Paper 2 - Section A, Urban Issues And Challenges Flashcards
What are the main causes of urbanisation
- Natural increase (births minus deaths)
- Migration (the movement of people from one area to another)
What is urbanisation
The increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities
How large does a city have to be before it is classed as a mega city
10 million people
What are some examples of push factors from rural to urban areas
- lack of employment
- limited schooling
- lack of investment
- lack of government support
What are some pull factors from rural to urban areas
- employment opportunities, higher wages
- access to public utilities (sewage, piped water and electricity)
- government support
What are push factors leading to counter urbanisation (urban to rural areas)
- noise pollution
-crime - traffic congestion
- lack of garden
What are pull factors leading to counter urbanisation
- bigger houses
- more scenery
- less noise pollution
Why is there a rise in counter urbanisation in more developed countries
People believe it will improve their quality of life eg more green spaces
How does natural increase lead to growth in urban areas
- increase in birth rate, could be due to lack of contraception and education about family planning
- lower death rate, improved medical facilities helps lower infant mortality and higher life expectancy due to better living conditions and diet
What is population growth
The difference between birth and death rate, when the birth rate is higher than death rate
Where is Lagos located
It’s situated on the coast of Nigeria and has the countries biggest city and port
What is the change in population from 1950 to 2020 in Lagos, Nigeria
Since 1950, the population has grown from 0.3 million to approximately 13.5 million in 2020
Why is Lagos’ population growing exponentially
- Migration - 7 million people from 1990-2004 moved to Lagos from rural/poor regions
- Natural increase - Lagos has a youthful population (half the population is under 25) and this results in more births than deaths per year
What are the rural push factors to move to Lagos
- poor wages in agriculture
- climate change causing droughts in northern Nigeria
- mechanisation of agriculture => less jobs
- land degraded due to over farming
What are urban pull factors for Lagos
- job opportunities in industry (oil, car manufacturing and food processing) which is better paid than farming
- more schools, healthcare and other services than in village
- urban lifestyle
- nollywood glamour
What is the regional importance of Lagos
- city is a transport hub with an airport and port providing raw materials for local industries
- home to 10% of Nigeria’s population
- generates highest money earned of all states in Nigeria
- provides hospitals, schools, employment, leisure and recreation opportunities
What is the national importance of Lagos
- Nigeria’s centre of trade and commerce
- approx 80% of Nigeria’s industry is based in Lagos
- generates approx 30% of Nigeria’s GDP
- centre of Nigeria’s film industry
What is the international importance of Lagos
- the main financial centre of West Africa
- Lagos has one of the highest standards of living in Nigeria and Africa
- it’s Apapa port is the 5th busiest in Africa
- city has been a venue for major sporting events (African cup of Nations football tournament)
What social opportunities has urban growth created in Lagos
- healthcare
- education
- employment
How has urban growth created social opportunities of health care in Lagos
- Nigeria has 1 doctor per 5000 people (1:600 is the recommended by the World Health Organisation) could imply overrun hospitals, long waiting times and decreased chance of survival
- Healthcare isn’t always free so poor people have terrible access to healthcare but the rich people can pay for it
- there is more chance of getting healthcare in Lagos than rural Nigeria
How has urban growth created the social opportunity of education in Lagos
- in Nigeria 10.5 million children aged 5-14 are not in school even though primary education is free and compulsory (some may not have access to schools or there aren’t enough)
- there are more schools and universities in Lagos than other areas
- educated people are more likely to find work in Lagos’ growing industries like finance and film
How has urban growth created social opportunities for employment in Lagos
- more jobs are available in Lagos than anywhere else in Nigeria
- even if people can’t find work in the formal economy, they can find work in the informal economy (eg a street vendor or recycling waste and paying no tax)
What is the formal economy
The type of employment where people work to receive a regular wage, pay tax and have certain rights (eg sick pay and paid holidays)
What is the informal economy
Employment outside the official knowledge of the government, paid cash in hand, unreliable and no rights
What are the consequences of urbanisation in Lagos
- gap between rich and poor is widening
- over 60% of Lagos’ population live in squatter settlements or slums like Makoko
- most people living in the slums work in the informal economy and live on less than $1.25 a day
Why is Lagos a great location for industry
- coastal location is good for fishing and has a port for imports + exports
- has a major international airport - arrival point of 80% of flights to West Africa
- good transport connections, roads and railway links connect Lagos to other cities
- central business district, central part of city where most shops and businesses are located
What are the positives of the the Olusosun rubbish dump in Lagos
- there are shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and a mosque at the dump
- without the dump a lot of reusable items would go to waste, people in Lagos can save money by buying recycled goods
What are some of the negatives of the Olusosun rubbish dump in Lagos
- natural gases build under the decomposing waste, often leads to fires which are hard to extinguish
- workers build their homes out of discarded materials
- Olusosun is a huge landfill site near the heart of Lagos, the city has grown around the site
What environmental issues does urban growth in Lagos cause
- huge population creates 9000 tonnes of waste a day
- waste disposal and emissions aren’t regulated leading to water and air pollution
- traffic congestion is really bad, and there is limited public transport and poor links to city centre => worsens air quality
What are the social benefits of the Makoko floating schools
- up to 100 students will be educated for free
- school was built by unskilled local workers, and the skills they learnt can help them improve their homes
- school also used for local community meetings and activities
What are the economic benefits of the Makoko floating schools
- education improves local children’s job prospects
- school provides jobs for teachers
- schools success encouraged the government to to launch a regeneration scheme for Makoko
What are the environmental benefits of the Makoko floating school
- built using locally supplied materials, construction didn’t harm local environment and repairs would be easy
- schools buoyancy allows to adjust to different and protect children from floods
- school runs on solar power
- school collects rainwater to meet its water needs
What are the problems of living in a squatter settlement
- densely populated due to shortage of available lands, in Makoko homes extend into the water and built on stilts
- homes made of flimsy materials (tin sheets and wooden planks)
- lack basic facilities and sanitation
How can we reduce traffic congestion in Lagos
- integrated transport system would encourage people to use public transport and reduce dependence on cars
- a more efficient road network, eg separate bus lanes would make journeys quicker
- better walking and cycling facilities, would reduce congestion by encouraging more people to avoid using cars
How can we reduce water pollution in Lagos
- regulating water vendors to create new rules they have to follow, eg can’t sell dirty water which would increase water quality
- new boreholes or wells must have a licence and illegal digging of wells and boreholes is a criminal offence, wouldn’t lower water table unsustainablity and help stop people drinking unclean water
