Urbanisation (London) Flashcards
Where is London?
South west of England.
How is London important nationally and internationally?
Internationally-
London has 5 international airports, Heathrow being the 2nd busiest globally and 1st in Europe. This means that London has one of the most international connections in the world, which many international passengers come through. This is important as many tourists use London’s airports, which has generated £21.1 billion in 2011, which economically helps London.
London’s population is very diverse, with 1/3 being born abroad and travelling to London for education/ jobs, resulting in 50% having a degree and earning from a high income jobs, which is sent back home contributing to other country’s economies.
Nationally-
London has 12.5% of the population contributing to 22% of the country’s GDP.
Londoners earn 23% more than the UK average.
What economic, social and environmental opportunities has urban change created in London?
Economic-
London houses 12.5% of the country’s population and generates 22% of its GDP.
London offers many jobs and is a very productive city, many businesses employ immigrants in many types of jobs that require low and high qualifications.
Social-
Multicultural, with a third being born abroad, helps Londoners to be exposed to many cultures, religions and traditions, making them very tolerant and accepting as they are aware of celebrating different ways of life and other languages/cultures.
Environmental-
(Urban greening) Has many green spaces, as many cities are now regenerating derelict/wasteland areas into green spaces open for the public to enjoy. This provides wildlife habitats, and recreational spaces.
What is urban greening?
When a city renovates and invests money in a brownfield site that is a wasteland as a result of deindustrialization into turning it into a green space given to the community to be used for picnics, relaxing, recreational purposes, which helps people’s quality of life due to the fresher air and more space to move. It also promotes wildlife as more trees and plants are introduced as habitats.
What economic, social challenges has urban change created in London?
Urban deprivation-
Due to deindustrialization, many places such as Tower Hamlets in London have experienced an increase in dereliction and deprivation, leading to a lack of businesses and a high unemployment rate. This becomes a challenge because people can’t afford to maintain their places or move into better quality housing, this can deter people from investing into the area due to its environment and building’s unattractiveness, low employment rates also means that there is an increased chance of criminal behaviour (drug use, vandalism and theft) making people feel unsafe.
Inequalities in housing-
House pricing is increasing rapidly, taking people out of the market as people are becoming less likely to be able to afford good quality housing, making them resort into settling into affordable but low quality housing. This is a challenge because it risks mould growing on houses due to the low maintenance of the area which can cause kung diseases such as TB lowering the areas life expectancy and quality of life. Apart from owning a bad quality house, some people can only rent out places, which can cause health issues caused by the stress of potential eviction anytime, which can be so hard that people are unable to work and have to rely on government funds for example, 40% of Tower Hamlet’s residents rent compared to 18% in the whole nationally.
Inequalities in education-
Due to the poorer environments children in derelict and deprived areas such as Tower Hamlets, it can cause children to have lower aspirations. in life, resulting in a lower GCSE result, with 60% of people having 5 GCSE’s A*-C compared to the 80% in Kensington and Chelsea. This can them not able to qualify for higher paying jobs, that are often the most qualifying ones, limiting how much the can earn and spend on bettering there quality of life.
What is urban sprawl?
the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of towns/cities.
How has migration affected the character of London?
National-
National migration has made London a much younger demographic. This is because many people migrate to London for education and jobs with it having 43 universities. This means that many people who migrate to London are between 20-30 yrs old, creating a much younger population.
International-
International migration has caused London to become a culturally diverse community, with many 1st and 2nd generation migrants making 40% of the population that work in many businesses in London, making it a very tolerant and accepting place.
Migration has made London a very expensive city to live in, with the average property being £500,000, this is because many young people have migrated due to education to get further degrees, 50% of Londoners have a degree, resulting in them getting highly skilled and paid jobs, increasing the average earning and the house pricing.
Migration has also made education more expensive to governments with many people (1/3) being born abroad, introducing London to many languages they need to accommodate for in schools.
What was the 2020 population of London?
9 million
To the nearest million how many tourists visited London in 2015?
19 million
The redevelopment of an urban area to improve the physical environment and quality of life of residents:
regeneration
Define regeneration:
the redevelopment of an urban area to improve the physical environment and quality of life of residents.
What is the rural urban fringe?
the outer land use zone of large urban areas, where the suburbs are right on the edge of the surrounding rural area
What is urban deprivation?
a standard of living that is below the average of the majority of a society.
Define the different land uses of a city:
-CBD- where most people commute to work, full of entertainment facilities and other social uses.
-Inner city- mixed land uses including residential housing (terraced houses, tower blocks), businesses and recreational parks
-Inner suburbs- mostly residential housing (semidetached houses) with cul-de-sacs.
-Rural-urban fringe- on the edges of the city, with farmlands and residential housing (detached houses) with retail parks.
