Urban environments

Plan

• What is the global pattern of urbanisation?

• Why is urbanisation happening in LEDCs?

• How does land use vary in an LEDC city?

• What problems do LEDC cities face?

• What are the solutions?

Where are the biggest and fastest growing cities?Why?

Why do people live in cities?

2007: 50% global population urban (75% HIC; 40% LIC)

3.3 billion people live in cities.

Growing by 60 million per year.

The Growth of world cities

Definitions

• Urbanisation is…..

• Urban growth is…..

• Natural increase is…..

Study the table

Which parts of the world are experiencing the most rapid growth in their populations?

% 1950 1990 2001 2025

World 30 45 48 58

MEDC 53 74 76 83

LEDC 17 34 41 56

The world is becoming mostly urban

Growth of cities

Two types of city….• Millionaire cities – population >1 million

– Back in 1850, there were only 2 ‘millionaire’ cities (London and Paris)– By 1950, increased to 70– By 2003, increased to 408

• Megacities – Population >10 million– First to appear in LEDCs– 1970, only 3 megacities– There are around 25 megacities – By 2015, maybe 60 megacities

The distribution of megacities…

• Prior to 1950, largest cities were found in MEDCs

• Recently, the highest growth has been in LEDCs

• Look at fig 2 (geoactive), describe the change in the distribution of millionaire/megacities

Where are the world’s largest cities?There are 17 megacities in the world – these are cities with a population of over 10 million

Task – how has the world been growing since the 1950’s?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/06/urbanisation/html/urbanisation.stm 1) Find the BBC map of world megacities showing a

timeline from 1955-20152) Investigate the pages, use your mouse to hover

over facts3) Fill in this table using the data on the mega cities

map4) Summarise the prediction for urban population

by 2015

Total world pop

% city dweller

s

% rural dwellers

List 3 biggest cities

Describe the location of megacities (continents / HIC / LIC etc)

1955 2756m 30% 70%

1985

2005

Why has this change taken place?

Push and pull factors!

Watch the video from channel 4 news and answer the questions on Lagos

What is the typical land use pattern in an LIC?

Case Study:

Rio – a city of contrasts

Click for Olympics!

What should I be able to do at the end of this case study?

• Describe the location of Rio de Janeiro and the main favelas

• Understand WHY people have moved into the city

• Describe/explain the problems that are found in the favelas

• Describe/explain the solutions to the problems

Rio is a city of contrasts:

Beaches and luxury housing of Ipanema.

Problems of rapid urban growth: favelas, traffic and crime..

Can you think of any physical factors which have lead to over crowing in Rio?

Land use in Rio

Land use in Rio

In Rio:

0.6 million homeless, street dwellers.

1 million pop favelas.

1 million pop poor local authority housing.

Globally slum populations are growing by 25 million a year.

There are 750 favelas in Rio.

The largest is Rocinha pop 100,000.

Favelas are illegal settlements, lacking basic services (no water, sewerage or electricity).

Housing is constructed from any materials.

In Rio favelas are built on steep slopes on marginal land.

Study the land use model for a LIC…In your books:1) Describe the patterns shown in the model2) Explain the pattern

Aims for today…

1) Finish off labelling LEDC land use map2) Identify the problems that urbanisation

brings to LIC cities (video time)3) Categorise these problems into

Social/economic/environmental

4) If time, start Rio…

The CBD has similar characteristics to MEDCs, offering entertainment, retail and business opportunities

Large & luxurious houses were built in pre-industrial and colonial times around the CBD by administrators, merchants and the wealthy

The wealthy residents continue to live in these areas, but are surrounded by high walls, and security

The middle zone , or the ‘periferia’ shares characteristics to MEDCs, providing “inbetween housing”

Greater traffic congestion and competition for space are a concern in LEDC cities

The quality of housing is considerably poorer than similar areas in MEDCs. Often houses are self-built, and are unlikely to have basic amenities such as running water and electricity

Houses in the Outer Zone are the opposite to those in MEDCs – ie: the quality rapidly decreases with distance from the CBD

This area is where rural migrants typically live, in a shanty town or favela. They lack basic amenities, and are built on poor quality and unsafe land

Some wealthy residents move outwards from the Inner zone, living in expensive and well guarded communities

Planned industries are found in the inner zone, often along lines of communication

Informal industries become established along major communication routes through the outer zones, such as tyre repairs, cafes and workshops – there is a reliable flow of business

TASK: On a blank double page in your book, cut out and stick in the blank map of an LEDC city, then add the following statements to the correct zones

What are the problems found in LEDCs?

