The Urban World Flashcards
Define Urbanisation and comment on the different speeds of it around the world
Urbanisation is the increasing percentage of people moving to live in town and cities.
HIC = already been urbanized NEE = Rapidly increasing economy LIC = The highest percentage of people moving to live in urban places
Reasons for Urbanisation
1) Rural-urban migration = movement of people from the countryside into towns and cities
2) Natural Increase = birth rate is higher than the death rate
What is a megacity?
A city with a population of over 10 million e.g. Mumbai, Shanghai
Most are coastal due to historical reasons of it being used for trade.
What are the pull factors for Urbanisation?
- more jobs
- Healthcare and Education more accessible
- joining other family members
- promotes a higher standard of living
What are the push factors for Urbanisation?
- Fewer jobs
- Desertification may make farming difficult
- Flee due to conflict
- Lack of education
- few doctors and hospitals
- poor harvest leading to malnutrition and famine
Why has Rio de Janeiro grown?
- common language attract people from Portugal
- Rio’s industry attracts skilled workers from UK and US
- South Korea and China migrants seeking new job opportunities
- In the last 50 years it has become a major industrial, administrative, commercial and tourist centre
Describe Rio’s Location
- situated on Brazil’s Atlantic coast
- grown around a large natural bay called Guanabara Bay
- cultural capital
- Industrial and Financial centre
- South American continent
Population: 6.5 million in the city as of 2014
12.5 million in Greater Rio
Name the zones of Rio and an aspect of each of them
North Zone:
- the city’s main industrial and port area
West Zone:
- Main Olympic stadiums and competitor village known as Campo Grande for 2016 located here
- Low quality housing
South Zone:
- Developed after tunnels were cut through mountains
- Rio’s main tourist hotels and beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema
Centro:
- Financial centre: headquarters of Petrobus and CVBB ( Brazil’s largest oil and mining companies)
Rio’s social challenges: Water Supply
Problem:
- Around 12% of Rio’s population did not have access to running water
- estimated that 37% of water is lost through leaky pipes, fraud and illegal acess
Solution:
- most work has been on improving quality and quantity of water in favelas and Olympic Park
- 7 new treatment plants
- Over 300km of pipes were laid
Rio’s Social Challenge: Energy
Problem:
- whole city suffers frequent block outs due to shortage
- Many people living in the poorer parts of Rio get their electricity by illegally tapping into the main supply, which is risky and unsafe
Solutions:
- installing 60km of new power lines
- building a new nuclear generator
Rio’s Social Challenge: Healthcare
Problem:
- in 2013 only 55% of people had a local family health clinic
- services for pregnant woman and elderly people are very poor especially in the West zone
Solutions:
- e.g. in Favela of Santa Marta
= Medical Staff took a health kit into people’s homes and were able to detect 20 different diseases therefore infant mortality has dropped
Rio’s Social Challenge: Education
Problem:
- compulsory education in Brazil is 6-14 only; half of children continue education after 14
= due to: shortage of teachers and schools and/or lack of money and family need them to work
Solutions:
- opening a private university
- making money available for free lessons in volleyball, football in Rocinha favelas
- encouraging local people to volunteer to help in schools
- giving school grants to poor families to meet the cost of keeping children in school
How has the growing economic prosperity affected Rio?
Growing economic prosperity has attracted large companies to create economic opportunities in the Formal economy.
Name the types of employment in Rio
Tourism, Port( Import and Export), Construction, Service(e.g. Finance and banking), Manufacturing
What is the crime problem in Rio?
Problem:
- Murder, kidnapping, carjacking and armed assault occur regularly
- Gang violence e.g. Red command
Solutions:
- Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) established to reclaim favelas from drug dealers
- Police have taken control of crime dominated Complexo do Alemao and 30 smaller favelas
= Criticism about Police, arguing that it is an attack on their freedom
Why is there such a big contrast in wealth, unemployment and what is being done about it?
