Paper 2) Urban Environments Flashcards

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1
Q

Urbanization definition

A

An increased concentration of people in urban areas

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2
Q

Urban growth definition

A

The physical expansion of cities (economic or demographic - the statistical characteristics of human populations)

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3
Q

Urban definition

A

An area with a large concentration of people in a town or a city. The opposite to rural.

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4
Q

Where is the majority of contemporary urbanisation happening?

A

-Africa and Asia
-taking place in large towns and small cities

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5
Q

How many years did it take to achieve the first one billion urban dwellers and second billion urban dwellers?

A

-10,000 years - 1 billion
-25 years - 2 billion
-shows rapid urbanisation

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6
Q

Suburbanisation definition

A

The outward spread of the urban area, often at lower densities compared with the older parts of a town or city

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7
Q

Counter-urbanisation definition

A

The movement of people and employment from major cities to smaller cities and towns

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8
Q

Agglomeration definition

A

The concentration of people and economic activities at favourable locations, such as river crossing points

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9
Q

Characteristics of CBD

A

-big shopping complex
-offices
-major transport links
-lack of green space

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10
Q

Characteristics of the inner city

A

-dense, terraced house
-grid iron road layout
-industrial estates
-lack of open space

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11
Q

Characteristics of the inner suburbs

A

-low density housing
-semi detached housing
-large gardens
-cul-de-sacs

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12
Q

Characteristics of the outer suburbs

A

-small gardens
-open spaces
-parks and golf courses

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13
Q

What about suburbs that appeal to new residents

A

-more space
-improvements in transport allows people to move easily between new suburbs town centers
-declines in the quality of the residential environment near the centre

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14
Q

Causes of counter urbanisation - push factors

A

-noise pollution
-higher crime rates
-overcrowding
-parking shortages
-traffic congestion
-old housing

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15
Q

Causes of counter urbanisation - pull factors

A

-larger houses with gardens
-pleasant scenery and countryside
-out of town shopping malls
-lower crime rates
-safer for children
-less pollution

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16
Q

Social impacts of counter urbanisation

A

-more shops and services as more number of people
–maybe not: incomers may be elderly/ affluent - send children to prestigious schools elsewhere
–might change services: post office/ pubs –> boutiques/ restaurants

-culture clash - incomers may object to long-established everyday aspects of country life (fox-hunting)/ controversial land-use practices of local farmers (excessive use of nitrates, hedge-row removal)

-community disintegration - children of established residents cannot afford to buy a home. Over time, out-migration of original resident’s children

-historical ‘authenticity’ can be lost if too many changes

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17
Q

Environmental impacts of counter urbanisation

A

-urban city centres may decline in popularity as people move away, lead to unemployment, decline
-the demand for housing has grown in many villages and small towns, growth of new estates - House prices have risen due to the increase in demand
-increased pressure on greenfield land as the rural-urban fringe is blurred
-Congestion - infrastructure cannot cope with the increased demand. Difficulties for farmers moving slower vehicles on country roads and increase air pollution.

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18
Q

Political impacts of counter urbanisation

A

-Population decline in the city reduces council tax revenue, so there are less funds available for local services which may decline in quality e.g. schools, healthcare, waste collection, leisure facilities.
-Hostility and vandalism - The older rural community may even object to newcomers in an openly hostile manner

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19
Q

Factors resulting in high rates of urbanisation in lower and emerging countries

A

-high natural increase - the birth rate far exceeds the death rate
-push and pull factors - leading to high rates of rural-urban migration
-most new economic development in these areas is concentrated in the big cities
-Economies of Scale - as there are less smaller cities, megacities can save money as everything is closer together. They save on transport and communication between people and businesses

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20
Q

Reasons to leave the countryside - push factors

A

-food shortage and people cannot be supported in this area
-government investment is lacking in this area. There are few services
-a natural disaster has taken place, e.g. floods in Bangladesh
-forced migrations
-farmers in the local area mechanise their farms. There is now no need to employ as many farm labourers
-plots of land are divided up amongst children making them too small to farm
-a crop failure due to overgrazing, e.g. desertification in Nigeria

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21
Q

Reasons to move to the city/ urban areas - pull factors

A

-there is a hope for improved housing, better jobs and more reliable food supply
-government investment tends to be in the cities
-these are more services, e.g. schools, hospitals
-better quality of life

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22
Q

The Clark Fisher model

A

-draw it

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23
Q

Urbanisation pathway model

A

-draw it

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24
Q

Photochemical smog definition

A

A mixture of pollutants that are formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react to sunlight, creating a brown haze above cities.

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25
Q

Congestion definition

A

A condition on transport that is characterised by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicle queueing.

