Geography - Option G: Urban Environments

Site

Site

The actual land on which a settlement is built

Threshold

Minimum number of people required for a good or service to stay in business

Range

Maximum distance people will travel for a good or service

Low-order goods

Necessity goods or convenience goods bought frequently

High-order goods

Luxury goods bought infrequently

Situation

A city’s position in relation to its surrounding area

Millionaire city

A city with over one million inhabitants

Megacity

A city with over 10 million inhabitants

Conurbation

Two or more cities merged

Function of a city

For most cities: industrial (manufacturing and/or high-tech industry) and/or service role (healthcare, education, retail) + residential

Land use

Residential, industrial, for services, open space, for recreation, transport routes

Favorable factors when choosing a site for a city

Reliable supply of water, freedom from flooding, level sites to build on, timber for construction and fuel, sunny, south-facing slopes (in the northern hemisphere), fertile soils for cultivation, potential for trade and commerce

Megacities growth causes

Economic growth, rural-urban migration, high rates of natural increase due to a large population of young adults who migrated in search of jobs

Hierarchy of settlements

Hamlet (<100) - village (100-1,000) - small town (1,000-26,000) - large town (26,000-100,0000) - city (100,000-3,000,000) - conurbation (3,000,000+); increasing population size and number of functions (services) provided

Conurbation

Extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city

Bid rent

The value of land varies for different different purposes

Reasons why the land at the centre of a city is most expensive

1. It is (or was) the most accessible land by public transport

2. Only a small amount is available

Land prices generally decrease away from the most central area, there are minor peaks at the intersections of major transport routes

Hierarchy of retail outlets in cities

Low-order goods in neighborhood stores and shopping parades - high-order goods in high street shops, department stores - out-of-town superstores and retail parks

Factors explaining the change in the retail hierarchy (CBD decline, growth in the number of superstores and retail parks built on edge-of-town sures with good accessibility and plenty of space for expansion)

• Population change (smaller households, more elderly people)

• Suburbanization & wealthier households

• Technology change (e.g. more families owning deep freezes)

• Economic change (increased standards of living, car ownership)

• Congestion & inflated land prices in city centers

• Social changes (e.g. more women in paid work)

Central business district (CBD)

Commercial and economic core of a city, most accessible are to public transport, highest land values

PLVI

Peak land value intersection = region within a settlement with the most expensive land

Positive segregation

When ethnic groups choose to live closer together, they gain advantages by locating in one place, enough people to support services e.g. the majority of the South Korean population in London lives in New Malden - a number of Korean restaurant and supermarkets

Negative segregation

When population groups are excluded from certain areas

Dual economy

Formal economy (offices, factories, commercial buildings) + informal economy (e.g. servants, gardeners, maids, cleaners, taxi drivers) - small-scale, locally owned, labor-intensive

Characteristics of informal economy

Ease of entry, small-scale, labor-intensive, skills from outside the school system, unregulated (…)

Characteristics of formal economy

Difficult entry, formally acquired skills, protected markets (tariffs, quotas, licensing) (…)