Urban Environments Flashcards
1
Q
What is urbanisation?
A
An increased concentration/percentage of people living in urban areas
2
Q
What is urban growth?
A
The physical, economic or demographical expansion of cities
3
Q
What is suburbanisation?
A
The development of suburbs - built up but less densely developed areas in the city but away from the city center
4
Q
What is counterurbanisation?
A
The migration of people away from urban areas and the development of areas not classified as urban
5
Q
What are the current global trends in urbanisation?
A
- Mostly in developing countries within Africa and Asia, while in developed countries urban growth is occuring but not urbanisation (and sometimes counterurbanisation)
- It is mostly happening in small towns, not cities
- It is happening at an exponential rate
It is important to note that UN predictions can be exaggerated as countries incorrectly report statistics or are unable to report statistics and guesses having to be made, as well as countries having different criteria for what counts as ‘urban’
6
Q
What are the pull factors for urban areas?
A
- Higher wages
- More job opportunities
- Better access to public services
- Better access to utilities
- More people and faster pace of life
7
Q
What are the push factors for the countryside?
A
- Limited services such as healthcare and education
- Lack of opportunities
- Mechanisation of farming
- Lack of government support
- Monotonous lifestyle
8
Q
Why does urbanisation not always mean urban growth?
A
- Birthrate is higher and deathrate is lower in the city
- Rural-urban migration
These factors cause an increase of people living in the cities but will not necessarily trigger urban growth proportional to how many people were gained
9
Q
Why does urban growth not always mean urbanisation?
A
- Public transit and higher car ownership means people can live away from the city but still work there and use its services
- Businesses and offices are developed which do not house people
- People are living in larger houses for the same number of people
- Individual households have lower numbers of people due to higher divorce rates etc.
10
Q
What are the characteristics of the central business district (downtown)?
A
- Mostly shops and offices
- Good public transit links
- Pedestrianized
- Lack of residential buildings
- Densely packed high-rise buildings (skyscrapers)
11
Q
What are the characteristics of the inner city?
A
- Densely packed residential
- Terraced houses
- Small or no gardens
- Less public transit
- Old industrial estates (brownfield sites)
12
Q
What are the characteristics of the inner suburbs?
A
- Larger houses with gardens
- Green spaces
- Semi-detached housing
- Less griddy roads
- Cul-de-sacs
13
Q
What are the characteristics of the outer suburbs?
A
- Parks and golf-courses
- Out of town-retail parks
- Business and science parks
- Large houses with space
14
Q
What are the causes of suburbanisation (pull factors of the suburbs)?
A
- Lower land prices
- Less noise and air pollution
- More green, open spaces
- Closer to large out of city malls which are more conveinant
- Still in close proximity to services of city
- Close to leisures of the countryside
15
Q
What are the consequences of suburbanisation (on the city)?
A
- Land prices and population density in city falls
- Development slows or stops
- High street shops go out of business due to out of city malls
- Increase in brown-field sites
16
Q
Which different groups of people contribute to counter-urbanisation?
A
- Retirees (increasingly earlier) who want to move to the countryside
- Tourism enterepeneurs - People who want to utilise the countryside for their business
- Rural ‘teleworkers’ - For footloose professions, working in the countryside has no disadvantages but is preferred by many
- Public sector workers - They must faciliate the influx of people into the countryside (police officers, teachers etc.)
- Artists/alternative lifestyle people who want to live in the countryside
17
Q
What are the push factors for urban areas?
A
- Crime
- Air pollution
- Noise pollution
- High-density living
- Expensive
- Stressful
18
Q
What are the pull factors for the countryside?
A
- Quieter
- More space
- Cheaper
- More aesthetically gratifying
- Safer
19
Q
What are the impacts of counter-urbanisation?
A
- Business in the city starts to suffer
- Population decline in city leads to lower tax revenue and therefore worse services
- Shops in the countryside do better and the villages see gentrification
- Land prices, congestion and crime all rise in the countryside
- There may be culture clashes and places may lose their sense of authenticity
20
Q
What factors affect the rate of urbanisation?
A
- Speed of economic growth/growth in number of jobs (which affects rural/urban migrations)
- Rate of natural increase within the city
Mega-cities emerge when these things occur at a wide-scale, and it keeps on going because it is large and favourable to work there
21
Q
What is the urban pathway model?
A
- Developing - Rural society phase
- Emerging - Economic takeoff begins, urbanisation accelerates
- Emerged - Economy matures, urbanisation continue to increase but at a decreasing rate
- Developed - Economy is developed, peak of urbanisation
- Counter urbanisation - Advanced economies, people move from cities to suburbs or rural settings
This links to the stages of the clark-fisher model
22
Q
What is the Peak Land Value Intersection (PLVI) and how does it affect land use?
A
- The PLVI is where all of the factors which increase land value (proximity to transport, residential, commerical, accessibility etc.) come together
- It is usually located in the CBD and is the busiest, highest-rated section
- Here, commerce will be located as they can make money and will pay the most for the use of this land
23
Q
What is the core-frame model and how does it affect land use?
A
- The model seperates the CBD into an inner core, and outer frame
- The core will have no industry, be very dense and highly rated, have most of the department stores and specialist shops
- The frame will have train stations, offices, warehouses, be less dense and high rated, have worse transport links, lower grade shops
24
Q
What is the bid-rent theory and how does it affect land use?
