options urban

Wet point site

Close to a supply of water

Dry point site

Avoided the risk of flooding

Défensive site

On high ground and allowed inhabitants to see enemies from a distance

Threshold population

Minimum population to maintain something

Low order goods

Convenience goods- more frequently bought

High order goods

Comparison/comparative goods- less frequently bought

Sphere of influence

Extend from which people will travel to reach town

Millionaire city

>1 million

Megacity

>10 million

Global/world city

City considered to be an important node in global economic system

Metacity/megalopolis

Large-scale city regions, where a large number of cities merge

Urbanisation

Often an outcome of economic growth

Reasons for megacity growth

Economic growth/multiplier effect

Rural-orban migration (eg. China >200mil rural migrants work in biggest cities)

High rates of natural increase

Core frame model

Most common way to view distribution of economic activities within the CBD

Outer frame

Economic activities that require proximity to the CBD but also need significant land space

Eg educational institutes like universities

Inner frame

Peak land value intersection (PLVI), most expensive in real estate, good access from surrounding areas

Eg department stores, specialist shops, high rise offices, bans

Zone of assimilation

When core and inner-frame activities of the CBD are pulled outwards in that direction, perhaps bc of investments (transport links/urban development proj)

Eg Manchester’s bar area of Canal Street/extension of the island line in Hong Kong to Kennedy Town

Zone of discard

Where economic activity is declining (negative cumulative causation), maybe bc of closure of major store or lack of investment in development

Core doesn’t move at all- will remain at the best located part of the city (most attractive for business)

Urban poverty

Lacks solely financial resources to meet their needs

Urban deprivation

Lacks any kind of resources, not just income

Domains of deprivation

• Income

• Employment

• Education

• Health

• Crime

• Barriers to housing & services

• Living environment

Influenced to informal settlements

• Poor quality, overcrowded housing

• Risk of forceful eviction

• Lack of safe and readily available water supplies

• Poor provision for sanitation, drainage, and solid waste collection

• Lack of access to healthcare, emergency services, and policing

• Difficulty accessing education/govt. schools, and locations at high risk of disasters and with risk levels inc bc of CC

Characteristics to define settlements

• Site

• Population

• Function

• Hierarchy

• Growth process

Urban growth

Inc in the number of urban dwellers (classified by the respective country’s definition of urban areas)

Urban sprawl

Physical growth or spread of an urban area into the surrounding areas

Urbanisation

Inc in the proportion of a country’s population that lives in towns and cities

Causes are natural pop growth & rural-urban migration

Natural population growth

• Urban areas tend to have relatively young age profiles (usually young adults 15-40 migrating for a better QoL)

• Migrants in fertile years, natural inc higher, BR>DR

Rural-urban migration

Push factors: encourage people to move away from rural areas

Pull factors: attract them to urban areas

Gentrification

Improvement of housing in an area that was formerly poor and run-down

• Mainly carried out by middle-class residents/newcomers

• Purchase properties at cheaper prices- make repairs & improvements to inc housing value

• Benefits: rise in general level of prosperity and inc no and range of services&businesses/inc local tax income for local authorities/physical environment of the area improved/greater development opportunities created in areas eg design building and refurbishment

Tensions created by gentrification

• Gated neighbourhoods- criticised for reluctance to integrate new residents and the surround community

• Super/hyper-gentrification- area becomes excessively gentrified as a result of private and public investment reinforcing each other through positive feedback

Costs of gentrification

• low inc. ppl can’t afford higher property prices

• car ownership inc. congestion

• potential loss of business for trad local shops

• gentrifiers may be seen as a threat to trad community, causing friction

Benefits of gentrification