Urban Places

Question 0

Describe challenges of sustainable living in mega cities and responses to it.

Answer 0

EMPLOYMENT
Problem:
- people > jobs available — overurbanisation
- the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 20-25% of urban adults in the developing world are without regular work
- about a quarter of the urban population in developing countries are in absolute poverty, according to the World Bank; 40% of African urban households are below poverty lines; 25% in Latin America
- rise of the informal sector of the economy; risk of exploitation with low wages and poor working conditions
- the United Nations estimates that 37% of people in mega cities are employed in the informal sector; 65% of all jobs in Dhaka;
Response:
- improve infrastructure to support more foreign and domestic investment = more large scale jobs
- new laws and regulations to bring businesses from the informal sector to the formal sector
- provide assistance to improve skills, equipment etc. of these businesses
- microcredit or microfinance (small loans) to assist the urban poor in starting or expanding a business; NGOs have particularly encouraged the establishment of microfinance insitutions; the World Bank estimates that there is presently 7000+ of these
HOUSING

CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION

WASTE

Question 1

Describe the nature, character and spatial distribution of world cities and mega cities.

Answer 1

WORLD CITIES
Nature
- wealthy
- smaller population than mega cities generally

Character

• economic and/or cultural authority
• global network of cities, moving people, information, technology, products, ideas etc.
• controls economy of developed world

Spatial Distribution
- Northern America, Australia, East Asia, Europe and Mediterranean

MEGA CITIES
Nature
- poorer
- 8 million or more people
- more manufacturing

Character

• manufacturing role
• mainly developed world
• affected by world cities

Spatial Distribution
- Africa, Asia, Pacific, South America, usually where colonies used to exist

Question 2

Sydney is a case study for this topic. Describe its nature and character in regard to its role as a world city.

Answer 2

NATURE

• world city: holds massive economic and cultural authority over other nations
• moves information/ideas, people, resources and money
• located on the NSW coast

CULTURAL AUTHORITY

• universities such as UTS and Macquarie
• National Maritime Museum
• Powerhouse Museum
• 2000 Summer Olympics

ECONOMIC AUTHORITY
- Dutch Rabobank
- Japanese Hitachi and Sharp
- St. George, AMP,
- Allianz
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