Urban Forms

Question 1

What is an urban form? What are examples of characteristics of urban forms? - Urban Forms

Answer 1

An urban form is the physical characteristics that make up a city, including its size, shape, population density and land use patterns.

Question 2

How does topography affect urban forms? Is this a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 2

Topography can impact population density based on the steepness of the land and its suitability for construction. Steep land can cause the creation of informal settlements.
PHYSICAL

Question 3

How does infrastructure affect urban forms? Is this a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 3

Good infrastructure can act as a pull factor encouraging people to come to a city, increasing population density. Creates ports/airports and increases interconnection between urban areas. Cities often located on coasts.
HUMAN

Question 4

How does land value affect urban forms? Is this a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 4

Increased land value can attract large business and retail to an area and push out independents, can also encourage the formation of a CBD in the city centre. Also can increase population density.
HUMAN

Question 5

How does water affect urban forms? Is is a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 5

Water in the form of a river or the sea can promote the creation of industry based around water in cities, with population also increasing and decreasing based on water supply. Also promotes floods.
PHYSICAL

Question 6

How do natural resources affect urban forms? Is this a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 6

Higher population density, higher land value all promoted by access to natural resources, with businesses also keen to locate near these areas.
PHYSICAL

Question 7

How does land type affect urban forms ? Is this a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 7

Swamps and wetlands can discourage urban growth, whilst other more stable surfaces can be more expensive to urbanise on due to their higher land value.
PHYSICAL

Question 8

How does planning affect urban forms? Is this a physical or human factor? - Urban Forms

Answer 8

Planning can permit urban expansion, with developing countries seeing unchecked expansion through lack of planning at slums.
Planned developments often include open space and leisure.

Question 9

What is urban morphology? - Urban Forms

Answer 9

Urban morphology is the spatial structure or form and organisation of an urban area. How an urban area is laid out and its patterns of land use.

Question 10

What is the Bid-Rent model? What does it show? - Urban Forms

Answer 10

The Bid-Rent model is a diagram showing how land value decreases as you move away from the CBD. This also shows distinctive land uses of retail, manufacture and residential areas.

Question 11

What is PLVI? - Urban Forms

Answer 11

PLVI is the Peak Land Value Intersection, demonstrating where in a city the land value is at its highest.

Question 12

What are the characteristics of cities in the DEVELOPED world? - Urban Forms

Answer 12

Cities in the developed world have a CBD dominated by retail and offices, inner city areas have high land values and high housing density, have residential areas as you move from the CBD, suburban areas develop away from the inner city.

Question 13

What are the characteristics of cities in the UNDEVELOPED world? - Urban Forms

Answer 13

Tend to have a CBD with offices and retail at the centre,high land value is in the city centre with luxury apartments, industrial areas exist along transport routes, low land value on outskirts of the city leads to the creation of informal settlements.

Question 14

Describe a town centre mixed development - Urban Forms

Answer 14

Town centre mixed developments are areas where land use is mixed between residential, commercial and leisure uses. They contain houses, offices, shops, cinemas, theatres, restaurants, bars etc.

Question 15

Why were town centre mixed developments created? - Urban Forms

Answer 15

Town centre mixed developments aimed to attract people back to city centres which had witnessed decline through offering opportunities to live, work and relax all in one place.

Question 16

What are characteristics of town centre mixed developments? - Urban Forms

Answer 16

Town centre mixed developments have a range of leisure facilities (cinemas, theatres, cafes, bars, gyms), nightlife, FLAGSHIP SHOPS, new offices, apartments, hotels and conference centres.

Question 17

What advantages are there of town centre mixed developments? - Urban Forms

Answer 17

Town centre mixed developments have seen the resurgence of previously declining city centres, with these developments often becoming the main attraction to individual cities.

Question 18

What disadvantages are there of town centre mixed developments? - Urban Forms

Answer 18

Town centre mixed developments have not always been successful, with smaller cities not having the same attraction to their complexes as larger cities have.

Question 19

What are cultural and heritage quarters? - Urban Forms

Answer 19

Cultural and heritage quarters are areas that focus on the history/character of a city due to its previous cultural links. Very often regenerated former industrial areas focussing on tourism.

Question 20

Why have cultural and heritage quarters developed? - Urban Forms

Answer 20

Ex-industrial areas have declined since deindustrialisation, with cultural links to the past used to create tourism opportunities based around previous heritage and culture of a place.

