Urban Environment Keywords Flashcards
Define urbanisation
The process of urban growth
Define the term megacity
A city of 10 million people or more
Define urban sprawl
The outward growth of urban areas
What are ‘the outlying districts of a town or city’ known as?
Suburbs, outskirts
Define smog
A mixture of smoke and fog
What is photochemical smog?
Where smog combines with sunlight to form ozone, causing serious health problems such as difficulty breathing, eye irritations and vomiting
What does ‘sustainable’ mean?
Meeting the needs of the people without harming the surrounding environments and habitats and without exploiting materials/resources
Define tsunami
A tidal wave caused by an underwater earthquake
What is a floodplain?
A low lying area next to a lake or river that is vulnerable to flooding
Define mortality
Death rate of an area - usually expressed as deaths per 1000 of population
Define the term ‘life expectancy’
The average number of years that a person may live at the time of their birth
What is vandalism?
Intentional damage of property
What is meant by the term deprivation?
Where a person’s quality of life falls below a level that is regarded as the acceptable minimum by the Government
What is a deprived area?
An area or place where economic, social and environmental conditions are considered as very poor
What is dereliction?
Previously used land or buildings that have become disused and begin to decay
What is meant by mixed-use?
An area with a plethora of uses such as commercial, social, economic, residential etc.
What is meant by redevelopment?
Renovation and improvement of a derelict area or of an area that has previously been run down
What is an integrated transport system?
All parts of a transport system fitting together to make efficient methods of commuting
What are commuters?
People who travel daily between places
What are slums?
Often referred to as shanty towns in developing areas - LEDCs - they have different names all across the world, referred to as favelas in areas such as Brazil.
A slum is a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
What are squatter settlements?
Where people have no legal rights over the land on which they live
What is brownfield land?
Old industrial land that has become rundown or derelict
What is an eco-footprint?
The impact of a person on the earth
What is urban regeneration?
Improving social and economic conditions in run down urban areas
What is meant by the term carbon-zero?
Does not use resources that create carbon dioxide
What is meant by the phrase ‘eco-home’?
Homes that have a minimum impact on the environment
What is meant by the term ‘green space’?
Parkland and vegetated walkways in urban areas
What is an urban heat island?
Where a built up area has a higher temperature than the surroundings
What is an eco-settlement?
Settlements that do not harm the environment because they meet the needs of the people without damaging the environment or exploiting of materials/resources