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26
Q

Shanty towns

A

A squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people

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27
Q

Problems of rapid urbanisation

A

HEHATES
-Housing - more demand than supply
-Education - lack of schools
-Health - aren’t enough doctors and hospitals
-Access to water and electricity
-Traffic congestion and transport - traffic systems are overcrowded, high pollution
-Employment - people have to join informal sector
-Social problems - increase in crime

28
Q

Rapid urbanisation - slums

A

-slums are not linked to main sewage networks
-there is waste near people
-diseases can spread and causes people to fall sick
-slums are overcrowded, diseases will also spread faster
-this goes into the water supply which contaminates it
-often have no mains electricity and residents illegally trap into the network so it is dangerous and might cause fires

29
Q

Rapid urbanisation - urban development

A

Can magnify the risks of flash flooding so more infrastructure is damaged and destroyed

30
Q

Rapid urbanisation - informal sector

A

-The majority of slum dwellers work in the informal sector (e.g. recycling industry)
-they have less income and it is more unstable

31
Q

Rapid urbanisation - congestion

A

As cities grow, so do the number of cars on the road as many people commute to work
-there is a lot of traffic in the city
-This increases pollution and people will have respiratory problems

32
Q

Rapid urbanisation - crime rates

A

-Inequality between communities and conflicts over resources can lead to increased crime
-there is more insecurity and people will feel unsafe.

33
Q

Advantages of bottom up development

A

-doesn’t cost the government money, projects are cheap
-Sense of community - families stay in their own areas and provide mutual support
-Slum dwellers have a say in what improvements are made
-able to remain in their own home whilst the improvements are made - less disruption to their lives.

34
Q

Disadvantages of bottom up development

A

-Still a risk that the government may knock the slum down in the future, money invested in risk
-Only works on a small-scale
-Overall improvement to standard of living and quality of life will take a long time

35
Q

Advantages of top down development

A

-Investment comes from either the government or NGOs-
housing is permanent and legal.
-Large-scale redevelopment is quick - more people are helped, extensive improvements
-More access to services - hospitals and schools
-less squalid conditions, reliable electricity and water supplies

36
Q

Disadvantages of top down development

A

-Loss of community spirit due to poorly designed housing blocks - less mutual support
-People have to move to new schools, new jobs and register for new medical facilities - significant impact on their lives
-Some people have to move into temporary accommodation whilst their new housing block is being developed and if development stalls they will be stuck in limbo.

37
Q

Mumbai sustainable management - waste disposal

A

-The Sana Ullah compound in Dharavi is the biggest area of plastic recycling in Mumbai
-The Gorai Garbage site closure project - in 2007, the Gorai landfill site was 20-hectures and 27m deeps. Toxic fumes and runoff as polluting the local water supply. The government made a plan to reshape it into a hill, lined with material to prevent leaching and planted with grass to create a park. Methane capture technology has also been used to generate electricity cheaply for local residents.
-120,000 rag pickers take anything reusable they find to Dharavi and sell their waste by the kilo to hundreds of small recycling plants
-estimated that 80% of the Mumbai’s solid waste is recycled into usable materials
-15,000 factories dedicated to recycling and sorting Mumbai’s waste

38
Q

Mumbai challenges - waste disposal

A

-city produces over 10,000 metric tonnes of solid waste every day
-in Dharavi, even though the recycling work is effective, its hazardous and unregulated. Workers will sift through piles of festering rubbish with no safety equipment in extreme heat
-small cuts and wounds quickly become infected as workers sift through medical waste and other biohazardous substances

39
Q

Mumbai challenges - transport, congestion, pollution

A

-dangerous levels of Nitrous Oxides and particulate matter
-hazardous to human health and can cause asthma
-more than 22 million vehicles registered in Mumbai - noise, air pollution, traffic jams
-rail transport is overcrowded, only two main motorways in and to the city

40
Q

Mumbai sustainable management - traffic congestion, air pollution

A

-The Mumbai monorail - the government decided in 2005 that a mono-rail would be a good solution to traffic congestion
Pros:
-reduces the amount of traffic on the roads, making them safer
-constructed over built up areas without having to clear any roads/ land
-carries passengers quickly, easily moves around the landscape
-cheap
Cons:
-costly to build
-number of passengers lower than expected - only 15,000 each day
-mainly used by tourists due to its location away from the main city

41
Q

Mumbai challenges - education

A

-over 200,000 street children in Mumbai that have dropped out of school
-police force them to move from any shelters they have created as some street children steal and take drugs

42
Q

Mumbai sustainable management - education

A

-Hamara foundation
-creates social-work services for these children to help them get an education, improve their health, give them job skills
-between 2013-2014, 327 children were supported by the foundation
-foundation provides vocational training for 16-18 year olds in computing, mechanics, hospitality

