Urban Forms Flashcards
What is Urban Forms?
The physical characteristics that makeup a city, including size and shape, population density and how the city is arranged
How are cities initially established?
In areas with good water supply, fertile soil for growing food, plentiful natural resources and woodland for fuel and good defensive positions (normally on a hill)
What happens to urban form over time?
The urban form of the city changes with physical and human factors
What are the 4 physical factors?
Topography, Water, Natural Resources and Land Type
Explain Topography
Physical features often influence the growth of a city. EG - Steep slopes are harder to build on and less accessible, so they build poorer housing them. Large flat areas encourage low density developments because there’s lots of space to build
Explain Water
The presence of lakes and seas limit urban growth, while cities may grow along the course of the river. City centre shops and businesses are usually located close to the waterfront, rather than at geographical centre of the city
Explain Natural Resources
Rich. resources, like coal and metal, encourage growth in size and population of cities
Explain Land Type
Some ground surfaces are more difficult or expensive to build on than others, like swamps and wetlands can limit urban growth
What are the 3 types of human factors?
Planning, Infrastructure and Land value
Explain planning
Urban expansion can be planned or unplanned. Eg - lots of urban growth in developing countries is caused by the unplanned expansion of slums. In contrast. planned developments often include open spaces and leisure facilities
Explain Infrastructure
New developments are often built along transport links leading to linear growth
Explain Land Value
The highest land value is often in the city centre, so profitable businesses locate there, while less profitable businesses may be found further from the centre
Explain land prices in the CBD
Cities in developed countries have a CBD - a central zone for shops and businesses. It is surrounded by housing. Although land value is the highest in the city centre, houses generally increase in value with distance away from the city
What are inner city areas have high land value like?
housing is typically high density. Wages are often low and many residents live in relative poverty. The proportion of people from ethnic minorities tend to be high
Whats land value like in rural areas?
Land value is lower, so residential areas are less dense and have more open space
What is found in semi-rural areas and why?
Science parks and shopping centres because of the availability of cheap land close to the city centre
What is the difference between a CBD in the developed world and developing world?
Developing world has houses that decrease in value with distance away from the centre
Why is high cost buildings around the city centrecin the developing world ?
Because wages are generally high and residents are wealthy
What surrounds the high-cost housing in the developing world ?
A zone of medium - cost housing. It have started as an informal settlement, but gradually the housing has been improved and some services provided
Where is land value low in the developing world ?
On the outskirts of the city, so low-cost informal housing is built there, often lacking clean water and electricity. Most residents have poorly paid jobs and poverty levels are high. Immigrants from elsewhere in the country and from other developing countries may settle there
What 5 features does Modern urban areas have?
Town Centre Mixed Developments, Cultural and Heritage quarters, Fortress developments, Gentrified areas and Edge cities
What is Town Centre Mixed Developments?
Areas where land use is mixed - luxury plates, offices, shops and entertainment facilities, so residential, commercial and leisure uses are combined. Developments are planned by local councils, often with private investment
What is the aim of Town Centre Mixed Developments ?
To attract people back to city centres by giving them opportunities to live, work and relax
What are cultural and heritage quarters?
Areas that focus on the history or character of a city, which exhibits about. the city maritime history. Such areas are often developed by local councils to regenerated former industrial areas. They attract visitors, encouraging economic development. and creating jobs
