Contemporary urban environments

What is urbanisation?

The percentage of the population living in urban areas

When was urbanisation most rapid in developed countries?

1850s/Industrial Revolution

What process is now happening in developed world cities?

Suburbanisation/counter-urbanisation

What is a million city?

A city with a population of over 1 million

In 1850 what were the only 2 million cities?

London
Paris

What is a megacity?

A city with a population over 10 million

What are some criteria that define a city?

NO SET CRITERIA
-size of settlement
-Density of housing
-Occupation of most of the inhabitants
-Population size
-Gov. legislation
-Services provided

How has the distribution of the world's largest cities changed?

-Used to be concentrated in the west e.g. London, Paris, New York
-Now more concentrated in the East e.g. Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai

Why is it difficult to define or count urban populations?

-Determining city boundaries
-Collecting census data (Homeless pop.??, how reliable is admin??)
-Mobile population- constant migration
-Cities merging- conurbations- how do you distinguish the city

Why are some countries now growing fast and others slowly?

Developed countries (HICs)- growing slowly- have lower birth rates and are now going through the processes of counter-urbanisation and suburbaisation
Developing countries (NEEs)- growing quickly- have higher birth rates and are going through process of urbanisation

What is decentralisation?

Moving things out of the city e.g. gov. buildings

What is gentrification?

When areas are improved by wealthy people and encourage re-urbanisation
--> lower income people then often forced out due to higher prices

What are the urban processes?

-Decentralisation
-Gentrification
-Dev. of brownfield sites
-Urbanisation
-Suburbanisation
-Counter-urbanisation
-Rural-urban fringe dev. of Greenfield sites
-Migration
-Studentification

Describe process of urbanisation

Definition (should know, on above card)
Due to-
Rural-urban migration into city
-HICs during 19th century but rapid in LICs + emerging countries

Describe process of suburbanisation

Outmigration (of people and functions) from urban area to edges of cities
HICs during 1920s + 30s as transport links develop

Describe process of counter-urbanisation

Outmigration from urban area to areas beyond the city
--> rural-urban fringe or rural areas

Describe process of studentification

Houses are sublet often to students- creates own culture
In other inner city areas

Describe process of migration

Foreign migrants to the inner city create concentrations of ethnic groups

Describe process of re-urbanisation/resurgence

Inner city redevelopment- renewal + regeneration encouraging people to move back in

Draw labelled diagram of urban processes

see picture

What are some push factors of rural-urban migration?

Largely due to poverty caused by:

-Population growth (same area of land has to support increasing numbers of people, can cause over-farming, soil erosion and low yields)

-Agricultural problems (inheritance systems cause land to be subdivided into smaller plots, debt taken out to support agricultural change)

-Agriculture becoming more global (Land previously used to grow food for local people now used to produce cash crops for sale to higher income countries- many rural communities driven off their land)

-Natural disasters (E.g. floods, tropical storms and earthquakes- people flee rural areas and do not return)

-Wars and conflict can cause people to flee

What are some pull factors of rural urban migration?

-Employment in factories and service industries (better paid work, increasingly high demand for unskilled labour in the cities)

-Earning money from informal sector e.g. selling goods on the street

-Better quality social services (education, healthcare, entertainment, tourism)

-A better PERCEIVED quality of life (partly fed by images in the media)

What makes a city a "world city"?

-A city that has international influence
-Important in the global economy
-Centres of international finance, TNC HQs and global communications
-Attracts tourists

What are some examples of world cities?

London, Paris, Tokyo, LA, Seoul, Beijing, Sydney

What is an alpha city?

The most interconnected cities
--> Highest ranks

what is a beta city?

Link moderate economic regions to the world economy
--> A second tier rank

What is a gamma city?

Linking smaller regions/states into the world economy

What is the most interconnected continent?

Europe

Why can Mumbai be considered as a world city?

-Home to Bollywood which produces largest number of films per year in the world
-Mumbai contributes to 40% of India's foreign trade
-Home to Mumbai stock exchange
-Many of India's TNCs have HQs in Mumbai
-Has a booming tourism industry e.g. Walt Disney

In Europe, during the Industrial Revolution, what led cities to grow larger?

-The agricultural revolution led to loss of work on the land but also produced a surplus of food that could be transported to towns

-Development of factory system, drew in labour closed to sources of power

-New forms of power (coal) led to industry being concentrated in the mining areas instead of. hit spread along rivers

-Improved transport systems- canals, then railways, then motorised vehicles

-Gradual improvements in public health allowed large numbers of people to live in close proximity without leading to the inevitable spread of disease

What were the benefits of urbanisation during the Industrial Revolution in the UK?

