Unit 3.2 Urbanisation

Question 1

Define Urbanisation

Answer 1

An increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities.

Question 2

Why might people be drawn to live in the city?

Answer 2

1. Many people in rural areas live below the poverty line
2. There are likely to be more jobs available in cities.
3. There are more facilities in urban areas (shops, cinemas, health care etc)

Question 3

Name a city in sub saharan Africa that has groen significantly in the last 100 years.

Answer 3

Nairobi

Question 4

What is meant by communal tenure?

Answer 4

A system where land is shared between members of teh community - nobody owns it outright.

Question 5

What is a plantation?

Answer 5

A large commercial farm, often owned by companies and growing one crop for export e.g. tea, coffee, cocoa, bananas, sugar.

Question 6

Suggest some industries that may provide jobs for people in urban areas.

Answer 6

Food processing, oil refining, steel manufacturing, construction, dock workers, tourism, service industry (cleaners, cooks, porters, gardeners, drivers etc).

Question 7

Define the word patriarchal

Answer 7

A society in which men hold the power and land is passed to the male children.

Question 8

In a patriarchal system explain what would happen to a woman’s land if she is widowed and has no sons.

Answer 8

It would likely pass to her husband’s brother.

Question 9

If someone is described as entrepreneurial what does that mean?

Answer 9

They are capable of starting up a business.

Question 10

What does the word networking mean?

Answer 10

Connecting with and interacting with people - especially for business.

Question 11

Give 4 reasons why women might migrate to urban areas

Answer 11

1. If they are pregnant but not married.
2. If they have lost their land through a patriarchal system.
3. To start their own business if they are entrepreneurial
4. The access greater employment prospects.

Question 12

Name three forms of infrastructure that are likely to exist in urban areas

Answer 12

Utilities (gas, electric & water supply)
Sanitation
Education
Health care facilities
Roads & public transport
Entertainment

Question 13

List as many ‘push’ factors as you can to explain what makes people leave rural areas.

Answer 13

1. Unreliable or difficult growing conditions for crops e.g. droughts & floods.
2. Lack of access to healthcare.
3. Lack of access to education.
4. Poor sanitation.
5. Poor supply of utilities.
6. Lack of road infrastructure.

Question 14

What is a shanty town?

Answer 14

An area of improper housing on the outskirts of a town or city. Dwellings are often made from left over materials / or rubbish. there is no proper sanitation or water supply.

Question 15

List 6 features of a Kibera (shanty town on the outskirts of Nairobi)

Answer 15

1. High population density.
2. Each dwelling may house more than 10 people.
3. People build dwellings from whatever materials they can find.
4. People are from many different ethnic backgrounds.
5. Half of the residents are under 15 years old.
6. Levels of crime and ethnic violence are high.
7. Few residents can afford electricity but some illegally tap into power lines.
8. Some NGO’s provide schooling and health care.
9. Many shacks only share a hole in the ground for a toilet.
10. Toilets cost money to use and are closed overnight.
11. Waste is dumped on the streets and waterborne diseases are common.
12. Most people have no legal right to the land and pay no rent.
13. Some areas have water standpipes.
14. Numerous informal activities take place but formal employment is low.
15. Kibera keeps growing due to high natural incresae and continued in-migration.

Question 16

Name 4 waterborne diseases.

Answer 16

Cholera
Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Bilharzia
Dysentry
E Coli.

Question 17

What is a squatter?

Answer 17

Someone who occupies an area of land illegally.

Question 18

List 4 reasons why governments may be reluctant to provide services to squatter settlements (slums)

Answer 18

1. The government do not want more people to be attracted to the area.
2. Most people could not afford to pay for the services.
3. It would be impossible to provide services for all teh new people who arrive each day.
4. The houses are often too poorly built to support pipes etc.
5. Providing services would make it look as though squatters have rights to the land.

Question 19

KENSUP is the Kenyan Slum upgrading programme funded by the world bank and UN agencies. Name 3 problems that schemes like this can face.

Answer 19

1. Upgrading slums is not a priority for the government.
2. People have to move elsewhere whilst the work is done.
3. Homes have to be demolished with no compensation.
4. New migrants will take over space that is left.
5. Landlords are happy with the situation as it is.

Question 20

How might people living in slums with little space, grow produce to eat.

Answer 20

Sack gardens are often found on roofs or doorsteps.

Question 21

Why are recycling centres especially beneficial in slum communities.

Answer 21

1. They remove thousands of tonnes of rubbish from the tip.
2. They increase public awareness of teh importance of recycling.
3. They create jobs for young people.
4. Reduces air & water pollution.
5. Develops craft industries with the waste.

Question 22

Suggest some recycling initiatives found in slum towns.

Answer 22

1. Nairobi: Turning plastic bags into handbags, hats, or footballs.
2. Chennai, India: Turning plastic into baskets and bags
3. Mumbai, India: Reforming metal cans and drums for resale.

Question 23

List 3 characteristics of sustainable settlements.

Answer 23

1. Provision of clean water and good sanitation for all.
2. Cheap access to medical care & education.
3. Well educated community leaders with a vision for a better way of life.
4. Security of ownership of land for residents.

Question 24

List 4 effects of rural to urban migration on RURAL areas.

Answer 24

Women, children and the elderly are often left to look after the land.

2. Farms loose their male workers and so fewer crops are grown.
3. Women become the decision makers and take more responsibility.
4. Families are broken up.
5. There is more room in dwellings and fewer mouths to feed.