Paper 2 Case Studies Flashcards
What is the site, situation and connectivity of London?
Site - London is settled on the River Thames Basin, built on the flat-land terrain of the South-East.
Situation - London is situated in the SE of England, surrounded by the (‘home’) counties of Kent, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Essex and Buckinghamshire
Connectivity - London is surrounded by the M25, linking it to the rest of the country via motaways, including the M40, M11, M1 & M4. It also has 5 international airports and many ports along the Thames.
Describe London’s global significance (3)
London has become the international financial centre for Europe and is one of three world financial cities alongside New York and Tokyo. Many global banks have headquarters here.
London has become the place where TNCs prefer to locate. Of the 500 transnational companies in the UK, 271 have their headquarters in London
London is the largest and most affluent market in the UK and therefore top international retailers have locations in London to take advantage of this market.
Explain, date and discuss the effects of the three phases of urbanisation in London. (3)
- Urbanisation - 19c to early 20c - London grows due to migration and ‘natural increase’. The industrial revolution drew people into the city as prospects grew in the secondary sector. London also physically grows at the edges through the process of ‘suburbanisation’. London’s economy grew but so did its social and economic issues.
- Counter-urbanisation - Mid 19c -As traffic, crime and pollution increase, the wealthy move out of the city, and make use of the transport links to commute to the city. Industry also declines and London moves to a mostly tertiary economy. Economy declines.
- Re-urbanisation - Late 19c to now - As areas of London became redeveloped, and new jobs available, more people are attracted in. Economy boosted
What city model can London be most closely compared to?
The Hoyt Model. Surrounding the CBD, strips of working, middle and upper class areas moving out in sectors. Whereas industry follows the path of transport links across the city, mainly the Thames in London.
What are the causes and effects of migration into London? (2)
Cause: The large number of financial and knowledge-based job opportunities has attracted people from elsewhere in the UK and the rest of the world. In 2011, 191,000 people from elsewhere in the UK moved into London seeking employment.
Effect(s): International migration has created multicultural communities living in London. Different cultural groups are concentrated in specific areas of the city, such as the Caribbean community in Brixton, or the South Korean community in New Malden. Migration has a different population structure to the rest of the UK, as it has many more young people and fewer older people.
What are the 4 main socio-economic issues London faces?
- Inequality: London is the wealthiest city in the UK, but social deprivation affects 2 million people (lack of decent services, housing, income or employment). Projects such as redevelopment can help to address these problems.
- Housing: The Mayor of London’s office has calculated 66,000 new homes are needed each year; recent new building has averaged 20,000 per year. New homes can be built on ‘brownfield’ sites (old industrial wasteland) or ‘greenfield’ sites (open space on the edge of urban areas).
- Transport: Around 3 million people use the London underground train network every day, and millions more use the buses. With population increase this will put the transport network under considerable strain.
- Pollution and Waste: Air pollution from cars means 2 million Londoners (including 400,000 children and 450 schools) live in areas of pollution above international pollution limits. A quarter of London’s waste still goes to landfill rather than recycling.
Give examples of solutions to each issue.
- Poverty disproportionality effects East London as the deindustrialisation of this area, made many of its infrastructure obsolete. London has implemented the redevelopment of brownfield sites such as the olympic park, 2008-2012, as well as cross rail, 2022, to improve links between the city.
- The ‘London Living Rent’ Scheme provides government subsidised housing for middle-income residents, to allow them to save money to buy in the future. The London Housing Panel was set up in 2019 through a partnership between the Mayor of London and Trust for London to provide the voluntary and community sector with a structured way of engaging with the Greater London Authority (GLA) in relation to housing policy, and vice versa.
- Oyster cards, new railways, bus links.
What is the site, situation & Connectivity of Mexico City?
Site - Mexico City is built on a high, flat plateau called the Valley of Mexico, or Mesa Central. It began as a settlement on an island in Lake Texcoco.
Situation - Mexico City is situated in Central America. The city is surrounded on three sides by mountains and volcanoes.
Connectivity - Mexico City is in the centre of Mexico and the Pan America Highway goes through the city. It also has an international airport and rail links. Mexico’s TV and radio is based in the city.
What city model can London be most closely compared to?
The Latin American City Structure, characterised by a central CBD / Market surrounded by a Zone of maturity, Zone of situ accretion and Zone of Peripheral Squatter Settlements. It also includes a band of industry, elite residential housing and industry.
Describe trends in Mexico Cities Population over the last 70 years.
2million (1950) to 19 Million (2010)
Describe the urbanisation of Mexico City.
The main flow of migrants into Mexico City is from rural areas (national), with people looking for alternative jobs to farming, better housing, clean water and improved health care.
Fewer migrants arrive from abroad (international) migrants, usually from developed countries to live in middle class area.
What are the impacts of urbanisation on Mexico City and how are they being solved? (5)
- Housing Shortages - Many migrants moving to the city are living on garbage dumbs, forced to search through waste to make money. (TD) The government set up a special housing agency (INFONAVIT) to lend money for residents to buy a home, they mortgaged 5 million towards homes. (BU) In the 1970s, residents of the Neza settlement campaigned for ownership of it’s land to improve infrastructure.
- Squatter Settlements - Migrants from the countryside are forced to illegally build homes made out of waste materials on the edge of the city. These homes have no running water or electricity. (TD) New networks of reserviors built to combat water shortages. (BU) ‘Sky Water’ enabled slum residents to collect and filter rainwater from their roofs.
- Under-employment - These are the people who work seven days a week doing more than one type of Job
- Pollution - Mexico City is surrounded by mountains so pollutions are trapped. This increases air pollution, causing many people to suffer from respiratory diseases. (TD) Improvement of the MetroBus saved 35,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. (BU) Pesaro Bus app developed by a student to increase bus use.
- Inadequate Services - The city generates 13,000 tonnes of rubbish daily but struggles to dispose of it all, with waste dumped on the streets. (TD) 2011 ‘Trash for food program where people could swap rubbish for food. (BU) Charities enabled people to grow their own food in rooftop gardens.
Why has urbanisation led to inequality in Mexico City?
More demand for housing and services to accommodate a rising population has increased costs of living, leading to increased crime and the fear of crime, drives middle class residents into separate areas.