-Better paid jobs
-More access to services/resources (education, healthcare)
-More community spirit
-Improvements to healthcare
-Better quality of life
-Better access to food

What were the problems of urbanisation during the Industrial Revolution in the UK?

-Cramped
-Dark + cold
-Poor sanitation conditions
-Insufficient housing
-Dev. of disease
-Services struggling to keep up with influx of people
-Much pollution

Where is Mumbai located?

On the West coast of India in the Maharashtra state.

How has Mumbai grown?

-Originally a series of fishing villages- became a port- site favoured development
-British colonial admin in India developed the sheltered inlet into a major port
-City grew during British rule as variety of services grew up around the port
-Early growth concentrated end of peninsula --> access to sea on 2 sides
-Area around the port became industrialised- processing goods for exports + handing imports
-"Gateway to India"- closest port to sub-continent India for travellers from Europe
-Early growth concentrated end of peninsula -access to sea on 2 sides
-Continued to grow after British left in 1947

What are the problem's with the site of Mumbai now?

Restricts development as on narrow peninsula
--> poses massive challenge to urban planners

What is Narim point?

The hub of economic and financial activity; it's skyline has often been compared to Manhattan's

What is Asia's largest slum?

Dharavi
-->it is adjacent to the commercial sector

Describe Mumbai's docklands

Largest port in sub-continent
Handle over 25% of India's international trade

What are the push factors for Mumbai?

-Land shortages (tradition is father's land divided equally between sons)
--> Plots become too small to support a family--> malnutrition occurs
-Green Revolution reduced need for labour in rural areas as more machinery is now used
-Young people see farming as low paid + long hours, provides few prospects
-Incomes are very low and more malnutrition and overcrowding is occurring due to lack of and unsuitable farm land
-High yielding seed varieties (green rev.) were introduced needing more fertilisers and pesticides -->only large farms could afford the chemicals + machinery --> many small farms could not compete
-Educational + health standards much lower- hard to get teachers + doctors

What are the pull factors for Mumbai?

-Homes more likely to have services e.g. water, electricity + sewage
-Financial capital of India and many Indian companies + TNCs have HQs there
-Friends + family who have already moved can provide support in finding houses + jobs
-Access to good schools, unis, hospitals +dentists
-Investment in the public works offers potential of employment in public services
-Traditional industries of textiles + shipping and growth of TNCs have created many job opportunities

How do cities become mega-cities?

-Population growth
-Rural-urban migration
-Gov. policies
-Trading locations- ports
-Colonial influences
-Economic reasons

Describe population growth in Mumbai

-Greater Mumbai had pop. of 12.5 million in 2011
-Estimates suggest pop. of Mumbai will reach 25.8m by 2025

Describe rural-urban migration in Mumbai

Push + pull factors

Describe gov. policies in Mumbai

Try and find????

Describe trading locations- ports in Mumbai

-Became a port region
-Protected from Arabian Sea by peninsula- had access to sea on 2 sides
-British colonialism developed inlet into major port
-British viewed port as gateway to India
--> Port became industrialised- processing goods for exports and handling imports

Describe colonial influences in Mumbai

-Was called Bombay
-Until 1980s owed wealth to colonial past - Textile mills, port
-Local economy now diversified--> aerospace, optical engineering, medical research, renewable energy

Describe economic reasons in Mumbai

-Important economic hub of India--> 40% India foreign trade
-Many of India's TNCs are based in Mumbai e.g. Tata group
-Has many gov. and state workers

True or False: Mumbai is a 2-speed city

True

What is a 2 speed-city?

Contrasting levels of development- HIC people (millionaires + financial centres) living side by side with extreme poverty)

Describe Dharavi

-Approximately 1 mill. people live in 1 square mile
-Swamp area on low-lying land
-Originally centred around a fishing village
-Has distinct neighbourhoods- no maps or road signs
-Strong sense of community
-building is unplanned and unregulated
-Most densely populated slum on earth
-Little crime
-Owned by city (prime sites next to CBD)

What is employment like in Dharavi?

