Urban land use and layout in LEDC cities

Question 1

Name the 5 Zones of an LEDC.

Answer 1

1. The Central Business District; contains the main businesses, shopping centres and entertainment of the urban area.
2. High status housing surrounds the CBD. This includes high-rise expensive modern apartment blocks, many with their own security guards. This pattern is the opposite to that of cities in MEDCs. Inner city districts of MEDCs date back to the factories and tenement blocks of the Industrial Revolution, whereas the area surrounding the CBD in LEDCs dates from colonial times when it housed the colony’s administrators and Governor. It consequently has the infrastructure - electricity, telephones, sewerage, water, etc. not found in other parts of the urban area.
3. Surrounding the high-quality residential area is poor to medium quality housing which started out as a shanty town. It has now been provided with some basic amenities (the periferia).
4. Shanty towns (spontaneous squatter settlements or favelas) are found on the steep hillsides, swamps or waste land surrounding the city.
5. Modern factories are found along main roads, sometimes with favelas in between.

There are also areas on the periphery of low-cost housing funded by the government which have basic amenities. In addition there is suburban high status, low density housing for executive and professional classes.

Question 2

Describe the difference between an MEDC and an LEDC.

Answer 2

• A developed country (MEDC) is a rich country.
• A developing country (LEDC) is a poor country. Development is often taken to mean the wealth of a country.

The most developed countries (the MEDCs) are relatively rich countries and the less developed countries (LEDCs) are relatively poor countries.

Development, however, is also about ‘quality of life’ or ‘standard of living’ and the extent to which all the people have a decent basic standard of living.

Question 3

Give some examples of these differences.

Answer 3

Availabilty of resources

LEDCs are the countries which produce many of the worlds raw materials. They then sell these raw materials to MEDCs for relatively low prices.

The MEDCs then use the products to manufacture high value goods which they can sell for a great profit.

Many LEDCs cannot afford the modern technology which would help to ensure better medical care and improve levels of employment.

In LEDCs much of the food is produced on small, inefficient subsistence farms and together with problems caused by extreme weather, means that food production on a national scale may be inadequate to feed all the people.

Trade

Trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries.
• Goods, e.g. raw materials, food and manufactured products are called visible trade.
• Services, e.g. money spent by tourists, or foreign aid, are called invisible trade.

Many LEDCs export primary products.
• These include things like oil, cotton, iron, bananas, coffee and cocoa. MEDCs export a greater number and range of secondary products.
• These are often manufactured goods which are made from primary products from LEDCs.

Over 50% of trade takes place between MEDC countries, for example, the trading of cars to provide everybody with a greater choice.

Less trading happens between LEDCs as most of the LEDCs produce the same products.

Rich countries in North America, especially the USA, and countries in free trade areas, such as the EU, dominate world trade.