Urbanisation Flashcards
Describe the pace of urbanisation in the rich world and contrast this with the pace of urbanisation in the poor world
Urbanisation is happening fastest within poorer countries.
Richer countries - Already most of the population live in urban areas therefore not many have to go through the process of urbanisation. (over 80% of the population within the UK already live in urban areas)
Poorer countries - Not many of the population live in urban areas therefore most of the population are still developing and have to go through the process of urbanisation. (around 25% of the population in Bangladesh live in urban areas)
List the push and pull factors that cause people to move from rural areas to urban areas
Push - Low wages, unemployment, drought and famine, poor living conditions (e.g poor sanitation, poor healthcare), agricultural change, shortage of services
Pull - better healthcare, higher wages, employment, better education, better infrastructure, housing is better, good food supply
Identify two reasons why people in poorer countries move towards the city
1) Due to the shortage of services within rural areas. People who live within rural areas tend to believe that the standard of living is better in cities (even though this is often not the case)
2) There are often more jobs in urban areas, industry is attracted to cities as there is a lager workforce and much better infrastructure compared to rural areas
Identify two reasons why people in richer countries move towards the city
1) Most urbanisation in richer countries occurred during the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Machinery began to replace farm labour and jobs were created within factories in the city.
2) In the late 20th Century people left run-down inner city areas and moved to the country however now , people are being encouraged back to the inner cities due to their redevelopment.
Issues facing HOUSING within urban areas in the richer world
Some places within the UK suffer from housing shortages in urban areas due to the urban population growing rapidly.
The increased urban population means that there is not enough houses for working families due to a shortage of houses and older people not moving out of houses which are far too large for their needs.
CBDs in richer countries have experienced a decline. State one feature that suggests a CBD is experiencing a decline (1 mark)
Lack of investment in CBDS leads to derelict buildings, as well as this, shops within CBDs are closing down due to indoor shopping centres (e.g. Metrocentre) being built out of CBDs, with many benefits to shoppers, including: better parking, more shops in one space and being indoors when there is bad weather.
Compare the land use in a richer city compared to within a poorer city
within LEDCs the poorest housing, such as,Squatter Settlements and Shanty Towns are found within the suburbs and rural-urban fringe, which is where more expensive and larger houses are found within MEDCs.
Define the term Squatter Settlement
These are illegally built settlements by people who cannot afford proper housing. They are common in poor countries and the houses within the settlements often have bad infrastructure and poor sanitation/hygiene
Define the term Informal Sector
The informal sector encompasses all jobs which are not recognized as normal income sources, the people to work within the informal sector do not have to pay taxes and it is mostly prominent within LEDCs. Examples of jobs within the informal sector include: shoe shining and selling flowers etc.
Issues facing REVITALISING THE CBD within richer cities
CBDs in some cities are run down due to lack of investment. Another reason that CBDs are run down is due to out-of-town shopping centres (e.g. Metrocentre) and business parks, which offer cheaper rent for shops and are easier to get to.
issues facing TRAFFIC in richer countries
An increased number of cars on the road causes issues within urban environments, such as: More air pollution which damages health and buildings, more road accidents and more traffic jams and congestion.
Solutions for issues facing HOUSING in the richer world
There are various schemes set up to help stop the shortages:
Urban renewal scheme: Government strategy first used in 1990s which encourages investment in new housing, services and employment in derelict inner-city areas.
New Towns: Brand new towns have been built to house the overspill populations from existing towns and cities where there was a shortage of housing.
Relocation Incentives: These encourage older people to move out of large council houses, which are too big for them, out of urban areas, this means that large houses are free for people such as working families.
In London, there is a scheme run by the council which encourages older people to move out to the seaside or countryside. If they take part the council helps them by offering money.
Solutions to issues facing REVITALISING THE CBDs within the richer world
The government and councils are trying to take actions to revitalise CBDs and attract visitors back to
them, these include:
Pedestrianising areas to make them safer for shoppers
Improving access by making better transport links and better car parking
Converting derelict warehouses and docks into shops, restaurants and museums
Improving public areas and green spaces by making them more attractive
encouraging businesses to return through government investment which attracts more customers and more businesses
Solutions to issues facing TRAFFIC within the richer world
There are a variety of solutions to reduce traffic and its impacts, these include:
Improving public transport, which encourages people to use public transport as an alternative to cars. This has a number of benefits, including, reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, traffic jams and accidents.
Increasing the cost to park cars in city centres, discouraging car use.
Having bus priority lanes which will speed up bus services so that people are more likely to use them.
Pedestrianisation of city centres means that traffic is removed from main shopping streets (e.g. Northumberland Street) this makes areas more attractive as well as decreasing the number of accidents and pollution levels.
Issues facing CULTURAL MIX within the richer world
Cities consist of a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, but there is often ethnic segregation due to:
People prefer to live closer to others of the same background and religion, and those who speak the same languages
People live near to services that are important to their culture (e.g. places of worship)
People from the same ethnic background are often restricted in where they can live due to lack of money
