Urban environments Flashcards
(39 cards)
How do urban settlements differ from rural ones?
Economy, size, density of people and buildings, and way of life.
Why do high rates of urbanisation occur in developing and emerging countries?
-Most new economic development in these countries is concentrated in big cities.
-Push-pull factors are leading to high rates of rural-to-urban migration.
-Cities are experiencing high rates of natural population increase.
What are the stages of urbanisation?
EAMC
- Early urbanisation
- Accelerating urbanisation
- Mature urbanisation
- Counter urbanisation
What is agglomeration?
Not just people
Concentration of people and economic activities at favorable locations like river crossings or in proximity to a mineral source.
What is suburbanization?
The process by which towns expand outwards as they grow. Suburbs.
What is the creation of suburbs encouraged by?
Improvement in transport
Overcrowding and rising land prices in the older parts of town
Decline in quality of the residential areas near the centre
Arrival of more people (mainly from rural areas) and new businesses
What is urban regeneration?
Re-using areas in the old parts of cities. Allows re-imaging of whole cities. London Docklands.
What is the urbanization of suburbs?
When suburbs become more than just residential. There’s less building density so there’s more space for shops and other services.
Which factors affect the growth of megacities?
Economies of scale, multiplier effect, population growth, economic development
What are economies of scale?
Saving money due to more efficient transport and communication because everything is in one city.
What is the multiplier effect?
The cycle of economic growth increasing population growth and vice versa.
Why can megacities have a negative effect on the country?
Because it prospers at the expense of towns, cities and regions in other parts of the country.
What are some problems of rapid urbanization?
Housing, access to water and electricity, traffic congestion and transport, health, education, employment, social problems, environmental issues.
What is the order of the rings in the concentric zone model?
Core, inner-city ring, suburban ring, urban fringe.
What is the core in the concentric zone model?
The older part of the city. Contains the CBD and some of the oldest buildings.
What is the inner-city ring in the concentric zone model?
Early suburbs, old housing and some non-residential land-use.
What is the suburban ring in the concentric zone model?
Present suburbs with housing as dominant land use.
What is the urban fringe in the concentric zone model?
Countryside being ‘eroded’ by the outward spread of built-up area to provide space for housing and some non-residential uses.
Name some economic challenges in the developed world.
Food supply, globalization, energy supply, deindustrialisation, transport and traffic, service provision.
Name some social challenges in the developed world.
Social services and housing, poverty, ethnic segregation, aging population, quality of life, terrorism and crime.
Name some environmental challenges in the developed world.
Ecological footprint, pollution and waste disposal, resources, green space, hazard risk, sustainability.
What are some urban challenges in the developing and emerging world?
Squatter settlements, the informal economy, urban pollution and low quality of life.
What are some push factors for urban growth and change on the urban fringe?
-Housing is old, congested and expensive
-Environmental pollution
-Companies find that there’s a land shortage so any unhoused land is costly
What are some pull factors for urban growth and change on the urban fringe?
-Land is cheaper, houses are bigger
-Factories can be bigger and have more parking space
-Closeness to main roads allows for quick and easy customer contacts
-New developments on the outskirts are favored because they’re easily accessible by car