-High employment- 85% of people have a job- most in informal industry

Describe recycling in Dharavi

Recycling efficient- 23% of waste is recycled- an entire settlement has been built on the rubbish tip

Describe living in Dharavi

-water is rationed- goes on for 2 hrs a day
-Houses have electricity, no windows, open fires and many made of asbestos (can cause cancer)
-500 people share a toilet
-Open sewer where water pipe runs alongside
-Typhoid and other illnesses very common- 4000 cases a day
-Street turns into a mosque
-Local shops all close by
-Many people share a house
-Flexibility of living space

Describe Dobi Ghat

Community washhouse
-People wash together in water that an open sewer runs into
-Toxic sewer where children play
Neighbourhood meeting place- Even hard work done in a community atmosphere

What video did we watch where someone stayed in Dharavi?

Slumming it
-Presenter changed his perceptions of Dharavi

Describe Kumbar Wada

Centre of the slum
-Private community of 10,000 people
-Electricity supplied
-Thriving pottery community (living and working in same place)
-Threatened by outsiders

Describe the industry in Dharavi

-Illegal (unregistered and unregulated)
-$1 billion turnover per year (thriving)
-Many workers sleep in factories
-No minimum age- employs 12-14 yr olds-cheap labour
-Informal and untaxed
-Products often rebranded (rarely say made in Dharavi)

What are the houses like in Dharavi?

Small, makeshift houses--> corrugated iron, materials, asbestos
--> later get improved as family become more established
-Poor sanitation

What are the people like in Dharavi?

Smartly dressed- had nice clothes and looked clean
Children seem well educated- speak. English, go to school, have aspirations e.g. girl in vid wanted to be a lawyer
-Resourceful and hard-working
-Seemed kind and generous

To what extent is Dharavi a model for sustainable living?

-Efficient recycling and use of resources
-Good use of space --> pray in street (efficient)
-Living + working in same place/area
-Strong sense of community

How does Dharavi go against stereotype of a squatter settlement?

-People are happy living there - have thriving lives and jobs
--> low levels of crime, children educated, clean, kind people

What is the future for Dharavi?

-Providing sanitation and services for people
-->become flats/city
-Young people use e education so will leave poverty --> lower birth rate

How can slum solve problems of HIC cities?

-Living where we work
-Low crime
-Community

What is a suburb?

An area on the edge of the city where city dwellers have moved

What is a greenfield site?

Area that has not been built on before

What is a brownfield site?

Abandoned or derelict urban land that has been built on before

What is a green belt?

Post-war act which protects areas around the city where planning is very restricted

What is suburbanisation?

The process of people moving from the urban centre to the edge of the city
-Also referred to as urban sprawl
-Also includes movement of services, industry, retailing and leisure facilities to the edge of the city

What factors drive suburbanisation?

-Developments in transport e.g. dev. of railways, later cars, increase in car ownership, building of London Underground and other mass transits (suburbs dev. @ end of the line)

-Improvements in technology e.g. broadband, internet, mobiles--> means people can work in other places (working from home)

-Gov. policy--> planning decisions to build motorways, plan + rehouse inner city inhabitants e.g. council estates, new towns and green belt legislation of the 50s + 60s

-Deindustrialisation + centralisation--> movement/closure of secondary industries, FDI into declining areas of the UK, decentralisation of gov. buildings

-Increased wealth- as people get wealthier --> move out of the city

-Working from home

What happens in the 1930s to do with the growth of suburbs?

-Few planning controls + urban growth took place alongside main roads
--> ribbon dev.

Describe ribbon development

the building of houses along a main road

What happens in the 1940s to do with the growth of suburbs?

-Growth between ribbons became a concern --> led to dev. of green belts

What happens in the 1950s-1960s to do with the growth of suburbs?

Large scale construction of council housing took place on surburban fringe

What happens in the 1970s-1990s do with the growth of suburbs?

-Move towards home ownership--> led to private housing estates being built on urban fringe
-Became favoured location for new offices, factories + shopping outlets

What happens in the 2000s to do with the growth of suburbs?

New housing estates have been built in suburban areas along with local shopping centres + schools
-People continue to move to suburbs

What happens in 2020+ post-covid to do with the growth of suburbs?

Sped up working from home habit --> may further increase suburbanisation

What are the characteristics of suburbanisation?

