Urban Issues and Challenges-Paper 2 Flashcards
* Megacities * Traffic Congestion (21 cards)
What is a megacity?
An urban area with a total population in excess of ten million people. They make some of the largest and most important settlements on the planet.
3 Types of mega-cities
- Slow Growing
- Growing
- Rapid Growing
What is a Slow-Growing Megacity?
- HIC’s (e.g. Tokyo and L.A.)
- 70% + of the population lives in urban areas- no squatter settlements
- They are found in East-Asia, Europe and North America
What is a Growing Megacity?
- NEE’s (e.g. Rio and Beijing)
- 40-50% lives in urban areas
- <20% lives in squatter settlements
- Found in South America and South-East Asia
What is a rapid growing megacity?
- LIC’s & NEE’s (e.g. Mumbai, Jakarta)
- <50% of population lives in urban areas
- > 30% lives in squatter settlements
- Found in South East Asia and Africa
Urbanisation
The process by which an increasing percentage of a country’s population comes to live in
towns and cities. Rapid urbanisation occurs in many LICs and NEEs.
Reasons for growth of cities
- Rural to Urban Migration
- Natural Increase
Rural to Urban Migration
- Internal Migration
- The movement of people from the countryside into towns and cities
Define Squatter Settlement
An area of poor-quality housing, at times lacking in amenities such as water supply, sewerage
and electricity, which often develops spontaneously on land not owned by the occupants.
Define Natural Increase
- When the birth rate is higher than the death rate
Integrated Transport System Definition
When different transport methods connect together making journeys smoother and,
therefore, public transport more appealing.
Better integration should result in more demand
for public transport and should see people switching from private car use to public modes of
transport which should be more sustainable. It may also lead to a fall in congestion due to
less road users.
Social Impacts of Traffic Congestion
- Late to work/school
- Create high levels of stress
- Road rage/anger
- Emergency services
- Health Problems- death due to poor air quality.
Economic Impacts of Traffic Congestion
- Businesses to lose money: 2018-2019 London businesses lost £4.9 million, Manchester’s Businesses lost £179 million
- Increases fuel consumption
Environmental Impacts of Traffic Congestion
- Reduced air quality
- Release of greenhouse gases contributing to the greenhouse effect
Frieburg: Incentives toward traffic congestion
- Intergrated Transport System (ITS): tram is most important mode of transport
- Trams cover 30km and is connected to 168km of bus routes
- 70% + of the population lives within 500m of a tram stop
- Trams arrive every 8 minutes
- Low fares allow unlimited travel in city and surrounding district
- Any ticket for sport/concert/similar event can be used for free public transport
- 400km cycle paths with 9000 parking spaces for bikes- ‘bike and ride’ facilities at railway and bus stations
Frieburg: Discourging people to reduce traffic congestion
- Restriction on car parking spaces-Vaubon district, each one costs £20,000
Transport changes in Frieburg from 1982-2020
- 11% decrease in pedestrians
- 9% increase in use of public transport
- 12% increase in cycle traffic
- 10% decrease in use of motor vehicles
Has Freiburg been a success?
- Tram journeys increased by 25,000 + in one year
- 30,000 reduction in car journeys
Beijing: Incentives toward improving traffic congestion
*Since 2008 Olympic Games, management of traffic congestion was prioritised as the centre was gridlocked and traffic continued to grow.
-Expansion of the public transport system:
* 30 new metro lines, as it only used to serve half of the population
* Rapid bus transit system (to be built by 2020)
Beijing: Discouraging people in order to reduce traffic congestion
- Limiting car sales- 20% of people who apply to own a car are allowed to do so
- Increasing parking fees- congestion charge and pollution tax to combat air quality
- Restrictions on vehicle use- cars banned from city one day a week based on number plate system: non-residents cannot bring a car into the city.
Beijing Success?
- 20% drop in car use
- 12% drop in use of car parks in city centre
BUT:
* Widening roads have led to increased car use t expense of cycling
