Geography Paper 2 SECTION A - LONDON CS

why did London grow

• from 18th century onwards, new docks built along the River Thames increased the number of ships using London as a port

• its role as a port declined towards the end of the 20th century withe the opening of new docks on the coast

• however, Heathrow + Gatwick help maintain London’s global importance + importance as a tourist destination

international + national importance

• lots of large companies headquarters atre in London

• centre for:

  ➡ education, esp renowned uni’s

  ➡ legal + medical facilities

  ➡ culture, entertainment, tourism

• many of London’s iconic building + football teams are also often owned by foreign investors

stats

• London avg earnings ➡ £34473, UK ➡ £22044

• London % good GCSEs ➡ 62% UK ➡ 55%

• London murder rate ➡ 1.1/100000 UK ➡ 1.4/100000

population

• young ppl (20s/30s), esp uni grads, move to London for work ➡ higher pay, better social life, more jobs opps

• this age group is more likely to have children which leads to a higher rate of natural increase in London

• migrants add to London’s pop

ethnic groups

• 45% white UK

• 12% South Asian

• 13% Black

Newham (CIL)

• over 2 million living in poverty in London

• one of the most deprived boroughs in London

  • 4.1/1000 IMR, avg of other London boroughs is 3.3

  • 29.3% of 19 yr olds w/o GCSEs

  • 5.2% unemployment rate

  • 47.1% affordable housing

  • 20% of borough residents jobs are low paid, avg of other London boroughs is 16.4%

gentrification

• process of rising property prices + changing population

kensington + chelsea (CIL)

• richest borough

• residents earn avg of £65000

• 8/10 of UK’s wealthiest local authority areas are in London

• 10% of jobs ➡ low paying

• 79.4% passed 5 GCSE’s

other CIL

• environmental dereliction

• urban sprawl

  • decentralisation of offices

  • housing developments'

  • transport changes

  • new industry + business districts

  • cheaper to build on edge of city

• greenbelt

• London’s growing population

  • pop inc by 100000/y but only 20000 homes being built

    • build on derelict land

    • build up

    • sacrifice greenbelt

brownfield sites

• available since industry declined

• new dvlpmt can improve area

• reduces need for urban sprawl

• old buildings may need to be demolished first

• ground may need to be decontaminated

• public transport better in urban so less need for cars

• land more expensive in urban areas

greenfield sites

• public transport worse in rural so more need for cars

• inc urban sprawl

• land cheaper in rural

• valuable farmland/land for recreation may be lost

• no demolition/contamination needed

• natural habitats may be destroyed

• once land built on, unlikely to be turned back

commutes (CIL)

• pollution + congestion on public transport, traffic, rush hour etc

• ghost towns

  • decline in local services

  • local employment issues

• house prices inc

• inc inequality

• improvement in services

urban greening

• green roofs

  • 700 green roofs in central London alone

  • living spaces (habitat)

  • grow plants

  • slow down rate at which rain falls

• greater London national park

  • 60% open land

  • 3000 parks, 142 local nature reserves, 4 UNESCO world heritage sites

  • 3.8 m private gardens

  • 2019 ➡ World’s first ‘National park City’

• Greener city fun

  • Mayor created £12 m greener city fund

  • Community tree planting and green space grants

  • strategic green infrastructure projects

  • London’s urban forest (create new woodlands)

  • community engagements (national park city festival)

SINC (sites of importance for Nature conservation)

• london’s most important wildlife sites

• over 1400 identified ➡ nearly 2-% of London

• Sites of metropolitan importance ➡ best sites

• Sites of borough importance ➡ woodlands, rivers

• Sites of local importance ➡ nature close to home e.g parks

transport in London

• ULEZ + congestion charge

  • reduce levels of atmospheric pollution

  • discourages driving ➡ less traffic

  • costly for low income

  • black cab drivers exempt

• electric buses

  • tackles air quality health crisis

  • London currently has 20+ electric buses

  • expensive to build

• santander cycles

  • encourages ppl to use bikes instead of cars

  • attracts tourists

  • relatively cheap

  • not that major

• Elizabeth line

  • encourages regeneration

  • generates employment opportunities

  • boosts property values by 25%

  • inc inequality

  • £4bn over budget