Urban issues and challenges (London) Flashcards
brownfield site
Land that has been used, abandoned and now awaits some new use. Commonly found across urban areas, particularly in the inner city.
dereliction
Abandoned buildings and wasteland.
economic opportunities
Chances for people to improve their standard of living through employment.
greenfield site
A plot of land, often in a rural or on the edge of an urban area that has not yet been subject to any building development.
inequalities
Differences between poverty and wealth, as well as in peoples’ wellbeing and access to things like jobs, housing and education. Inequalities may occur in housing provision, access to services, access to open land, safety and security.
integrated transport systems
When different transport methods connect together, making journeys smoother and therefore public transport more appealing.
Better integration should result in more demand for public transport and should see people switching from private car use to public modes of transport
which should be more sustainable. It may also lead to a fall in congestion due to less road users.
megacity
An urban area with a total population in excess of ten million people.
migration
When people move from one area to another with the intention of settling there.
natural increase
The birth rate minus the death rate of a population.
pollution
The presence of chemicals, noise, dirt or other substances which have harmful or poisonous effects on an environment.
rural-urban fringe
A zone of transition between the built-up area and the countryside, where there is often competition for land use. It is a zone of mixed land uses, from out of town shopping centres and golf courses to farmland and motorways.
sanitation
Measures designed to protect public health, including the provision of clean water and the disposal of sewage and waste.
social deprivation
The degree to which an individual or an area is not able to access services, decent housing, adequate income and local employment.
social opportunities
Chances for people to improve their quality of life, for instance access to education and health care.
squatter settlement
An area of poor-quality housing, at times lacking in amenities such as water supply, sewerage and electricity, which often develops spontaneously on land not owned by the occupants.
sustainable urban living
A sustainable city is one in which there is minimal damage to the environment
the economic base is sound with resources allocated fairly and jobs secure, and there is a strong sense of community, with local people involved in decisions made.
Sustainable urban living includes several aims including the use of renewable resources, energy efficiency, use of public transport, accessible resources and services.
urbanisation
The process by which an increasing percentage of a country’s population comes to live in towns and cities.
Rapid urbanisation occurs in many LICs and NEEs.
traffic congestion
Occurs when there is too great a volume of traffic for roads to cope with, so traffic jams form and traffic slows to a crawl.
urban greening
The process of increasing and preserving open space such as public parks and gardens in urban areas.
urban regeneration
The revival of old parts of the built up area by either installing modern facilities in old buildings (known as renewal) or opting for redevelopment (i.e. demolishing existing buildings and starting afresh).
urban sprawl
The unplanned growth of urban areas into the surrounding rural areas.
waste recycling
The process of extracting and reusing useful substances found in waste.
What is the importance of London in the UK and the wider world?
regional - centre of government
national - generates 1/3 of UK’s GDP
- 5 million jobs, opportunities
- universities attract students
internationally - global tourist
destination
- stock exchange is
largest in the world
- attractive to migrants
from around the world
- global companies have
chosen their HQ there
Impacts of national and international migration
National migration - youthful population, growth of population
–> more social spaces, services associated with universities
International migration - more of a cultural mix
–> range of eateries and shops e.g. Caribbean restaurants in Brixton Market
–> make the economy larger
–> 8 million immigrants in the UK (40% live in London)
How has urban change created social opportunities?
multicultural mix - array of food/music, exposure to religions, languages and cultural parties
recreation and entertainment - natural history museum, national gallery, British museum, west end, Wimbledon, restaurants etc
How has urban change created economic opportunities?
employment opportunities - productivity is 40% higher than UK average, total London workforce was just under 5.2 million people in 2017
integrated transport systems - public transport accounts for 25% of London’s journeys
How has urban change created environmental opportunities?
urban greening - creating rooftop green spaces (700 green roofs in central London alone), use of canals, rivers and river jetties as significant water bird breeding roosts, range of green spaces (Queen’s park, Hampstead heath etc)
How has urban change created social challenges?
integration - ability to speak English and converse with others
preventing ghettos - preventing economically poorer cultural groups living in the same parts of the cities
How has urban change created economic challenges?
inequality in housing, education, health and employment
- 16% Londoners are in the poorest tenth nationally, whilst 17% are in the richest tenth
- top tenth of employee’s in London earn around four and a half times as much as the bottom tenth
How has urban change created environmental challenges?
- sprawling cities consume land, and this displaces animals from their habitat
- pollution, due to dense road network and high buildings, meaning central London tends to be one of the most polluted places in the UK
What are the impacts on the rural-urban fringe due to urban sprawl, and the growth of commuter settlements?
Extra cost to tax payer - the public help to pay for infrastructure such as roads and water works to allow building developments to go ahead.
Increased Traffic – extra people in these areas means that cars are used more often, which means that there is more traffic on the roads, and there is also more air pollution and more accidents
Health Issues – people in these areas often have to commute to work which means that they often travel by car. This can have negative impacts on people’s health such as high blood pressure.
Impact on Social Lives – people in sprawling communities can often live further from their neighbours, this can cause isolation.
Example of, and main features, on an urban regeneration project.
East London, Borough of Newham
Needed due to:
deindustrialisation, urban deprivation, environmental degradation
