'Urban' Key Words

Question 1

Air pollution

Answer 1

Harmful emissions, or other substances, that enter Earth’s atmosphere.

Question 2

Brownfield site

Answer 2

Land that has been used, abandoned and now awaits some new use.

Question 3

Dereliction

Answer 3

Abandoned buildings and wasteland.

Question 4

Economic opportunities

Answer 4

Chances for people to improve their standard of living through employment.

Question 5

Favela

Answer 5

A squatter settlement in a Brazilian city.

Question 6

Formal economy

Answer 6

The type of employment where people receive a regular wage, pay tax, and have certain rights such as paid holidays and sick leave.

Question 7

Greenfield site

Answer 7

A plot of land, often in a rural area or on the edge of an urban area that has not yet been built on.

Question 8

Inequalities

Answer 8

Differences between people, in terms of factors such as; poverty, wealth, wellbeing, employment opportunities, housing, education etc.

Question 9

Integrated transport systems

Answer 9

When different transport methods are connected together.

Question 10

Informal economy

Answer 10

Employment outside the official knowledge of the government

Question 11

Land use

Answer 11

The way in which land is used, or has been modified or managed by people

Question 12

Megacities

Answer 12

An urban area with a total population with more than 10 million people.

Question 13

Migration

Answer 13

When people move from one area to another

Question 14

Natural increase

Answer 14

Birth rate minus death rate of a population

Question 15

Pollution

Answer 15

The presence of chemicals, noise, dirt or other substances which have harmful or poisonous effects on an environment.

Question 16

Pull factors

Answer 16

The attractions and opportunities of a place that encourage people to move there.

Question 17

Push factors

Answer 17

The negative aspects of a place that encourages people to move away.

Question 18

Quality of life

Answer 18

How good a person’s life is, measured by such things of housing and environment, access to education, healthcare, how secure people feel and how happy they are with their lifestyle.

Question 19

Rural-urban migration

Answer 19

When people move from rural to urban areas.

Question 20

Rural-urban fringe

Answer 20

A zone of transition between the built up area and the countryside.

Question 21

Sanitisation

Answer 21

Measures designed to protect public health, such as providing clean water and disposing of sewage and waste.

Question 22

Service industries

Answer 22

The economic activities that provide various services - commercial, professional, social, entertainment and personal.

Question 23

Social deprivation

Answer 23

When an individual or area is deprived of services, decent housing, adequate income and local employment.

Question 24

Social opportunities

Answer 24

Chances for people to improve their quality of life.

Question 25

Sustainable urban living

Answer 25

An area causing minimal damage to the environment including renewable resources, energy efficiency, public transport etc.

Question 26

Squatter settlement

Answer 26

An area of (often illegal) poor-quality housing, lacking in services like water supply, sewerage and electricity.

Question 27

Traffic congestion

Answer 27

When there is too great a volume of traffic for roads to cope with, and traffic slows to a crawl.

Question 28

Urban greening

Answer 28

Increasing and persevering open space e.g. public parks and gardens.

Question 29

Urban growth

Answer 29

The increase in the area covered by cities.

Question 30

Urbanisation

Answer 30

When an increasing percentage of a country’s population live in towns and cities.

Question 31

Urban regeneration

Answer 31

The revival of old parts of a built up area by making it modern.

Question 32

Atmospheric pollution

Answer 32

The contamination of the Earth’s atmosphere by harmful or poisonous substances.

Question 33

Traditional industries

Answer 33

Industries such as coal mining, engineering and manufacturing.

Question 34

Urban sprawl

Answer 34

Unplanned growth of urban areas into surrounding rural areas.

Question 35

Waste recycling

Answer 35

Process of extracting and reusing useful substances found in waste.