Unemployment is one reason where there is such a contrast in wealth
- in favelas unemployment rates are over 20%
- most people work in the informal economy e.g. street vendors
- work is poorly paid, irregular and unreliable
Solutions:
- Courses for adult education
- Free child care for teenage parents
- try to reduce youth unemployment
- practical skills - based courses
Rio’s Environmental Challenges: Air pollution (Traffic Congestion
Problem:
- Rio is the most congested city in South America
- High crime levels means that people prefer to travel by car
- Steep mountains allow roads to be only built on coastal lowland - Main transport routes get congested/
Solutions:
- expansion of the metro System
- new toll roads into city centre to reduce congestion
- making coast roads one way during rush hours to improve traffic flow
Rio’s Environmental Challenges: Waste pollution
Problem:
- worst waste problems in favelas
= houses built on steep slopes making it hard for waste collection lorries
- Most waste is therefore dumped and poillutes water system = causes diseases such as cholera
Solution:
- A power plant has been set up near the University of Rio using methane gas from rotting rubbish.
= consumes 30 tonnes of rubbish a day and produces enough electricity for 1000 homes
Rio’s Environmental Challenges: Water Pollution
Problem:
- Guanabara Bay is heavily polluted causing threat to wildlife
- oil spills from Petrobus oil refinery
- over 50 tonnes of industrial waste enters bay each day
- Ships empty fuel tanks into the bay as there is no proper way of disposing it
- over 200 tonnes of raw sewage gets dumped
Solutions:
- 12 new sewage works built
- ships are fined for discharging fuel into the bay illegally
- 5km of new sewage pipes installed into bay polluted areas
Why have favelas grown and where are they located?
Favelas = illegal squatter settlements where people have built homes on land they do not own
- result of Rural-urban migration
Location:
- 60% in the suburbs
- 25% in the outer parts of the city
Describe Rocinha and about its improvements
- Rocinha is the largest favela in Rio
- Population in 2010: 75,000
- South Zone
As a result of improvements:
- 90% of buildings/ homes are made of bricks, have electricity and sewage systems
- schools, health facilities and private university
- own newspaper and radio stations
Describe the challenges of squatter settlements
1) Construction
- houses are poorly constructed using basic materials e.g. iron
- steep slopes so people die from landslides
2) Services
- sewers are often open drains
- over 30% do not have electricity connections therefore there are illegal connections to electricity pylons
- around 50% have no sewage connections
3) Unemployment
- rates as high as 20%
- Average income may be less than £75 a month
4) Crime
- murder rate of 20 per 1000 people
- Drug gangs e.g. Red Command
- inhabitants distrust police because of violence and corruption
5) Health
- Infant mortality rates are as high as 50 per 100
- Population density of 37000 per km2
- Burning rubbish sets fire to wooden homes
Overview on the Favela Bairro Project
- started in 1995
- ‘slum to neighbourhood’
- City authorities set aside to improve 60 of the 600 favelas
- 73 communities
- 253, 000 residents
Social Impact due to Favela Bairro Project
- services to help drug addicts, victims of domestic violence
- UPP set up with police patrolling
- Adult education classes to improve literacy
- Building of new health, leisure and facilities
Economic Impact due to Favela Bairro Project
- Residents pay to the government therefore improvement of services
- Training schemes to help people get better at their jobs
- 100% mortgages available for people to buy their homes
Environmental Impact due to Favela Bairro Project
- Widening and paving streets to allow easier access
- Replacement of wooden houses with brick
- Homes on dangerously steep slopes removed
What are the successes of the Favela Bairro Project
- Standard of Living has improved
- Property value have increased by 80% - 120%
- Infant Mortality rate is reduced due to local health
- Local businesses have double the income
What are the failures of the Favela Bairro Project
- Newly built infrastructure is not being maintained
- Residents lack the skills and resources to make repairs
- Rent rise in the improved favelas meaning that the poorest inhabitants are even worse off.
