborhoods?
Inner-city neighborhoods have a high % of a city’s serious crimes like murder, and a high % of both culprits and victims are people of color. This reflects the neighborhoods’ high rates of unemployment and addiction, and some drug users get money through criminal activities. Violence may erupt when 2 gangs fight over their boundaries of drug distribution.
Describe services in inner-city neighborhoods:
They lack adequate police/fire protection, shops, and healthcare facilities. Food deserts are common in low-income inner-city areas, and central cities face a growing gap between the cost of needed services in these neighborhoods and the availability of funds to pay for them.
What are 4 reasons why a deteriorated inner-city neighborhood is attractive?
- Inner-city houses may be larger, more substantially constructed, and cheaper than houses in the suburbs.
- Inner-city houses may posses attractive architectural details (ornate fireplace, cornice, high ceilings, etc)
- Inner-city living eliminates the strain of commuting on crowded freeways or public transport for people who work downtown.
- Inner-city neighborhoods are near theaters, bars, restaurants, stadiums, and other recreational facilities.
What are revived consumer services?
Most consumer services locate in suburbs to be near to their residents, but some are returning to the inner city to meet day-to-day needs of residents of gentrified neighborhoods. Inner-city consumer services attract people looking for leisure activities. Several CBDs have combined new retail services with leisure services (like Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace in renovated 18th century buildings).
Why did public housing decrease in the US?
With lower funding levels, public housing decreased in the US between 1980 and 2010, as the number of households needing low-rent dwellings increased. In Britain, the same thing happened because the gov’t forced local authorities to sell public houses to residents, BUT they expanded subsidies to nonprofits that build housing for groups with special needs and the poor.
How do cities help poor families?
Cities try to help poor families forced to move after their housing was demolished by reimbursing them, and they’re renovating old houses specifically for lower-income families (which also helps to disperse them throughout the city). However, some public housing projects were located in now gentrified neighborhoods, so new housing replaced them (that may be too expensive for former residents).
Explain traffic congestion and solutions to help drivers avoid it:
The future health of urban areas depends on relieving traffic congestion. GPS is important in the design of intelligent transportation systems (either thru increasing road capacity or reducing demand), providing drivers with info so they can make smart decisions about avoiding congestion. Info about traffic congestion is transmitted through computers, devices, and monitors. We can get congestion alerts and alternatives on our GPS/Waze.
In what 4 ways is demand to use congested roads being reduced?
- Congestion charges: In London, drivers pay a congestion charge of up to $15 to drive into the central area between 7am and 6pm some days.
- Tolls: In Toronto and CA, drivers are charged higher tolls to drive on freeways during congested times, recorded by transponders on a car.
- Permits: In Singapore, a driver must buy a license and demonstrate ownership of a parking space in order to drive downtown in busy times.
- Bans: Cars are banned from parts of the central areas of many European cities (Munich, VIenna, Zurich, etc.)
Residents of large cities rely on taxis & rent-a-car companies for transport. Recently, they’ve increasingly utilized vehicle sharing services in what 2 ways?
- Sharing with others a vehicle you own: People using their own car to transport passengers who arrange pickup through an app (mostly Uber)
- Sharing with others a vehicle that no single individual owns: People who don’t own a vehicle but want to drive themselves short-term. In some cities, electric vehicles are parked in specially marked locations.
How is autonomous driving possible?
Current vehicles can drive hands-free, and can brake automatically, parallel park, & prevent unsafe lane changes. Autonomous driving depends on 2 elements: SLAM (simultaneous localization & mapping) pinpoints the vehicles precise location using sensors provided by LIDAR and GPS, and DATMO (detection and tracking of moving objects) identifies pedestrians, animals, and other vehicles in the route of the vehicle.
The Society of Automotive Engineers identifies what 5 levels of autonomous driving?
- Assisted Driving: Most vehicles currently have some of this; driver must always be ready (ex. cruise control).
- Partially Automated: System deactivates upon takeover by driver. Braking, accelerating, & steering are automatic.
- Highly Automated: Only automated on high-speed freeways, and the driver must pay attention and be prepared to take control.
- Fully Automated: Requires no driver attention, but has a steering wheel/pedals in case of emergency.
- Driverless: Humans do nothing except setting destination & starting up. No steering wheel/pedals.
What are benefits and drawbacks of autonomous vehicles?
Autonomous vehicles are predicted to result in fewer accidents caused by human error, provide mobility for people, and decrease the safe distance between vehicles (more can fit on the road). Many problems created by them (like liability & insurance) are still unsettled. The most significant obstacle to them may be consumer acceptance (they’re all scared!).
What are 3 key changes in the car of the near future?
- Power Source: More vehicles will be electricity-powered, not petroleum.
- Ownership: More vehicles will be shared, not owned by individuals.
- Autonomy: More vehicles will operate with little or no effort by a driver.