Contemporary Urban Environments Flashcards
What type of city is London?
A world city
What makes London a world city?
It’s global influence in trade due to it being a global financial centre with a growing reputation as a technological hub. It is also an economic powerhouse which attracts FDI.
What is a common saying about London’s multicultural population?
‘The world under one roof’
What was the impact on London of the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship in 1948?
The Boat was carrying many West Indian men seeking work. This is said to be the start of London’s multicultural population.
London has the largest ________ gap in the UK which continues to widen.
Wealth
In 1956, which act was put in place to reduce CO2 emissions?
Clean air act
London currently breaches the EU legal limit on what?
NO2 levels
London is 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. What is the name of this effect?
Urban heat island effect
State one positive and one negative effect of the river Thames running through London.
Easier trade in the past as it allowed London to develop as a port city. Increased risk of flooding as much of London is on the floodplain.
State three environmental developments in London.
Congestion charge, green transport and Boris bikes.
State an urban renewal scheme that occurred in east London around 2012.
Renewal of the Olympic park.
What is the population of Mumbai?
Over 20 million.
What happened to Mumbai’s population since 1991?
It nearly doubled.
Why did Mumbai’s population increase?
Due to an influx of migrants from across India seeking better employment opportunities.
What is urban resurgence?
An influx of people to a city centre due to an area being developed following a period of decline.
What is the doughnut effect?
Also known as the dead heart of the city, the doughnut effect is where people and industry all move out of the city centre to outer suburban areas or elsewhere seeking better opportunities and leaving the city centre derelict.
State six examples of things that governments can do to support urban resurgence.
Pedestrianisation, improving CBD shopping centres, spending money on the public realm, giving grants to retailers, investing in gentrification and large scale clearance and rebuilding of areas.
What does UDC stand for?
Urban Development Corporation
What were UDCs given power to do in order to regenerate the London Docklands in 1981?
Compulsory purchase properties or land even if the owners did not want to sell.
What did UDCs tend to do with industrial sites in order to regenerate the London Docklands?
Acquire the land, clear it and clean it up.
What were UDCs heavily criticised for when they were regenerating the London Docklands?
Their lack of consultation with and consideration of local people and their needs.
What is urbanisation?
The growth of the proportion of people living in urban areas.
What is suburbanisation?
The migration of people from city centres to the outskirts of cities.
What is counter-urbanisation?
The movement of people out of the city into surrounding villages and rural areas.
What have urbanisation and population growth lead to the emergence of?
Megacities.
What is a world city?
A city that has political and financial influence over the whole world.
What are world cities generally home to?
World-renowned universities, Banking company headquarters and transport links.
Give three economic factors associated with urbanisation.
More job opportunities, better paid jobs, commercial farming overtakes subsistence farming so agricultural jobs decline which drives more people into the city.
Give two social factors associated with urbanisation.
Higher living standards and more cultural expression and inclusion.
What can urban growth lead to economically?
Economic inequality and the emergence of the ‘working class’.
What is the demographic usually like in urban areas?
Wealthier cities attract migrants from all over the world so they are more culturally diverse and young people are attracted by jobs and entertainment such as bars and clubs and they tend to raise families in the city.
Why does deindustrialisation occur?
The manufacturing industry in developed countries can’t compete with the low labour costs in developing countries and are forced out of business.
What is decentralisation?
When businesses from the CBD move out to the suburbs due to increasing land prices. This leads to buildings being abandoned, job losses and poverty.
What is an enterprise zone?
Established in 1981, enterprise zones were created in areas of high unemployment. These areas had reduced tax on corporations and land which encouraged start-up companies to set up there and create jobs. This also encouraged existing companies to move there though which limited the number of jobs created.
What was the city challenge?
From 1991-1997, local authorities competed for government funding to regenerate deprived urban areas.
What are partnership schemes?
Established in 2010, the government has worked with private companies to provide financial support and expertise for urban regeneration.
State four physical factors which affect urban form.
Topography, water, natural resources, land type (e.g. swamps and wetlands can limit urban growth).
State three human factors which affect urban growth.
Amount of planning, infrastructure, land value.
What is an edge city?
Areas of offices, shops and leisure facilities that develop close to major transport links. Land is cheaper here and they contain some housing but most people travel to them for work or to use the services available.
State five factors of a post-modern city.
Multiple centres with different purposes, a focus on tertiary and quaternary industry, less uniform architecture, planning prioritises aesthetics over practical use, higher social and economic inequality.
State two things the São Paulo government has done to tackle inequality.
In 2016, the minimum wage was raised by 12% and in 2001, the government passed a law which allowed favelas to be recognised as legitimate residential areas which lead to investment in sanitation, road building and housing improvements.
