Changing Urban Environments

Question 1

What is an urban area?

Answer 1

An area that is densely populated and highly developed; often very modern and advanced

Question 2

What is urbanisation?

Answer 2

Proportion of people living in built up environments such as towns and cities

Question 3

How does population change affect urbanisation?

Answer 3

It fuels urbanisation, as an increase in population means that more homes are needed

Question 4

How has agriculture changed to fuel urbanisation?

Answer 4

Technology has advanced in agriculture; less people are needed, so people migrate away from the countryside

Question 5

How does industry fuel urbanisation?

Answer 5

Most industries (and consequently jobs) are in the cities so people migrate towards the cities- expanding the cities

Question 6

How does wealth affect urbanisation?

Answer 6

People are becoming more wealthy so invest more in new architecture and industries- expanding the cities

Question 7

How does transport affect urbanisation?

Answer 7

Better transportation means that cities can expand further; as people can commute from the outside of the cities

Question 8

Moving from outside the city to the centre of the city, how do the buildings change?

Answer 8

They become more dense, and taller

Houses: Detached, semi-detached, terraced, flats

Question 9

What is the CBD?

Answer 9

The Central Business District- the centre of the city; often does not house people, just businesses/offices and shops

Question 10

Name two urban land use models?

Answer 10

Burgess Zone model and Hoyt Sector model

Question 11

What are the different sectors of the city?

Answer 11

CBD, inner city (wholesale light manufacturing), inner city (low-class residential), inner suburbs (medium-class housing), outer suburbs (high class residential)

Question 12

What percentage of the world is urban?

Answer 12

About 50%

Question 13

What value is the land of the CBD?

Answer 13

it is very high value- so businesses are the main buyers- and they tend to build upward

Question 14

What is the inner city also known as? Why?

Answer 14

The twilight zone; because it is typically very run down

Question 15

When and where were the first two urban development corporations started?

Answer 15

1981, in Merseyside and Douchlands (both London)

Question 16

On average, how much does traffic congestion cost to Britain’s businesses?

Answer 16

£4.2 billion losses to Britain’s buisinesses

Question 17

How long does the average commuter spend in traffic per year?

Answer 17

4 days

Question 18

What has London done to try to reduce traffic in the city centre?

Answer 18

Introduced the London congestion charge

Question 19

How have the levels of pollution changed since the introduction of the London congestion charge?

Answer 19

Levels of sulphur dioxide have dropped by 95%

Question 20

How have the numbers of cars in the city centre changed since the introduction of the London congestion charge?

Answer 20

The number of cars entering the city centre have dropped by 70,000 cars per day

Question 21

How much is the congestion charge?

Answer 21

It was £5 when it was first introduced, but has since increased to £11.50 (per day)

Question 22

What are two negative impacts that the London congestion charge has had?

Answer 22

Businesses in the CBD have lost customers; the cost f visiting has put off many people
Train stations on the outside of London (e.g. Croydon and Reading) have had to expand

Question 23

What are 3 issues faced by the CBD?

Answer 23

Rise of online shopping
Car parking- too little/too expensive
High street- no vision/behind on what people want

Question 24

What is a UDC?

Answer 24

An Urban Development Corporation

Question 25

When and why were UDCs launched?

Answer 25

They were originally launched in 1981 to regenerate inner city areas by constructing on brownfield sites

Question 26

What is a brownfield site?

Answer 26

A site that has been previously built upon

Question 27

What was the Gloucester URC?

Answer 27

(Gloucester heritage urban regeneration corporation) was set up as an offshoot of the UDC strategy

Question 28

What did the Gloucester URC do to get funding to regenerate the inner city area?

Answer 28

Created a partnership between the government and private industries for funding- in return industries were given tax breaks and relaxed planning restrictions

Question 29

What areas were selected in Gloucester for regeneration?

Answer 29

All were in the country's top 25 most deprived places (3 were in the top 10)

Question 30

What sites were successfully repaired by the Gloucester URC scheme?

Answer 30

Over 100 historic buildings in Gloucester were successfully repaired and reused

Question 31

What sites were successfully developed by the Gloucester URC scheme?

Answer 31

100 hectares of brownfield sites were reclaimed and developed, 3000 new homes were built (and 2000 new jobs created), new college for further education

Question 32

What were the negatives of the Gloucester URC scheme?

Answer 32

New jobs often lost when building work finished, businesses would pull out if tax breaks stopped, less funding for things that weren't money making (youth centres etc), some new houses built on floodplains

Question 33

Why are brownfield sites less desirable than greenfield sites?

Answer 33

VAT charged for redevelopment but not for new buildings, old structures have to be dealt with, more complicated to redesign

Question 34

What is multiculturalism?

Answer 34

The range of cultural and ethnic diversity within the population of a country

Question 35

What is a multicultural society?

Answer 35

A society where a number of ethnic groups and their culture live alongside each-other (including the predominant ethnic group and their culture)

Question 36

What is cultural pluralism?

Answer 36

Where ethnic groups integrate into society, retain their own culture but also adopt aspects of the dominant culture/society, people have multiple cultural identities

Question 37

What are some benefits of multicultural cities?

Answer 37

Exploration of cultures and festivals, new foods, wider range of people, better tolerance of other cultures, new languages

Question 38

What are some challenges of multicultural cities?

Answer 38

Religious clashes, extreme beliefs, racism, language barriers

Question 39

What proportion of people in London belong to an ethnic minority group?

Answer 39

1/3

Question 40

What different faiths are represented in London?

Answer 40

London is home to around 40 Hindu temples, 25 Sikh temples, 150 mosques and many synagogues and Catholic or C of E churches

Question 41

What is the average age of the UK ethnic minority population?

Answer 41

27

Question 42

What are the arguments for building on greenfield sites?

Answer 42

Houses are needed and demand is increasing, the land is often cheaper than that nearer to cities, 1% of the green belt could provide up to 300,000 homes

Question 43

What are the arguments against building on greenfield sites?

Answer 43

Encourages commuting (more traffic congestion), encourages the urban sprawl, urbanises the countryside, unsustainable, 'sucks' business out of city centres

Question 44

How big is the green belt in England?

Answer 44

It's estimated to cover around 1,639,540 hectares (about 3/4 of the size of Wales)

Question 45

What is the green belt?

Answer 45

The land in the urban-rural fringe, which is usually protected by government law

Question 46

What are the arguments for building on brownfield sites?

Answer 46

Brownfield is often in urban areas so reduces demand on car use, reduces urban sprawl, doesn't take up countryside, easier to link to public transport

Question 47

What are the arguments against building on brownfield sites?

Answer 47

More expensive- land must be cleared, land not available where most housing is needed, noise of building can disturb inhabitants nearby

Question 48

What is a favela?

Answer 48

A squatter settlement, where people live in extreme poverty

Question 49

What is a periferia?

Answer 49

An area of poor quality but permanent housing with some basic amenities (requirements)