• Tour of Rochina• Favela wars

Create the following headings in your books, and add to them during the video:

• Housing• Health• Education• Transport• Social

Definition of a Favela“A residential area of 60 or more

families living in basic accommodation that lacks basic services, and who have

no legal right to the land”

Solving Rio’s problems – Poor quality housing

1) Self-help housing in Rochina (The Favela Barrio project)- Original poor quality housing replaced with bricks and tiles, sewerage,

electricity, water butts may be installed, and the houses are extended where possible

- The government provide the materials, and the community join forces to carry out the work. This has many advantages….(what are they?!)

- In return, the residents pay a small tax to the government. The favela now has a formal status

Facts!- Took place in 1990s- $200 million spent

in 60/600 favelas- 16 mid size sites

were chosen first

Solving Rio’s problems – Overcrowding

2) The new town of Barra da Tijuca• In an attempt to find more space, Rio’s wealthy have

moved out from the centre of Rio (counter-urbanisation)

• Barra da Tijuca is 20km along the coast from Rio – but a road had to be built through the moutains.– This area had been relatively cut off since the 1970s

• By 2000, the town had a population of 140,000

Cleaning up the litter in the favelas – including the odd body!

Summary of the solutions to Rio’s problems

• Forced evictions of squatter settlements – To clear land for formal development

• Low cost housing – Very basic breeze block housing constructed. People re-housed in them. City of God

• Site and Service – Land is cleared and building plots prepared with water and electricity.

• Self Help Scheme – Existing settlements provided with water, sewage and rubbish collection. Building materials provided for residents to upgrade their homes (Favela Barrio Plan)

• Counter-urbanisation - encourage upwardly mobile people to move out to the new town of Barra da Tijuca, reducing overcrowing in Rio

• Rural Development – To reduce rural to urban migration• Increasing policing - to stop new squatter settlement• Raise taxes - on the rich to pay for improving housing for the poor• Local initiatives – such as Afro-Reggae using music and culture to keep kids

away from crime and drugs

Task…You are the new governor of Rio – born and raised in the Favelas, your mission is to begin to solve the issues in Rio

The challenge!You must make a proposal to the government in the form of an A3 poster, proposing how you are going to solve Rio’s issues. You must include:

- Self help schemes- The Barra da Tijuca- One of the other schemes mentioned

For each scheme:- Outline the problem (give details!)- Explain how the scheme will solve the issue- Briefly evaluate each scheme

Study the picture of a favela

1) Name one problem caused by the physical environment

2) Name one problem caused by high population growth

3) Describe the benefits of living in a favela.

4) Describe the problems caused by the growth of large shanty towns in LICs.

5) Explain how governments in LICs have managed shanty towns.

Compare and contrast an HIC and LIC

HIC

LIC

MEDC’s

Transect across a typical British city

Prevailing wind – why is this significant?

Urban Zones

CBD

Characteristics• In the centre around the historical core (e.g. cathedral,

castle)• Contains skyscrapers and other tall buildings• Contains:

– The largest offices and shops including department stores– The widest variety of goods on sale– High land values, rents and rates– The main place of work by day– The most accessible location where the main roads meet and

has the main railway station

• The main difference between the CBD and other zones is that few people live here

Main Functions

• Shops:– The department stores and national chains are

in the very centre of the CBD– The smaller, often privately owned, shops are

located on the edges of the CBD (The frame)– Some shops, e.g. clothing, shoe and jewellery

tend to cluster together to take advantage of competition

– Other shops are more dispersed e.g. newsagents and chemists

• Offices:– Banks, building societies, solicitors, company

HQ, etc. occupy the upper floors above shops

• Culture and entertainment:– Some parts ‘come alive’ at night as theatres,

cinemas, clubs, bars and restaurants attract customers e.g. London’s West End

The Central Business District

INNER CITY

The Inner City Industrial Zone

Inner City Decay - Dereliction

Victorian Terraced Housing

Inner City High-rise Flats

Characteristics• Located next to the historical core• An area of old housing and industry• Contains a mixture of land uses:

– Old high-density terraced houses– Some are 3 or 4 storeys high which are often let out as flats

and badly maintained– Old and sometimes abandoned factories– Areas of derelict land around railway sidings, unused docks

and canals– High-rise flats (many built in the 1960s)– Pockets of smart new developments e.g. London Docklands

• The main difference between the inner city and other urban zones is its generally run-down appearance

SUBURBS

Characteristics• Normally cover the largest area• Part of the urban area that has grown outwards from the

old centre across what was once countryside• Predominantly residential:

– Along the sides of main roads are inter-war semi-detached (S-D) housing and small shopping parades

– Behind the main roads are more modern housing estates (S-D and detached (D))

– Some are private estates others were local authority built (some have been bought by the residents)

– The houses usually have gardens and garages and space between them

– More recent and expensive housing is in the outer suburbs, where density is lower

• There is less change in this zone than in the other 3; the houses are good for many more years and virtually all the land suitable for building has already been used

Suburban Housing – Semi-detached inter/post war

Suburban Housing – detached houses

RURAL-URBAN FRINGE

Characteristics• On and around the edge of the built-up area• Partly urban, partly countryside• A mixture of land uses:

– Some traditional rural land uses e.g. farmland and woodland– Others are rural businesses targeted at people living in nearby

urban areas e.g. garden centres and farm shops– Recreation e.g. golf courses and stables– Public utilities e.g. water storage and sewerage farms– New urban developments e.g. out-of-town supermarkets,

shopping centres and business parks– New housing in villages leads to old settlements growing and

becoming part of the urban built-up area• This zone has many conflicts between developers who

want to use the greenfield sites for building homes and planners and conservationists who want to preserve as much countryside as possible

Edge of town Estates

Commuter Towns & Villages

In which urban zone/s are you likely to find…

a shop open at 2am?

a small corner shop?

the cathedral?

a museum?

a department store?

the highest buildings?

an old warehouse?

houses with large gardens?

golf courses?

cul-de-sacs?

a castle?

Someone who wants to mug you?

Urban Structure Exercise

Look at the photos that follow. For each one:

• Describe the area it shows

• Identify which zone of the city you think it is

• Name a part of London with similar characteristics

Cut the photos out and stick them in your books beside your answers

Photo 1 Photo 2

Photo 3 Map 4

Photo 5Photo 6

Task...

• On the map of Luton, study the 6 squares closely

• Based on the road layouts, nearby services, and the shape of the housing, identify what zone of the city it is in

Urban Zones ICT exercise

• Double click on the “urban zones” file below in the work folder on the student “V” drive

• V:\work\Geography\4th Year\settlement

• Look at the summary model of urban land uses and read the text on the Urban Land Uses page that appears.

Feature Map 1 Map 2 Map 3 Map 4

Location in city

Type, appearance, age of housing

2 main types of land use

Main type of tenure

2 main types of socio economic groups

% born outside the

% with amenities

Look at the maps below, and refer to the textbook. For each one, suggest the types of houses and ages of houses

Chose 2 areas and explain the differences between them.Include: type/design/age of housing; road pattern; land use; socio-economic groups; amenities, quality of environment

Urban land use and functional zones

• The location of each zone and the distribution of each functional zone are related to several factors

• Land value and space:– Land values are highest and available sites are

more limited in the CBD where competition for land is greatest

– As land value decreases rapidly towards the urban boundary then both the amount of space and the number of available sites increase

• Age:– As towns develop outwards, the oldest buildings were near to

the city centre (although many of these have now been replaced) and the newest ones on the outskirts

• Accessibility:– The CBD, where the main routes from the suburbs and

surrounding towns meet, has been the easiest place to reach from all parts of the city although ease is now often reduced due to increased congestion

• Wealth of inhabitants:– The poorer members of the community tend to live in

cheaper housing near to the CBD (with its shops) and the inner city (where most jobs used to be found). These people are less likely to be able to afford the higher transport (private or public) and housing costs of places nearer the city boundary

• Changes in demand:– Land use and function change with time:

• Nineteenth century industry was located next to the CBD whereas modern industry prefers edge-of-city sites

• The main land use demand in the nineteenth century was for industry and low-cost housing. Today it is for industry, shops and better-quality housing, all in a more pleasant environment, and open space

Birmingham Virtual Tour

The joys of Google Streetview!

