Urban Environments

Question 1

What is Urbanisation?

Answer 1

The growth in proportion of a country’s population living in urban areas

Question 2

Most of the population in urban areas already…

Answer 2

…live in urban areas

Question 3

Where is most of the urbanisation in the world today happening?

Answer 3

In poorer countries, at a very fast pace

Question 4

What is rural-urban migration?

Answer 4

The movement of people from the countryside to the cities

Question 5

Why do people in poorer countries move from rural areas to cities?

Answer 5

• There’s often a shortage of services in rural areas
• It is believed that there is a better standard of living in cities
• There are more jobs in urban areas. Industry is attracted to cities

Question 6

Why do people in richer countries move from rural areas to cities?

Answer 6

• Most urbanisation in rich countries occurred during the industrial revolution (18th and 19th centuries), machinery began to replace farm labour and jobs were created
• In the late 20th century, people left run down inner city areas and moved to the country, but due to the redevelopment of these areas, people are moving back

Question 7

Describe the CBD:

Answer 7

Right in the centre of a city
With shops and offices
Where transport routes meet
Very high land values, competition for space
Building are tall and density very high
Very few people live in the CBD

Question 8

Describe the Inner City:

Answer 8

Found around the CBD
Mix of poor quality housing and older industrial buildings
Can be run down and deprived
Also newer housing and industry where derelict land has been cleared and redeveloped

Question 9

Describe the Suburbs:

Answer 9

Housing areas on the edge of the city
Land is cheaper
Close enough to commute to work
Middle class families
Nicer environment, less crime and pollution

Question 10

Describe the rural-urban fringe:

Answer 10

Right on the edge of the city
Both urban land use and rural land use
Fewer, larger houses

Question 11

What are the main problems in urban areas?

Answer 11

• A shortage of good quality housing
• Run down CBDs
• Traffic Congestion
• Ethnic Segregation

Question 12

How do Urban Renewal Schemes target the lack of housing?

Answer 12

• Government strategies first widely used in the 90s. They encourage investment in new housing, services and employment in derelict inner city areas
• A successful example is the dockland development in London

Question 13

How do New Towns target the lack of housing?

Answer 13

• Brand new towns have been built to house the over-spill populations from existing towns and cities where there was a shortage of housing
• Milton Keynes

Question 14

How do Relocation Incentives target the lack of housing?

Answer 14

• Used to encourage people living in large council houses who don’t need to to move out of urban areas. This frees up housing in the city
• In London, older people living in large houses are encouraged to move out to the countryside or the seaside so younger families can live there instead