Urban issues and challenges

urban change, opportunities and challenges in Rio, social, environmental and economic opportunities and challenges in Cardiff and urban sustainability in Cardiff + Curitiba

Natural Change definition

Natural Change definition

the difference between the numbers of births and deaths for every hundred people per year

Urbanisaton

the increasing share of population living in urban areas

Foreign Direct Investment definition

money invested in infrastructure and facilities by foreign governments/companies

Formal Economy definition

the type of employment where people work to receive a regulaar wage, pay tax and have certain rights

Informal Economy definition

employment outside the official knowledge of the government

Urban Decline definition

the deteriortation of a city as a result of poor maintenance and lack of investment, characteristics of this include increased unemployment rates, decreased economic performance and poor housing and health facilities

Deprivation definition

the damaging lack of material benefits and resources considered to be basic necessities in a society, this concept is closely linked to poverty and substances

Inequality definition

the unequal distribution of money, goods and access to services within a population, such disparities can lead to uneven patterns of wealth, education, health and wellbeing

Urban Sprawl definition

the spread of an urban area into what used to be countryside, beyond the suburbs

Dereliction definition

the state of having been abandoned and come dilapidated

Rural-Urban Fringe definition

the landscape interface (or transition zone) between town and countryside

Brownfield Land definition

land that has previously been used for industrial or comerical purposed, and/or has already been built upon

Greenfield Land definition

undeveloped land in a city or rural area that is either used for agriculture, landscape desgin, or left to evolve naturally

Waste Disposal defintion

the removal and consequent destruction or storage of damaged, used or other unwanted domestic, agricultural or industrial products and substances

urban change in LIC/NIC

• people encouraged to move to urban areas as they have better employment opportunities, higher wages, general facilities, education and healthcare

• movement is more necessary as it will greatly imporve their quality of life by offering more opportunities and security

urban change in HICs

• less movement to urban areas as there are fewer differences between them and rural areas

• people inclined to move to/stay in rural areas for a more relaxed life with cheaper housing

• their access to healthcare and education is not majorly impacted

Rio’s importance - social

• wide range of transport networks so easy to access

• tourist locations - art galleries, museums, beaches + Copacabana (features in many movies + songs), Christ the Redeemer is one of the seven modern wonders of the worlld

• high quality services + infrastructure - healthcare and education

• many leisure activities- carnivals attract 5 million visitors a year

• culture - faith, cuisines, etc

• hosted olympics in 2016

Rio’s importance - political

• local/national government located in the city

• diversity of people voting

Rio’s importance - economic

• trade routes (rivers) to lots of places

• more job opportunities - greater in number and diversity

• company HQs

• companies use the port in Rio for imports and exports

• lagrest economy in South America and 8th largest in the world - Brazil has large companies in oil manufacturing, mining and telecommunications

push factors

• natural disasters

• poor quality services

• political conflicts

• lack of investment

• lack of leisure facilities

pull factors

• job opportunities

• education

• sanitation

• healthcare

• better nightlife

• high wages - tourism

• family + friends

• public transport

How has migration mproved Rio?

• more people working age encourages more companies to set up in city, creating more employment opportunities and reducing unemployment rate

• younger population created greater demand for certain services/facilities (eg. leisure, education) which creates even more employment opportunities

• more people means more consumer spending/more taxes paid to government enabling greater investment - improvements to services + infrastructure

How does migration challenge Rio - inequality?

• migration occured too quickly so not enough services and resources available for everyone

• many people can’t afford houses in the city and there aren’t enough jobs for everyone who needs one

• city can be split up into: richer families who can afford good housing and can access services easily, and poorer families who cannot afford any housing and struggle to access services and resouces - this is called inequality (a difference in quality of life)

  Poorer area: Rochina

• 2 public schools for 100,000 residents

• houses made of salvaged materials

• no waster removal in streets so rubbish is abandoned

  Richer area: Leblon

• 8 schools for 50,000 residents

• high class apartments and flats

• residents can walk on the beach

• tourist attractions and cultural sites including theatres

Other challenges in Rio:

• access to doctors and healthcare varies - can be shown in pregnant mortality rates which increase close to favelas

• 12% households don’t have access to clean runnign water - favelas don’t have water pipes built in houses, infrastructure and pipelines in city and damaged so clean water leaks

• many favela residents tap illegally into electricity of richer neighbours, electricity posts in streets can be very unsafe with many households connecting to one post - power cuts

• crime rates have increased in recent years, possible due to increase in unemployent so more poeple trying to make money including pickpockets, Rio has severe problem with youth crime and and gang violence (residents feel unsafe in homes as gangs patrol streets with gunds and trade drugs for profit)

• sewege is not treated and disposed of properly from all neighbourhoods - Guanabara Bay is polluted and wildlife has been damaged

Rio improvement strategies

Decrease Crime - police patrols aim to control the most violent favelas - scare away gang violence at night through arrests and raids ( + crime reduced and gangs dispersed, - locals don’t trust police and feel their privacy is invaded)

