Urban Environments Flashcards
Urbanisation Definition
Increasing the proportion of a country’s population living in urban areas.
Urban Life
Type , pop. density, building density, work, life
Built up
High population density
High Building density
Office Jobs
Stressful / busy / fast-paced
Subrban Life
Type , pop. density, building density, work, life
Countryside
Low population density
Low building density
Farming/agriculture
Laid back
Agglomeration
The clustering of industrial activity around a favourable natural location eg. River estuary/mineral recourse.
A city can grow from there.
Suburbanisation
The growth of urban areas at their edges/fringe, largely for residential purposes
(Late 19th/ early 20th century London)
Urban regeneration
The investment of capital (money) into the revival of declining urban areas by improving what there is or clearing away and rebuilding.
Counterurbanisation
The migration of people and employment from large urban areas to smaller towns and rural areas
Urban re-imaging
Deliberately changing the image of an urban area to change people’s perception of it and encourage new investment
Multiplier effect
A positive cycle of prosperity connected to sb initial investment in an area (snow ball effect)
What is a megacity
A large city with over 10 million people
Rural to Urban - Push factors
Lack of employment
Limited food due to misuse of land
Pressure on land division
Many families don’t own land
Lack of public services
Overpopulation
Extreme physical conditions
Rural to Urban - Pull factors
Better paying jobs
More comfortable housing
Better quality of life
More reliable food sources
More money invested
Better chance of services (school/medical
Forced to move
World city
A leading city a global scare being a major node (centre) in economic, communication, political matter
Why is Lagos important to Africa?
- Largest African Megacity - 21 million
- Good access to trade routes - railway/boat /airport /roads
- Good Job opportunities
- Huge industry - GDP $136 Billion
- Oil exporter
Why migrate to Lagos
- Better employment opportunities
- Better healthcare
- Easy electrical access (some power cuts)
- Higher education level
- Development of transport - railway/taxi
- Informal sector - no taxes
What is Olososun, Lagos?
A rubbish dump
Olososun Rubbish Dump
- Provides jobs for around 5,000 people (in)directly.
- Filter through rubbish and pick out
- Sold further to be recycled and handlers
- More money
Managing Urban Challenges - Lagos
Lack of employment
- 70% work in the Informal Sector -
Rubbish dump
Street vending - Not a solution - many are still poor
- No taxes paid - gov. Is still poor
- Eko Atlantic - slow progress
Managing Urban Challenges - Lagos
Lack of housing
- Not enough housing
Slums like Makoko
50% live in slums and very poor quality of life - City gov. Bulldozed down houses - unsuccessful, just relocates the problem
- Makoko is a resilient community
- Eko Atlantic aren’t building low cost houses - only luxury
Managing Urban Challenges - Lagos
Poor Quality of life
- Poor sanitation - poor health due to disease like cholera
- Poverty = malnourishment
- some charity work but largely unsuccessful
Managing Urban Challenges - Lagos
Education
Slums aren’t equipped for schooling and cannot pay
Life chances are limited
Free floating school built for 100 primary children
Unsuccessful - only one which was destroyed in 2016 and not rebuilt
Managing Urban Challenges - Lagos
Transport
- High congestion about 3 hours a day
- It’s dangerous and 3x more fatal traffic accidents than Europe
- Air quality is 5x worse than recommended
- BRT ( Bus Rapid Transit) works for 16 hours a day and moves 200,000 people + a day
- Quite successful -
- 25% of all trips by only 4% of vehicles
- Journey times have been cut down by 25 minutes
- CO2 emissions down by 20%
- New jobs - 2,000 directly - 10,000 indirectly
Sustainability definition
Meeting the needs of the present (now) without compromising the needs of the future
Enough for all, forever
3 Pillars of sustainability
- Social, Economic, Environmental
- In HIC‘s economy is largely prioritised but for full sustainability all 3 must be taken into consideration.
Without environmental = no more resources
Without social = divide in society grows - huge social standing gap
Urbanisation Pathway
Stage 1 - Early - not very much - eg. Ethiopia 🇪🇹
Stage 2 - Accelerating - steep rise in urbanisation - eg. Nigeria 🇳🇬
Stage 3 - Mature - Peaks in urbanisation and it starts levelling out - China 🇨🇳
Stage 4 - Counterurbanisation - starts dipping down again, people are leaving the big urban cities - eg. Uk 🇬🇧
London Transport - why is it a problem
Air Quality - releases CO2 into the atmosphere. This happens to high levels daily which decreases it.
People’s health - air quality ^ is harmful to and causes diseases or asthma to be triggered
Road safety - many cars are driving at fast speeds down roads so many accidents may happen
Business and Worker productivity - long travels to makes workers late which decreases their productivity!
London Congestion Charge
What is it / will it be more sustainable / challenges
Economic
- £15 daily charge of you drive within the zone during charging times
- 90% off for residents
- Free for disabled people and emergency services, taxis and motorcycles
- reduces traffic by 15% and overall congestion by 30%
- reduces air pollution and decreases health problems related to fossil fuels in the air
- Poorer people cannot afford to enter central London with those charges
Olleco
What is it / will it be more sustainable / challenges
Environmental
- Food waste collection services that turn waste into bio fuel and supplies cooking oil to large chains
- Gives London a renewable source of energy and prevents landfills for food
- Not all vehicles (especially older models) can’t take the fuel and it would need to be further converted.
- Not all companies are on-board to using that fuel for their machines
Too Good to Go
What is it / will it be more sustainable / challenges
Environmental
- Mobile Applications for customers to get certified left over food from restaurants
- Limits food waste and land-fills
- Limited hunger because it is cheaper for families
- Reduces CO2 releases
Santander Cycles
What is it / will it be more sustainable / challenges
Environmental and Social
- Normal and electric bikes
- Largely accessible
- Mobile phone connection
- Easily locked and you only pay for time used
- Slows congestion
- Reusable
- Easy and fast travel
- Run out
- Get dumped in random places
- Bike ports are far apart
London living wage
What is it / will it be more sustainable / challenges
Economic
- £13.15 and hour (compared to £10.42 national)
- Optional for employers
- London has high cost of living
- Helps those with lower pay to afford a better life style with more leisure money
- Not many employers sign up - many can’t benefit
- Only goes a certain way
Free school meals
What is it / will it be more sustainable / challenges
Economic / Social
- Mayor of London established free school meal in state primary schools
- Children from low income households can receive at least 1 good meal ( social safety net)
- Supports their wellbeing and health
- Expensive to administer