A
- Bid rent is the amount of money an individual/group would pay to be located in a given area, for example residential, commerical or industrial
- The theory states that the sector that can make the most profit there will be located there
- Bid rent decreases for all sectors the further away from the city centre, however retail and office is at the highest in the city centre and decreases more sharply (because they can get the most benefit from being located there) compared to residential who would not mind being out in the suburbs as much
25
How and why is transport a problem associated with rapid urbanisation?
* Huge influxes of people into high density urban areas causes an increase in the number of vehicles on the road
* The roads are congested, which causes delayed travel times as well as increased emission of air pollution and greenhouse gases
26
How and why is unemployment a problem associated with rapid urbanisation?
* Large scale urban-rural migration of people searching for jobs leads to unemployment as there are not enough job positions for everybody
* This leads to poverty and the development of slums, as well as the formation of the informal sector
27
How and why is crime a problem associated with rapid urbanisation?
* Crime is concentrated in areas of high density
* It is partly due to high unemployment and poverty levels
* Theft, robbery, drug abuse and violence are the most common crimes
* Poor areas will see lower police activity as well as more people who have no other means of getting by, so will see more crime
28
How and why are environmental issues a problem associated with rapid urbanisation?
* Many waste products are disposed of which causes ground and water pollution
* Sewage disposal can be inadequate, contaminating the water and causing diease
* Water pollution from industrial dumping of chemicals etc.
* **Air pollution** from factories and congestion
* Noise, light pollution
29
What are the problems associated with squatter settlements in emerging countries?
* High rural-urban migration outpaces housing and squatter settlements form, which are areas of low quality, shanty housing of extremely high population density
* These areas are illegal, so do not see any government support and infrastructure, such as official electricity and water supplies
* People here see an extremely low quality of life
30
What are the problems associated with the informal economy in emerging countries?
* Many people work in the informal sector due to unemployment
* This means their work is unregulated, so their pay could be lower than it should be and they can be exploited
* Their pay is also uncertain and they get no extra benefits from working
* Finally, a lack of safety regulations means work can be dangerous, such as recyling workers cutting their hands on sharp objects as they have no protection
31
What are the problems associated with urban pollution in emerging countries?
* Air pollution from cars and factories leads to respiratory issues
* Ground and water pollution from factories and poor sewage systems can lead to health conditions and the spread of diseases such as cholera
* Noise and light pollution can result in stress and lack of sleep
32
What are the problems associated with low quality of life in emerging countries?
* Lack of water and electricity causes low quality of life
* People have little money as they have little to no work, so cannot afford food
* People cannot afford homes so live in shanty towns and cannot afford to send their children to school
* High density of people leads to a spread of disease, for example 500 people have to share one toilet
33
What is being done to tackle air pollution in urban environments in emerging countries and who is doing it?
* A monorail system is being developed to tackle congestion and air pollution
* This is being done in a top-down approach by politicians
34
What is being done to tackle unemployment in urban environments in emerging countries and who is doing it?
* Jobs are being provided in factories
* This work is being done by industrialists
35
What is being done to tackle squatter settlments in urban environments in emerging countries and who is doing it?
* Affordable tower blocks are being constructed to replace squatter settlements
* This is being done by property developers
36
What is being done to tackle waste disposal problems in urban environments in emerging countries and who is doing it?
* People are recyling over 80% of mumbai's trash in informal plants
* This is a bottom up-approach being done by locals in the area
37
What are the causes and problems associated with segregation in developed countries and how can it be solved?
* White families move away from ethnic minorities, while minorities wish to stay amongst themselves
* Immigration of a certain group to one area also causes segregation
* It creates tensions as a lack of exposure to certain groups can create hostilities
* It can also lead to long-term wealth inequalities between certain groups and some areas will have access to better services than others (services like schools funded by property taxes)
* It can be solved by education and exposure, taxes on rich, inclusive services
38
What are the causes and problems associated with air pollution in developed countries (in London) and how can it be solved?
* It is caused by high numbers of vehicles (congestion)
* They releases gases such as carbon monoxide which can lead to respiratory issues
* Politicans tried to solve it with the ULEZ
* NGOs advocate for improved bicycle routes
39
What are the causes and problems associated with sewage in developed countries (in London) and how can it be solved?
* Fatbergs are large deposits of items like cooking oil and wet wipes which cannot flow through the pipes
* This leads to pipes being blocked, and sewage exploding out of pipes etc., with millions being spent each year cleaning it up
* As a solution, education about what is right to dispose through sewage can be given
* Construction on a super sewer has also been initiated which is big enough to deal with the growing demands of London
40
What is the rural-urban fringe used for?
* Housing estates
* Business parks
* Science parks
* Industrial estates
## Footnote
The rural-urban fringe has cheap land costs so lots of space for parking etc. and good links to highways
41
What are the advantages and disadvantages of development on greenfield sites?
* Cheaper land
* No prior removal of debris/toxic substances necessary + no risk of site contaminations
* Less spatial restrictions
* **Causes sprawl + larger cities to swallow smaller ones + more traffic**
* **Infrastructure needs to be set up**
* **Bad for environment**
42
What are the advantages and disadvantages of development on brownfield sites?
* Prevents sprawl and an increase in traffic
* Removes pollution
* Infrastructure already in place
* Buildings closer to city centre
* **Construction harder and more expensive**
* **High land prices**
* **Demolition and detoxification necessary**
