Revision questions for Topic 3 – Challenges of an Urbanising World

Question 1

What is urbanisation?

Answer 1

Urbanisation means an increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas.

Question 2

Which areas of the world (continents and emerging/developing/developed countries) had the
highest level and rate of urbanisation from 1980 to 2010?

Answer 2

Asia and Africa have the highest rate of urbanisation between 1980 and 2010. China had an especially great growth between 1980 and 2000.

Question 3

How has the level and rate of urbanisation change around the world from 2010 to 2020?

Answer 3

The rate of urbanisation for Asia and Africa is predicted to be fairly constant from 2010 to 2020. The development of south and north America is predicted to slowly decline in the increasing rate of urbanisation.

Question 4

How will the level and rate of urbanisation change in the future 2020 onwards?

Answer 4

The rate of urbanisation for Asia and Africa is predicted to be fairly constant from 2020 onward. The development of south and north America is predicted to stop almost completely, with the rate of urban growth increasing very slightly.

Question 5

What is a megacity?

Answer 5

A very large city, typically one with a population of over ten million people.

Question 6

How has the number and location of megacities changed over time? Where are they and where has the greatest growth occurred?

Answer 6

The number of megacities has increased over time, especially post-industrial revolution. It is expected that from 1990 and 2020, the number of megacities will increase from 20 to 37. In the past 20 years, most megacities were located in north and south america and in western europe. Recently however, economic and urban growth has especially increased in asian and African countries.

Question 7

What is a primate city (world city) – consider social, economic, political, cultural factors as well as facts about their population size?

Answer 7

A World City is a city that is a major centre for finance, trade, business, politics, culture, science information gathering and mass media. It is one that serves the whole world and can be considered an important multinational city. Examples include New York, London and Tokyo. Tokyo is the world’s largest city, with the greater Tokyo area housing about 38 million inhabitants

Question 8

Why is urbanisation happening so quickly in some places (2 factors)

Answer 8

• A lack of employment opportunities in the countryside. Overpopulation and poor crop yields are both factors which make people want to leave the countryside
• Better paid jobs in the cities, an expected higher standard of living and more reliable food are all factors which attract people to cities

Question 9

What is rural to urban migration

Answer 9

the process of people moving from rural areas to cities.

Question 10

Give definitions and examples of push and pull factors

Answer 10

Push and pull factors are those factors which either forcefully push people into migration or attract them.
Examples: push: Political and/or religious persecution –> Political fear/persecution
Examples: Pull: 1. Jobs and opportunities 2.Religious freedom 3.Political freedom

Question 11

Explain the reasons why cities in Developing countries such as Kampala (Uganda) are growing?

Answer 11

• A lack of employment opportunities in the countryside ( especially in Kampala where many people work in the agricultural sector )
• Overpopulation and poor crop yields are also factors as to why people leave the countryside in developing countries
• Better paid jobs in the cities, an expected higher standard of living, and more reliable food attract people from the agricultural sector to work in the city

Question 12

Explain the reasons why some cities in Developed countries such as New York and London are growing?

Answer 12

• social migration - moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be closer to family or friends.
• environmental causes of migration include natural disasters such as flooding.

Question 13

Contrast the growth in New York and Kampala – are there different reasons?

Answer 13

Kampala: political migration - moving to escape war eg. 1973 - Uganda engages in border clashes with Tanzania or 2011 July - US deploys special forces personnel to help Uganda combat LRA rebels.
New york- Social migration and mechanisation

Question 14

Explain the reasons why some cities in Developed countries such as Detroit/Hull are shrinking?

Answer 14

• industrial decline

- over-borrowing and poor city management

Question 15

Define informal and formal employment

Answer 15

The informal economy is the diversified set of economic activities, enterprises, jobs, and workers that are not regulated or protected by the state. Sector which encompasses all jobs with normal hours and regular wages, and are recognized as income sources on which income taxes must be paid.

Question 16

Give an example of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary job

Answer 16

Primary: Farming
Secondary: food processing
Tertiary: teacher
Quaternary: researcher

Question 17

Explain how the economy changes as a country develops (developing- emerging- developed) to
consider: formal and informal, sectors (P, S, T, Q), working conditions etc

Answer 17

Developing: -Agriculture is high, secondary and tertiary jobs are very low
Emerging: - Agricultural is decreasing quickly, secondary and tertiary industries are becoming dominant. Quaternary jobs are starting to emerging
Developed: primary industry is very low, secondary industry is high with the tertiary industry. The Quaternary industry is growing as education develops

Question 18

Contrast urbanisation and counter-urbanisation (consider movement, location, time period- when
it happened, wealth and qualifications of person)

Answer 18

Whilst urbanisation and suburbanisation have resulted in large scale urban area growth, counterurbanisation has had the opposite effect. Indeed, counter urbanisation is when large numbers of people move from urban areas into surrounding countryside or rural areas. People may move to these areas because if the expansion of tncs to the suburbs. Pull factors can also play a role. People want a better quality of life and they want to be able to live in a clean and quiet area. An area without air and noise pollution from heavy industries, the crime of urban environments and the lack of opportunities found in some parts of cities. They also aspire to having larger houses with more land for cheaper prices compared to the large towns and cities. The Government of the UK also promoted this movement through its green belt and New Towns policy

Question 19

What is suburbanisation and why did it happen?

Answer 19

Suburbanisation can be defined as the outward growth of urban development which may engulf surrounding villages and towns into a larger urban agglomeration.

Question 20

How did suburbanisation affect where people lived?

Answer 20

People living outside of cities would of seen their areas expand as part of the larger city and their properties increase in value

Question 21

Why did counter-urbanisation happen?

Answer 21

The cause of counterurbanisation are linked to the push and pull factors of migration. It first took place because of flight from the Inner cities in Britain, often as a result of economic problems in those areas. The collapse of inner city industries resulted in large scale unemployment and a cycle of decline and deprivation in those areas. Poor quality housing and low environmental quality can also force people away from the inner city.

Question 22

What is re-urbanisation and why does it happen?

Answer 22

Reurbanization is usually a government’s initiative to counter the problem of inner city decline otherwise known as gentrification. Inner-city decline usually occurs when problems such as pollution, overpopulation, inadequate housing, etc. arise. It involves the development of existing urban areas with new building and improved infrastructure. It is the opposite of suburbanisation as it involves those who were living in the suburbs or outer edges of the city to move into the inner city. Re-urbanisation is often related to gentrification, a process in which more affluent people refurbish and redevelop run down areas of the city centre.

Question 23

What is the difference between Commercial, Industrial and Residential land in urban areas?

Answer 23

The term commercial property (also called commercial real estate, investment or income property) refers to buildings or land intended to generate a profit, either from capital gain or rental income.
Industrial Land Use is the use of a piece of land for industrial purposes, eg. manufacturing. A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.

Question 24

Where (CBD/Inner City/Suburbs/RUF) do you find Commerce, Industrial and Residential?

Answer 24

CBD: you will find commerce
Inner city: you will find industrial
Suburbs: you will find industrial and residential properties
RUF: Residential

Question 25

How does accessibility affect the land use?

Answer 25

More accesible land (most likely in the inner city ) will be more expensive due to a greater demand for it. It will most likely be used for commerce or industrial purposes.

Question 26

How does planning affect land use?

Answer 26

Governments can accept or decline planning permission requests in order to mould the city a certain way. This means that the council/government controls what the land is used for through planning permissions

Question 27

How does availability and cost affect land use?

Answer 27

The greater the cost of land, the more likely it will be used for commerce or industrial purposes. This can negatively damage the aesthetics of the city but could help boost the city’s economy and result in urban sprawl