Urban Change

Question 1

What are the 5 areas in which cities develop due to urbanisation?

Answer 1

Economy
Social
Technology
Political
Demographic

Question 2

How does the economic area develop due to urbanisation?

Answer 2

• Cities attract people from rural areas bc they offer jobs and higher wages
• As urban pop. increases, businesses (e.g. factories and shops) grow in size and become more profitable, leading to more jobs and wage rises
• Commercial farming overtakes subsistence farming as the primary method of food production. Decline in agricultural jobs attracts more people into towns and cities.

Question 3

How does the social area develop due to urbanisation?

Answer 3

• Cities have higher living standards than rural areas, e.g. better access to healthcare and education, which attracts people.
• As more people move into a city and the economy grows, it can become a centre cultural expression, e.g. museums and galleries open
• Migration of people into urban areas increases the mix of people from different social backgrounds. This can either:
1. Make people more tolerant of other, creating a welcoming environment which attracts more migrants
2. People from different social backgrounds will segregate

Question 4

How does the technological area develop due to urbanisation?

Answer 4

• Emergence of factories in cities caused urban areas to become hotspots for technological advancement e.g. in 19th century, Manchester became the first industrialised city in the world and was called ‘Cottonopolis’ due to its cotton-processing factories
• Areas with large numbers of high-tech industries have emerged e.g. Silicon Valley in California. These areas attract people bc they offer specialised and highly paid jobs

Question 5

How does the political area develop due to urbanisation?

Answer 5

• Urban growth can lead to inequalities between rich and poor. A new ‘working class’ emerges, often made up of people who work in manufacturing industries.
• New political movements emerge to represent the ‘working class’ population. Political reform focuses on issues that affect urban life, e.g. poor sanitation, quality of housing and working conditions in factories

Question 6

How does the demographic area develop due to urbanisation?

Answer 6

• As cities become larger + wealthier, they attract migrants from all over the world. Urban areas become more culturally and ethnically diverse and new areas emerge, e.g. Chinatown in New York City
• Young people are attracted by jobs and entertainment, e.g. bars and clubs. Young people often choose to stay and raise families in the city, so urban areas tend to have younger populations than rural areas