CUE 3 - Urban Forms Flashcards
(59 cards)
What is urban form
The physical characteristics that make up a place, including size, shape, population density and how the city is made up
Where were many cities established
In areas with good water supply, fertile soil for growing foods, plentiful natural resources and woodland for fuel and good defensive positions (normally on top of a hill)
WHat happens over time
The urban form of cities change
What are these changes influenced by
Physical and human factors
What are the 4 physical factors
- Topography
- Water
- Natural resources
- land type
What is topography
Physical features often influence the growth of cities
What is an example of topography influencing cities
Steep slopes are harder to build on and less accessible, so poorer housing like slums are built there
What do larger flat areas encourage
Low density developments because there’s lots of building space
How does water influence urban form
The presence of lakes and seas limit urban growth in those areas, while cities may grow along the course of the river, city centre shops and businesses are located close to the waterfront, rather than at geographical centre of the city
How do natural resources affect the physical factors
Rich resources, like coal and metal, encourage growth in size and population of cities
How does land type affect the physical factors
Some ground surfaces are harder or expensive to build on than others, like swaps and wetlands can limit urban growth
WHat 3 human factors cause change
- Planning
- Infrastructure
- land use
How does planning affect these human factors
Urban expansion can be planned or unplanned
What happens when there’s lots of urban growth
In developing countries there’s lots of urban growth caused by the unplanned expansion of slums
WHat are planned developments like?
They include open space and leisure facilities
How does infrastructure affect human factors
New developments are often built along transport links leading to linear growth
How does land value affect the human factors
The highest land value is often in the city centre, so profitable businesses locate there while less profitable businesses are further from the city
What do cities in developed countries have?
CBD - Central zone for shops and businesses
What surrounds the CBD
Housing
What happens in regards to land value around the CBD
It tends to be highest in the city and then increases the further you move away from the city centre
What are inner city areas like
Have high land value, so housing is high density. Wages are low and residents live in poverty. The proportion of people from ethnic minorities tend to be high
What is land value like in rural areas and semi-rural areas
It’s lower so residential areas are less dense and have more open space
What is happening because of the availability of cheap land in surrounding city areas
science parks and large shopping areas eg - Bristol and Bath science park
What is the CBD like in developing world
Its surrounded by housing which decreases in value with distance away from the centre