The joys of Google Streetview!

The joys of Google Streetview!

Using the attached sheet, in google maps, search the streets and explore the area in street view!

Visit these areas (not in order): • Colmore Row & Paradise Street • Alderbrook Road, Solihull

• Edmund Road, Saltley or Church Street, Lozells • Legge Lane • Upper Highgate Street • Broad Street • Wellington Road, Edgbaston • School Road, Hall Green • Ithon Grove & Meadowsweet Avenue, Kings Norton

With your partner, choose two areas of the city to explain the major land use

Urban Zone Map extract List land uses Explain major land use

CBD

Old Inner city

Zone in transition

Prestige inner city

redevelopment

1960s Comprehensiv

e redevelopment

Inner Suburbs (Pre WW1, Edwardian)

Interwar suburbia 1930s

Outer Suburbs

Outer city council estate

Broad Street

CBD

Church Street, Lozells

Old Inner City

Legge Lane

Zone of Transition

Colmore Row

Alderbrook Road, Solihull

Outer Suburbs

Upper Highgate Street

Inner City Council Estate

Wellington Road, Edgbaston

School Road, Hall Green

Inter-war Suburb 1930’s

Ithon Grove

Outer Suburbs Council Estate

Is Birmingham ethnically segregated?

CBD

Population

Key Number of People

Up to 20,999

21,000 to 22,999

23,000 to 24,999

25,000 to 26,999

27,000 and above

Ethnic origin

Key % from BME Group

Below 10.0%

10.1% to 20.0%

20.1% to 40.0%

40.1% to 60.0%

60.1% and above

Unemployment

Key % Unemployed

None to 10.0%

10.1% to 15.0%

15.1% to 20.0%

20.1% and above

Is Birmingham segregated?1. Which wards in Birmingham are most densely populated? Why?

2. Where are the highest proportions of ethnic minority immigrant populations? Why?

3. Where is the highest unemployment? Why?

4. What causes segregation?

5. Is Birmingham ethnically segregated? Read this article and give a reasoned answer using data and ward names.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1234984.stm• http://bigcityplan.birmingham.gov.uk/gcly-highgate.php

Manufacturing jobs Service jobs

Key Service Sector Jobs

None to 5,000

5,100 to 10,000

10,100 to 15,000

15,100 and over

Key Manufacturing Jobs

None to 1,000

1,100 to 2,000

2,100 to 3,000

3,100 and over

Key terms:Counter-urbanisation - the process of people moving from cities and towns into the countryside

Suburbanised Villages - villages growing in size and taking on more urban characteristics

The causes of suburbanisation can be explained by push and pull factors similar to the ones causing changes to the rural-urban

fringe. Can you remember them?

Push factors• Congestion• High rates of air, noise and

visual pollution• High crime rates• High land values• Lack of space

Pull factors• Perceived better quality of

life• Safer, more pleasant

environment• Less pollution• More open space• Lower land values and

cheaper housing• Room for businesses to

expand

Can you think of any consequences for the village?

Sort the following into POSITIVE and NEGATIVE consequences:

Growth in populationGrowth of village

Becoming more like the suburbs of a city

Increase in people owning a second home

Village becomes like a ‘dormitory’ village for commuters leading to a drop in services

New housing developments

New business units

Loss of community Increase in house prices

Let’s solve a mystery!• Background• Thurston is a village 5km east of Bury St

Edmunds in Suffolk

Current Day 1940’s

Task: Find out why Thurston Primary School needs a new teacher!

• Work in pairs• Sort the statements into two piles of relevant

and irrelevant to the question• Rank the relevant statements• Use them to write up your report and solve

the mystery.

Urban sprawl

Who are the winners and losers?

Watch this!

Watch this!

You are going to have a debate on Tuesday

• You will each be given a role:– Dairy Farmer– Young couple wanting to set up a small holding– Developer wanting to build a business park– Conservationalist & environmental campaigner– Young family living in the outer suburbs– Representative from the planning authority

• You will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of urban sprawl for the role that you have been given.– Today – discuss your viewpoint with a partner and write ideas down in

your books under ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES