urban issues and challenges Flashcards
what is urbanisation?
-the growth in the proportion of the country living in urban areas
how does the rate of urbanisation differ between richer and poorer countries?
HICs:
-more economically developed, urbanisation happened earlier in HICs, during the industrial revolution and now most of the population already live in urban areas.
-HICs have very slow rates of urban growth, many people desiring a better quality of life are moving away from overcrowded cities to rural areas.
-good transport and communications means people in HICs can live in rural areas and still commute and contact their work
LICs:
-less economically developed, not many of the population currently live in urban areas, fastest rates of urbanisation in the world are in LICs
NEEs:
-economic development is increasing rapidly, percentage of population living in rural areas varies, some are experiencing rapid urban growth
what is urbanisation caused by?
rural-urban migration and natural increase
what is rural-urban migration?
the movement of people form the countryside to the cities, the rate is affected by push and pull factors that cause people to migrate
push and pull factors for rural/urban migration?
push:
-natural disasters like floods can damage farmland, which people cant afford to repair
-mechanisation of agricultural equipment, fewer jobs in agriculture
-desertification can make land unproductive, people can no longer support themselves
-conflict of war can cause people to flee homes
pull:
-more jobs in urban areas that are often better paid
-access to better health care and education
-join other family members who have already moved
-better quality of life
what is natural increase?
- when the birth rate is higher than the death rate so the population grows
- young people move to cities to find work and have children meaning more people are living in urban areas
- better healthcare means people live longer, again increasing proportion of people living in urban areas
what is a mega city?
an urban area with over 10 million people in there
how many mega cities are there and where are the majority located?
there is now 34 mega cities, two thirds are in LICs or NEEs
social opportunities from urban growth?
- better access to health/education services compared to rural areas
- better access to clean water and other resources
economic opportunities from urban growth?
- growth of industrial areas can cause economic development
- as industries develop more people move to urban areas to work in factories, more jobs and better wages
- manufactured goods make greater profit than unprocessed goods, so industrialised countries get wealthier
social and economic challenges of urban growth?
- many rural-urban migrants end up in squatter settlements
- they are often badly built and overcrowded
- don’t have access to basic services, e.g. electricity
- unclean conditions and lack of medical services leads to poor health
- people may not have access to education, don’t have the skills to get better paid jobs
- can be high levels of unemployment and crime
environmental challenges of urban growth?
- waste disposal services and sewage systems cant keep pace with the growth
- rubbish often isn’t collected or ends up in big rubbish heaps
- air pollution comes from burning fuel, vehicle exhaust and factories
- sewage and toxic chemicals can get into rivers
the population distribution in the UK?
- is very uneven
- many major cities developed into conurbations - continuous urban areas
- these areas have the highest pop density
- the relief affects where most people live
where are most cities located?
- in lowland areas as they are easier to build on and have a milder climate
- areas with good access to natural resources
- many coastal areas attract human settlement, key ports have grown into major cities e.g. liverpool
why are upland regions sparsely populated?
- difficult to farm
- have few natural resources
