Edexcel GCSE Geography Changing cities

Urbanisation

The increase in the number of people living in towns and cities compared to living in the countryside.

Emerging country

A country with high and medium human development (HMHD)

Developing country

A country with low human development (LHD)

Developed country

A country with high human development (HHD)

Natural increase

When birth rates are higher than death rates so population grows.

Major city

A city with a population of at least 400,000

Mega city

A city with a population of over 10 million.

Human Development Index

A measurement of life expectancy, education and gross national income per person used to assess progress of development.

Rural depopulation

The movement of people from rural to urban areas.

Population distribution

The pattern showing how population is spread over an area.

Population density

The number of people in an area, usually given as people per square kilometre.

Major urban centre

An area that has high population density, has houses, industry, shops and transport routes. Also known as built up areas.

Region

An area within a country

Rate of urbanisation

The speed at which settlements are built

Enclosure Acts

Acts of Parliament between 1750 & 1860 which stopped people being able to use the fields around them. Villagers had to move to find a better life, often to industrial towns.

Suburbanisation

The growth of a town or city into the surrounding countryside which usually joins villages to bigger towns (e.g Chellaston to Derby).

Urban-rural fringe

Where towns and cities meet the countryside.

Counter- urbanisation

The movement of people from towns and cities to countryside (rural) areas.

Re-urbanisation

The movement of people back into a city area, often after it has been modernised and improved.

Migration

The movement of people from one area to another.

Emigration

The movement of people out of a country.

Immigration

The movement of people into a country.

National Migration

The permanent movement (at least 1 year) of people within a country.

Conurbation

An area in which a number of existing urban areas have grown and merged into a single larger area (e.g. Birmingham and West Midlands)

Settlement function

The reasons for the growth of an area such as market town, industrial town, financial centre, political centre.

Physical factor

Natural features that encouraged the development of a town .e.g. a river for transport, port/natural harbour, shelter, good flat farming land nearby

Historical Factor

May be political reasons where towns grew because of the power held there.

Physical Factor

Natural features that may have affected the location of settlements (rivers, natural harbours, quality soils)

Industrial Revolution

During 19th Century many people moved to towns to work in the factories located to areas of natural resources such as coal and water power.

Tertiary industry

Jobs in service industry such as in shops, transport, health and education.

Quartenary industry

Jobs in hi tech industries such as software design, research and development. Footloose industries that need only good communication links and educated staff.

Site

The land the settlement is built upon

Situation

The human and physical features surrounding the settlement

Connectivity

The way a city is connected or linked to other settlements in other locations e.g. transport infrastructure (road, rail, airports) or hi tech communications

Residential

Area used for housing.

Industrial Zone

Areas used for manufacturing and industry

Out of town shopping centre

Designed with easy access for cars with free parking. Includes many different retail stores, many of which used to be found in city centres.

Internet shopping

People buying goods online, so they can shop from home.

Infrastructure

Includes road, rail and bus links as well as phone, water, electricity and gas supplies.

Suburban centre

Small shopping centres in suburban areas.

Public buildings

Buildings owned by councils that can be used by the public such as libraries, concert venues, schools

Terraced houses

Houses where they are joined to other house on both sides.

Semi detached houses

Houses that are joined on just one side to another house.

Detached houses

Houses that are not joined to another house.

Owner occupied

Houses that are lived in by the people that own them or are paying a mortgage on them.

Social housing

Houses owned by local councils or housing associations rented to people who cannot afford to buy their own house.

Affordable housing

Housing available for those on lower incomes, often for local people in popular areas.

Energy efficient housing

Homes are well insulated and may have solar panels, water capture systems to reduce the amount of energy needed to run them.

Sustainability / sustainable development

The ability to continue with a good quality of life without damaging the environment.

Green belt land

Protected land in and around cities, which cannot be built on to control the growth of cities.

Recreational land

Land used for sports pitches and parks to provide open space within a settlement.

Central Business District (CBD)

Often in the centre of urban areas with offices, shops and public buildings.

Zone of discard

Areas of older and abandoned shops and older office blocks.

Zone of assimilation

Expansion of the CBD, e.g. taking over old housing for services and offices (doctors etc.)

Inner City

Area around the CBD, often made up of old terraced housing, tower blocks and old factories and warehouses.

suburb

An area on the outskirts of a town or city, near rural areas.

Census

A count of the number of people in an area, includes other information such as age, religion, employment and ethnicity.

Inequality

The differences between rich and poor, found in all areas on small and large scale.

Index of multiple deprivation

Measures 38 items grouped into 7 main headings including income, employment, health, education, crime, access to services and living environment.

Disamenity zone

An area which suffers from disadvantages, such as poor transport and infrastructure ot lack of open space.

Housing shortage

Where there is a lack of suitable housing (may be many houses but they are too expensive for local people)

Under employment

Where there are not enough people to do all the jobs. Lack of workers in transport in 1950's led to immigration in the UK to fill the jobs.

unemployment

Where there are not enough jobs for all of the people.

Informal economy

The part of an economy (jobs) which is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government.

Squatter settlement

An area which consists of self build houses made from scrap materials and usually without piped water, electricity or sewage disposal.

Favela

Homes for the poor that are often unplanned and built from scrap materials. Often on marginal land which is difficult to build on (steep or with flood risks)

Pollution

Could be air or water pollution. Air pollution is worse where there is lots of traffic, water pollution is a problem where there is a lack of waste disposal and sewers.

Aquifer

An underground store of water which needs wells and pumps to access.

Quality of life

The general well being of individuals and societies.

Top down approaches

Improvement schemes run by the government. These are often large scale and very expensive. In housing they may require lots of people to move to new areas.

Bottom up approaches

Also known as self help schemes, small scale improvements carried out by the residents of an area. They may be given training and money to help with the improvements.