Contemporary Urban Environments

Question 1

define urbanisation

Answer 1

• the growth in proportion of people living in urban areas
• result of rural-urban migration and natural increase
• better access to services and more job opportunities
• many migrants are young adults
• slowing down in developed countries - urbanisation already occurred during the industrial revolution
• 55% of people live in urban areas

Question 2

global urbanisation

Answer 2

• continues to increase
• suburban areas are becoming more urbanised and surrounding rural areas are becoming suburbanised

Question 3

define suburbanisation

Answer 3

• urban areas growing into the suburbs
• occurs when wealthier people move away from the city centre into the suburbs for a better quality of life
• the demand for housing increases due to urbanisation, and city centres become overcrowded
• improvements in transport means people can live further away and commute to work

Question 4

issues with suburbanisation

Answer 4

• can lead to inner-city areas becoming deprived and house prices within the suburbs increasing
• strategies to limit suburbanisation can be put in place e.g. green belts - areas around a city where building is restricted in order to preserve rural areas, however they’re not always successful

Question 5

what’s counter-urbanisation?

Answer 5

• the process of people moving out of cities into rural areas
• people seek for a better quality of life
• push and pull factors
• counter-urbanisation is increasing but doesn’t overtake urbanisation rates

Question 6

what are push factors?

Answer 6

factors that push people away from rural areas into cities :
- lack of job opportunities
- no access to services
- poor transport

factors that push people away from cities into rural areas :
- pollution
- overcrowding
- economic decline

Question 7

what are pull factors?

Answer 7

factors that pull people away from rural areas into the city :
- better access to services
- more job opportunities
- better healthcare

factors that pull people away from the city into rural areas:
- clean air
- more space
- peaceful
- better value housing

Question 8

what’s urban resurgence?

Answer 8

• the process of people moving back into the city, especially after the deterioration of the area
• usually occurs when schemes are put in place to improve the quality of life in the area
• can cause socioeconomic inequalities

Question 9

what are megacities?

Answer 9

• an urban area with a population over 10 million
• in 1950 there were only 2 megacities - New York and Tokyo
• the number of megacities is predicted to rise to 43 by 2030
• develop due to rural-urban migration and natural increase
• companies choose to build their headquarters in megacities - skilled workers and good transport links

Question 10

what are world cities?

Answer 10

• cities that have significant political and economic influence on a global scale e.g. London
• defined by global importance, not population
• usually drive global economies and business, and are often hubs for banking and finance
• the number of world cities is increasing
• have good international transport links
• dominate international trade
• rich culture
• tend to attract people from other countries