Question 21

What are characteristics of cultural and heritage quarters? - Urban Forms

Answer 21

Cultural and heritage quarters tend to be built around art galleries, theatres, museums and attractions based around past heritage and current culture in an area.

Question 22

What are advantages of cultural and heritage quarters? - Urban Forms

Answer 22

Cultural and heritage quarters can improve perceptions of a place as well as revitalise employment in declining areas. They preserve and revisit an area’s history and culture.

Question 23

What are gentrified areas? - Urban Forms

Answer 23

Gentrified areas are where run down properties have been bought and renovated by wealthy individuals with the aim of developing high cost housing to generate profit.

Question 24

How does gentrification differ from regeneration? - Urban Forms

Answer 24

Gentrification tends to be carried out by private companies and individuals to create large profit margins, whereas regeneration is often government sanctioned and with the aim of boosting the image of an area instead of profit.

Question 25

What has caused the development of gentrified areas? - Urban Forms

Answer 25

Gentrified areas have been created by the gap between property’s assessed value and their actual value following renovation. It is very profitable for wealthy businesses.

Question 26

What are characteristics of gentrified areas? - Urban Forms

Answer 26

Gentrified areas have a large range of services such as shops and restaurants, as well as a range of high quality gentrified housing.

Question 27

What are advantages of gentrified areas? - Urban Forms

Answer 27

Gentrified areas work based on the theory of trickle down economics. It increases tax incomes of local authorities, raises general prosperity, creates employment opportunities in services and improves declining physical environments.

Question 28

What are disadvantages of gentrified areas? - Urban Forms

Answer 28

Gentrified areas tend to largely support the prosperity of the wealthy and alienates poorer people from positive effects. Low income people cannot afford high property prices and are often forced from the area. Incomes often threaten the culture of an area.

Question 29

What are fortress landscapes? - Urban Forms

Answer 29

Fortress landscapes are developments for residential or retail use with lots of security such as CCTV, guards and high walls. Designed to promote exclusion and segregation.

Question 30

Why are fortress landscapes developed? - Urban Forms

Answer 30

Fortress landscapes are developed in order to promote security and exclusion. Usually created in suburban areas of lares cities, creating divisive communities between rich and poor.

Question 31

What are characteristics of fortress landscapes? - Urban Forms

Answer 31

Fortress landscapes tend to be made up of gated communities, CCTV, alarms, fences, security teams, street lighting, moats, among other measures.

Question 32

What are advantages of fortress landscapes? - Urban Forms

Answer 32

Fortress landscapes can create safe and secure spaces in violent and unsafe areas.

Question 33

What are disadvantages of fortress landscapes? - Urban Forms

Answer 33

Fortress landscapes create socially segregated areas, fostering intense division and fear due to their presence. They can create conflict between rich and poor in some areas.

Question 34

What are edge cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 34

Edge cities are areas of offices, shops and leisure facilities that develop close to major transport links such as motorways and airports. People travel to them for work and services.

Question 35

What leads to edge cities developing? - Urban Forms

Answer 35

Edge cities are developed by urban sprawl and the development of transport links, as well as higher car ownership. This means that people are more willing to travel for work and services.

Question 36

What are characteristics of edge cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 36

Edge cities often have large retail developments of shops or offices creating which people are able to commute to through transport links.

Question 37

What are advantages of edge cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 37

Edge cities can promote the decentralisation of economic growth and prosperity from city centres, can create jobs in retail and services sectors.

Question 38

What are disadvantages of edge cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 38

Edge cities can be linked to social segregation as the wealthy have moved to new suburban settlements, leaving the poor and disadvantaged groups within the original city.

Question 39

What is a post-modern western city? - Urban Forms

Answer 39

A post-modern western city is a city that departs from conformity and uniformity, especially with regards to architecture. Has a fragmented style of land use and are decentralised, with a diverse population.

Question 40

What are characteristics of post-modern western cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 40

Post-modern western cities have fragmented land use, are based around knowledge and service industries, have abnormal architecture that emphasises appearance over practicality. Has a diverse population but also has social and economic inequality.

Question 41

What are advantages of post-modern western cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 41

Post-modern western cities attract investment and people to live in them due to their attractive architecture, are hubs of economic growth due to promoting services and R+D, also promote a diverse culture.

Question 42

What are disadvantages of post-modern western cities? - Urban Forms

Answer 42

Post-modern western cities often promote social exclusion and division as well as inequality, can be impractical and difficult to navigate due to fragmented land use.