Urban Environments 6.1 Urbanisation and Its Process

Question 1

In what ways do urban settlements differ from rural ones? (4)

Answer 1

• their economies (people make a living from manufacturing and services rather than agriculture)
• their size (larger in population and extent)
• the density of people and buildings is generally high
• their way of life

Question 2

level of urbanisation (2)

Answer 2

• the percentage of the population living in urban settlements
• emerging and developed countries that have the highest levels of urbanisation

Question 3

how many people live in urban areas?

Answer 3

half the world’s population

Question 4

the rate of urbanisation

Answer 4

highest in developing world, but the overall level of urbanisation is highest in the developed world

Question 5

why do high rates of urbanisation occur in developing and emerging countries? (3)

Answer 5

• most new economic development in these countries is concentrated in the big cities
• push and pull factors lead to high rates of rural-to-urban migration
• cities are experiencing high rates of natural increase in population

Question 6

why are rates of urbanisation much slower in developed countries?

Answer 6

because a large proportion of the population already lives in towns and cities

Question 7

urbanisation pathway

Answer 7

shows us how the level of urbanisation changes over time

Question 8

the Four stages of the Urbanisation Pathway (4)

Answer 8

Stage 1 = - Developing
- early urbanisation
- 20% of pop is urban pop
Stage 2 = - Emerging
- accelerated urbanisation
- about 50% of pop is urban pop
Stage 3 = - Developed
- mature urbanisation
- about 70% of pop is urban pop
Stage 4 = - Developed
- counter urbanisation
- % op pop that is urban begins to decrease

Question 9

agglomeration

Answer 9

the concentration of people & economic activities at favourable locations (river crossing points, esturay mouths etc.)

Question 10

suburbanisation (2)

Answer 10

• the process by which towns expand outwards as they grow

- this adds to the built-up area, but the building densities are generally lower than in the older parts of town

Question 11

What factors encourage suburbanisation? (4)

Answer 11

• improvements in transport that allow easy movement between suburbs and town centre
• overcrowding and rising land prices in the older parts of town
• general decline in the quality of the residential environment near the centre
• the arrival of more people, especially from rural areas, as well as new businesses

Question 12

conurbation

Answer 12

when towns and cities located close to one another join together into a continuous built-up area

Question 13

dormitory settlements

Answer 13

people move out of the town or city and instead live in smaller, mainly rural settlements called dormitory settlements, because many only sleep there

Question 14

counter-urbanisation

Answer 14

• instead of just moving to suburbs or dormitory settlements, people move further out (to small towns or to rural areas)

Question 15

The urban process timeline (7)

Answer 15

• agglomeration
• suburbanisation
• commuting
• urban regeneration
• counter urbanisation
• urban re-imaging
• urbanisation of suburbs

Question 16

urban regeneration (2)

Answer 16

• involves re-using areas in the old parts of cities that have been abandones by people and businesses that moves to suburbs etc.
• this process allows urban re-imaging or urban re-branding

Question 17

urban re-imaging example

Answer 17

the regeneration of the deserted docklands and warehouses of London into offices and apartments

Question 18

Urbanisation of suburbs (4)

Answer 18

• typically areas of low density development
• governments want more use to be made of suburban areas because rural space is being eroded by urbanisation
• vacant building plots and open spaces are being developed and large houses are replaced by flats
• suburban densities are being raised to an urban level