-Predominantly residential areas (lack services)
-Have to be accessible (close enough to city, transport)
-Put pressure on Greenfield sites
-Cause an increase in proportion of people who live in towns and cities
-Dev. of rural urban fringe, in US edge cities
-Industries are also suburbanised (decentralisation)
-Socially segregated --> wealthier tend to live there, ethnic segregation
-Higher car usage

What are the push factors of suburbanisation? (move out of city)

-More pollution + congestion
-Overcrowding
-Expensive housing
-Lack of green space
-Deindustrialisation (industries moving out of city, may have increased unemployment)

What are the pull factors of suburbanisation? (often perceived)

-Nicer environment
--> less polluted
--> cleaner
--> less noisy
-More open space
-Larger houses (more affordable)
-Safer (lower crime rates)

What are the positive effects of suburbanisation on the inner city?

-Greater availability of space (bc people move out to suburbs) allows for improved communication networks
-Derelict land can be cleared in the inner city allowing for increased opportunity for environmental improvement of that land to create open spaces
-Suburbs mean there is less need for high rise, high density housing so this can be replaced by low rise, low density housing which is better for residents

What are the negative effects of suburbanisation in the inner city?

-Means more buildings are left vacant. These may look bad and so stop inward investment into the area
-Large income gaps between suburb and inner city lead to polarisation and resentment
-Can lead to decline of inner city area as skilled people and businesses move away
-Decentralisation of jobs leads to lower employment opportunities which leads to a spiral decline

What are the positive effects of suburbanisation for the rural urban fringe?

-As wealthy people move in, there is increasing demand for shops which in Britain has created demand for retailing which has resulted in the dev. of retail parks at the edge of the city
-Local tax base increases which means councils can afford to develop new facilities and services in the expanding suburbs
-Increasing employment opportunities in offices and shops e.g. business and retail parks

What are the negative effects of suburbanisation in the rural urban fringe?

-Green belt is put under increasing pressure
-There is increased commuting therefore increased congestion and pollution
-Decay of local village community atmosphere
-Land increases in price as demand increases at the city edge

What city did we look at for a positive view of suburbanisation?

Mexico City
-Suburb of Neza

Describe background of Mexico City

-World's second largest city (pop. of 20 million)
-Megalopolis built on a dried up lake in an earthquake zone (leads to liquefaction)
-Earthquake occurred and highlighted many problems- tighter restrictions on planning and quality of building control (1985)

What is one of the main suburbs in Mexico City?

Neza

What is the population of Neza?

Around 1.5m

Describe Neza's growth

-Built 'one home at a time' (people build their own homes)
-Urban sprawl in an unregulated, uncontrolled, unplanned way (60% grown through informal urban planning_
-Have become thriving communities--> not just residents but has shops as well
-People moved out of slums (wealthier middle classes- relative)

What are the issues in Neza?

-Pressure on infrastructure=
-little public transport, 4 million cars
-Service supply--> drinking water arrives on trucks
-Waste --> 13000 tonnes of waste produced a day

How was Neza built in a way that differs to how HICs build suburbs?

HICs tend to plan first- build infrastructure, roads and services then housing estates
Neza built houses first

What can HICs learn from Neza?

-Community atmosphere which we have lost
-->thriving and created by people who live there
-Has more markets and shops (vibrant, not just residential)
-Multigenerational families
-Live and work in same area (1 person had his business in his house)

What are the characteristics of the suburb of Neza?

-Crowded--> dense population
-Car-based
-Single story housing
-More shops--> thriving communities

What is the direction suburbanisation in Mumbai?

Northwards along major transport routes and now eastwards
(can only move those directions due to city location on peninsula)

Describe the suburbanisation of Mumbai

-Northward movement along rail and road corridors
-Areas around transport links developed
-These areas extend outwards
-Major railway stations have areas around them which have become shopping fronts
-The suburbs house wealthier middle + upper classes but poorer people will build huts in and amongst these areas usually on poor land quality

What are the consequences of suburbanisation in Mumbai?

-People are economically stratified (social segregation) into those that can afford better housing and those who cannot
-Majority of population of Mumbai lives in the suburbs
-Commuter traffic has changed- people go towards the suburbs now as well as to CBD due to increasing industrialisation of suburbs

What are satellite cities?

Edge cities

Describe Navi

-It is a planned town (like new towns movement in UK)
-Largest new town in the world
-Has population of 1,111,000
-Linked to Mumbai by road and rail bridges by an international airport
-Has many large tech firms e.g. international Infotech park at Vashi

What is the movement into Navi called?

Counter-urbanisation

Why was Navi developed?

To reduce congestion and population densities in Mumbai as Mumbai is restricted by its geography

How large is LA?

West to east, approximately 180km