Urban Environments Flashcards
What is urbanisation
The growth in the percentage of a population living and working in urban areas
What is suburbanisation
Towns expanding outwards, encouraged by arrival of more people and overcrowding in the town
What is counter urbanisation
Rather than moving to suburbs, people and businesses move further out to smaller towns or rural areas
Factors affecting the rate of urbanisation
1) the pace of economic development (
2) the rate of population growth
3) migration
Emergence of mega cities
A mega city is a city with a population of over 10 million people
There are 35 mega cities
Some examples are Tokyo and New York
Factors affecting it are
1) economic development (more job opportunities and more services)
2) economies of scale (saves space and money, communications are easier, shared resources)
3) multiplier effect (gathers a momentum)
4) population growth (high levels of migration)
Problems associated with rapid urbanisation
- Housing (no time to plan housing)
- Congestion and traffic (too many cars in a given place, transport systems become overcrowded)
- Employment (unable to find proper work, informal sector, leads to crime)
- Crime (unemployment combined with unpleasant living conditions leads to concentrated crime rates)
- Environmental issues (high population = high pollution + more more waste and sewage)
Factors affecting urban land use patterns
- locational needs
- accessibility
- land values
Urban challenges in London, UK
- food supply (2 million people live below the poverty line and don’t have access to healthy and affordable food)
- energy (a lot of pollution occurs and energy is unnecessarily wasted)
- segregation (due to many international migrants, different cultures and lower income residents are often segregated- places of exclusion)
- transport (26 million trips are made per day. Overcrowding, noise, pollution, congestion, accessibility)
- waste disposal (only 52 percent is actually recycled. A third of London’s waste is made up of food waste and plastic packaging)
- concentrated resource consumption (centre for consumption of products and services, three times our fair share of Human Resources is consumed
Urban challenges in Dhaka, Bangladesh
- squatter settlements (speed of urbanisation is very fast so there are not enough houses for people coming from poor rural areas, only available land is land of no economic values). 5 PERCENT OF PEOPLE IN DHAKA LIVE IN SLUMS, LARGEST IS KORAIL SLUM, 50,000 PPL
- informal employment (because the earnings are so low, informal employment doesn’t do anything to break the cycle of poverty. No healthcare benefits, discrimination and uncertain legal status)
- urban pollution (one of the most polluted cities in the world, air and water pollution. Negative health impacts eg. Lung cancer
- low quality of life (214th out of 231 global cities)
What is the rural urban finge
There where the countryside meets the built up cities
Cambridge business park
Variety of office space
Well connected
12 modern office building
Cambridge science park
Used to be farmland
Edge of Cambridge
Opened in 2005
Many high tech companies
Housing estates - Cambourne
On the fringe of Cambridge
Planned in the early 1900s to help deal with the rapid expansion of Cambridge
Easy to commute to Cambridge or London
What are greenfield sites
Sites that haven’t previously been built on
Advantages
- cheaper to build on
- healthier environment
- layout isn’t hampered by previous development
Disadvantages
- attractive scenery and farm/recreational space lost
- wildlife or habitats lost
- leads to noise and light pollution
What are brownfield sites
Brownfield sites are often on disused or derelict land
Advantages
- reduces loss of land
- services already in place
- located near to main areas of employment
Disadvantages
- more expensive
- higher levels of pollution
- often surrounded by run down areas
What is sustainability
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Transport sustainability in Curitiba
- five different types of buses, including rapid buses
- bi articulated buses that carry 250 passengers
- 1.3 million people passengers per day, 70 percent of the city’s inhabitants
Waste disposal strategies in Curitiba
- separated into organic and inorganic materials
- recycles 2/3 of its rubbish
Green exchange
- people bring sorted rubbish and get food or bus tickets
Housing improvements in Curitiba
- structural axes (streets radiate from the centre of the city)
- COHAB, a public housing programme, provides 50,000 homes for the poor
Improving education in Curitiba
- ‘Lighthouses of Knowledge’- free educational and internet centres (there are 50 of them)
- old buses are used as mobile training centres
- they have an open university
Improving health in Curitiba
- green spaces have been prioritised as they improve physical and mental well-being
- free medical and dental care to low income citizens
Improving employment opportunities in Curitiba
- an industrial city was developed outside of the city
- this provides jobs and economic profile
- 20,000 housing units had been built so workers could cycle to work
Sustainable transport strategies in London
- congestion charge (reduced congestion, pollution and accidents)
- T charge
- hydrogen and electric buses
- investing in public transport
- cycle lanes and projects that promote cycling (6 cycle superhighways)
Sustainability for waste disposal strategies in London
- each borough is responsible for providing local waste and recycling collections
Recycling is widely encouraged - 20p per plastic bag
- Capital clean up 2016 (volunteering programme launched by Mayor)
Sustainable housing in London
Sustainable housing in Stratford
- 10 percent are wheelchair accessible and 35 percent are affordable
- can grow food on balconies and gardens
Regenerating brownfield sites
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- -abandoned industrial site turned into 2,800 houses
Sustainable education in London
Education Programme Plan from 2012 which focused on
- offered good school place for every London child
- prepares young Londoners for work
Also many charities eg. The Princess Trust (brighter futures for kids ages 11-30
Sustainable health in London
NHS provides free health care to all citizens in the UK
transport strategies also reduce pollution, therefore reducing health problems like lung cancer
Improving employment opportunities in London
Lower Lea Valley has high rates of unemployment
The regeneration of the area for the 2012 Olympic Games resulted in many jobs in that area
The role of politicians
They are very influential, prioritise the economy and work with all other groups
The role of planners
Eg. Council and planning officials
Priorities are residents and social aspects
The role of property developers
Work with planners and can influence the environment
Priorities socioeconomic
The role of residents
High income residents are more influential than low income
More socially focused
Role of industrialists
A person involved in the ownership and management of industry
Economic priorities, influential with politicians