43
Q

Mumbai challenges - health

A

-government toilet blocks charged individual for use, too expensive for most families
-design for toilets are also very poor, without running water and no employees cleaning them

44
Q

Mumbai sustainable management - health

A

-NGO called SPARC
-works with communities to build new toilet blocks that are connected to city sewers and water supplies
-locals help to construct the toilet block and families can purchase monthly permits for 25 rupees, which is much cheaper than the government owned
-in 5 years, 800 toilet blocks each with 8 toilets have been created

45
Q

Mumbai challenges - economy

A

-economic growth is slowing
-Mumbai has a huge informal economy (67%)
-the government receives less money as the workforce doesn’t pay full taxes
-low economic growth means less money goes towards those areas of the city that need improvement, in housing, the environment, transport

46
Q

Standard of living definition

A

The ability to access services and goods. This includes basics such as food and water, clothes, housing and personal mobility.

47
Q

Globalization definition

A

Term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place.

48
Q

Deindustrialization definition

A

When a country’s proportion working in the secondary sector starts to decline and the proportion working in the tertiary sector grows.

49
Q

Segregation definition

A

Different people/groups/cultures forced apart and/or living in divided communities for some reason.

50
Q

Quality of life

A

The extent to which people’s needs and desires (social, psychological or physical) are met.

51
Q

UK challenges - segregation

A

-Many non-British people live nearer the center of London as they come for job oppurtunities, while white British people live on the outskirts
-People like to stay in a place in which the culture is accustomed to them, so they live close to people like themselves.

52
Q

London’s challenges - air pollution and congestion

A

-London has the worst congestion in Britain with just under 35% of the capital’s roads regularly suffering jams, despite the congestion charge
-nitrogen dioxide - can cause microscopic particles that go into your blood stream and cause lung cancer and respiratory issues

53
Q

London’s management strategies - congestion

A

Congestion charges:
-60,000 fewer vehicles enter the zones but congestion hasn’t improved
-congestion charge hasn’t done much to reduce congestion
-if it wasn’t there, the congestion would be much more
-brings in lots of extra revenue (1.3 billion pounds)
-950 million spent on public transport
Cycle superhighways:
-encourage cyclist to use certain routes, sometimes confusing
-segregated from the road so cyclists feel safe

54
Q

London’s challenges - fatbergs

A

-1.2 million tonnes of raw sewage has been dumped into the river Thames because the Victorian sewers can’t cope
-fatbergs - mass of waste matter in a sewer system formed by the combination of flushed non-biodegradable solids, such as wet wipes and fats

55
Q

London management strategies - fatbergs

A

-London super sewer
-25km long

56
Q

Land uses of the rural-urban fridge

A

-housing estates - land is cheaper, urbanization increasing
-airports - large amount of space
-warehouse/ industrial estates
-retail parks
-theme parks

57
Q

Brownfield site definition

A

Previously developed land that is no longer being used

58
Q

Greenfield site definition

A

Land that has never been built upon

59
Q

Greenbelt definition

A

Policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of undeveloped, agricultural land that are neighboring urban areas

60
Q

Greenfield site advantages

A

-Cheaper and house construction rate is faster as there is no existing infrastructure needed to take down
-Healthier environment

61
Q

Greenfield site disadvantages

A

-Valuable farm land lost
-Attractive scenery lost
-Wildlife, habitats lost
-Development causes noise pollution
-Encourages urban sprawl
-increases the amount of impermeable land which increases flood risk

62
Q

Brownfield site advantages

A

-Reduces the loss of countryside that might otherwise have been taken for building
-Helps revive old disused urban areas
-Services such as water, electricity, sewage already in place (however, it might be bad as well as it interferes with the new building design)

63
Q

Brownfield site disadvantages

A

-More expensive as old buildings have to be cleared
-Often surrounded by rundown areas - doesn’t appeal to more wealthy people
-Higher levels of pollution

64
Q

Greenbelt functions

A
  1. Check the sprawl (spreading) of cities like London and Birmingham
  2. To protect the surrounding countryside from further development
  3. To prevent neighbouring cities from merging into each other.
65
Q

Advantages of greenbelt land

A

-They help prevent urban sprawl and give rural people easy access to natural spaces
-protect the environment

66
Q

Disadvantages of greenbelt land

A

-a lot of the UK’s greenbelt land is farmland, which although it is helpful, farms generate a lot of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and methane
-Around two-thirds of greenbelt land in the UK are farms
-Greenbelts are usually also privately owned, as they are farms. This means that the public can’t even enter without trespassing, which defeats the purpose of access to green spaces
-Only 9% of greenbelt land in the UK is designates as areas of natural beauty.