World Cities Flashcards
What defines a city as a Megacity?
If the population of a city is over 10 million, It is a megacity. For example, Beijing is a megacity because it has over 20 million people living in it.
What are the top 10 megacities in the world?
- Tokyo
- Delhi
- Shanghai
- Sao Paulo
- Mexico City
- Dhaka
- Cairo
- Beijing
- Mumbai
- Osaka
What is urbanisation?
Urbanisation is when an increasing percentage of a country’s population moves to towns and cities.
What are reasons for people moving to towns and cities?
More government investment here so more improvement.
Many job opportunities.
Modern and well built homes are found in towns and cities.
There is a reliable water supply in towns and cities.
There are very good schools.
Good hospitals and lots of doctors in towns and cities.
There is a huge supply of food in towns and cities.
What can influence the location of a city?
The topography of the land so it should be flat land and if there are mountains nearby then that can limit the growth of the city.
If it isn’t close to the sea or water, it is less likely to do well. Cities are usually built at a coastal location so they can have ports and docks for goods to arrive. Having natural ports like bays and river mouths help a lot.
Natural resources such as iron are helpful to have close to a city.
It needs to have a good climate there and it should be in an area where there is government influence and investment.
What is a proportional symbol map?
It is a type of map used to show the size of something. For example, Lagos in Nigeria has 9 million people living in it so I could use a circle with a diameter of 20 mm to show that it has a big population.
What are some of the push factors from a rural area?
No government investment Fewer doctors and no hospitals Poorly built homes Poorly built schools Limited leisure opportunities Lack of jobs other than farming
What are some of the problems with rural-urban migration in countries like China?
Rural Problems:
Loss of economically active people in villages e.g. farm productivity falls and food output goes down
Change in population structure
Urban Problems:
Increased demand for services which causes pollution e.g. too much demand for water and transport could cause air pollution and water pollution.
Housing shortages and overcrowding
Natural increase is higher
There could be social issues and loneliness.
What is a squatter settlement?
A squatter is someone who lives in a house or piece of land illegally. It is an illegal settlement. There are some typical characteristics about them:
Made out of makeshift materials
Densely populated environment
Local basic sources - water, electricity and Wi-Fi
Very poor sanitation
Built on marginal land e.g. floodplains and steep cliffs
What is Dharavi and where is the place?
Dharavi is a squatter settlement found in Mumbai which is on the west coast of India. Mumbai is a megacity. Dharavi has 1 million people living within a square mile.
What are the advantages of living in Dharavi?
It is close to the CBD of Mumbai
Good community spirit and gatherings
Everything is quite convenient such as material supply
Little Criminal Activity as it is a close community
What are the disadvantages of living in Dharavi?
Densely populated so there is sometimes a lack of resources
Poor sanitation as sometimes 500 people use one toilet which is a hole near a river.
Lots of pollution
Unstable buildings
It is built on marginal land as it is near marshland so it encourages mosquitoes and diseases to spread. It is also next to a floodplain so it is more likely to flood and it is close to the railway so there is poor visual quality and air pollution.
What is sustainable?
Actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
What makes a sustainable city?
The three R’s: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling.
Using electric vehicles, walking, cycling or public transport to reduce CO2 emissions.
Buying local food, not wasting as much food, buying seasonally e.g. not buying strawberries in winter because they aren’t in season then.
Urban farming: Green roofs (also help to reduce flooding) and Green walls
Reducing meat consumption
Reduction in processed food
Using HEP (Hydro Electric Power)
Improving sewers to reduce leakage
Water conservation such as turning off taps