Improve Favelas - new favelas constructedd out of the city to overcome crowding + infrastructure added to existing favelas like bus services ( + residents have safer homes, - those who moved out feel isolated and lacking community)

Reduce Water Pollution - foreign aid used to invest in 12 new sewage plants, governments is also fining any ships that pollute in bay (+ bay will not become further polluted and money from fines can be invested into Rio, - pollution from past dumps still remains)

Access To Resources - medical staff are visiting homes to increase number of patients seen, more clean water pipelines and electricity cabling have been laid to increase supply (+ home visits have reduced infant mortality rates in favelas, - still many households tapping illegally into electricity)

Electricity supplies - installation of 60km of new power lines and a new nuclear generator, new HEP complex Simplico has been built increasing electricity supply by 30%

Curitiba’s Sustainable transport system

The Bus Rapid Transport system (BRT)

• bus lanes to allow faster, more efficient travel by bus (first city in Brazil to do this)

• cheaper to run than tube allowing affordable prices

• 80% travellers use BRT

• triple section bendy buses - carrys 2 mill passengers a day

• bus fare is same everywhere

• lots of bus stops, residents of Curitiba live no more tha 400m away from stop

• 25% less congestion now and 30% lower fuel consumption compared to other cities

Curitiba Sustainable waste management

Recycling waste since 1980s

• waste separated into 2 categories: organic and non-organic - and collected by separate trucks

• recyclable non-organic waste goes to plant

• Curitiba recycles 2/3 of its waste

• library of recycled books used by school children

• recycling scheme generates jobs, reduces landfill and is much cheaper than a landfill

• bus tokens given in exchange for recycled waste

• 70% households take part even though it’s voluntary

• ‘Green Exchange” introduced to reduce waste and help urban poor

• slum residents collect their own rubbish and council provides them with equivalent weight of fruit and vegetables

• saves council’s waste disposal trucks attempting to navigate narrow slum streets

Curitiba sustainable housing and urban spaces

Housing:

• COHAB programme provided 50,000 homes for urban poor

• addresses problem of housing affordability that often gave rise to squatter settlements

• “Site and Service" approach offers low interest loans on land and free housing designs to low income households

• enablesbetter quality housing and legal tenure

Open Spaces:

• 28 parks and wooded areas in Curitiba

• parks interconnected to maxmise use

• one park used for flood control from Iguacu River, designed to absorb flood water naturally

• saves money which can be used for social projects (COHAB)

• Curitiba has 4x recommended open space

• sheep used to maintain lawns (cheaper than lawnmowers)

Cardiff’s importance

• booming service sector, in 2015 60 major restaurant chains wanted to locate in Cardiff - stimulates economy and creates jobs

• thriving tourism industry - 18 million people per year

• accounts for 25% of £4.2 billion generated by tourism in Wales

• home to Welsh Assembly building and Milennium Stadium making it home to Welsh government and national sports teams

• ranked third best capital city to live in Europe (2016) and nominated for 2023 European City of Culture

• Cardiff Uni Brain Imaging Research Centre leads to global research into neurological disorders

Cardiff’s growth opportunities

• population increased by 46,000 between 2001 and 2011

• more people under age of 20 than over age of 65

• stimulates demand for education and provides a larger workforce to develop economy

• Millennium Stadium and Centre - stadium welcomes 1.3 million visitors for sporting events (eg. FA Cup final) and centre sees 13.5 million visitors since 2004 for performing arts events + employs over 1000 people

• new live music venues created through regeneration of existing buildings (The Tramshed and The Globe)

• Roath Lock - TV production facility (Doctor Who and Casualty)

Cardiff inequality

Education:

• half of the areas in Cardiff East are ranked in the 10% most deprived in Wales while this is onlu true for 3.4% of the areas in Cardiff North

• although GCSE results have been improving, there still remains a marked variability in performance between schools

Employment:

• significant difference in unemployment across the city in terms of the claiment count rate (number of people claiming benefits due to being unemployed)

Health:

• significant differences in life expectancy across city with a 10-13 year gap between some areas

• mortality from poor health is highest in south of city

Cardiff growth challenges

Urban deprivation:

• over 25% homes in Cardiff are living in relative poverty

• varies from area to area (some only 9% and others 48%)

Dereliction:

• stemmed from decline of coal industry

• most has been adressed through regeneration

• siginificant derelict buildings include Old Bute Town railway station and the Cardiff Coal Exchange

• some worry Cardiff’s sense of history lost is buildings decay

Urban Sprawl:

• 41,000 new homes need to be built over next decade to accommodate growing population and allow further economic growth

• 13,000 will be built on Greenfield land

• some will cause expansion of peripheral villages

Cardiff Bay - reasons for regenerations

• decline in Cardiff docks during mid to late 20th century owing to closer of coal mines and competition with other countries

• mass unemployment and outmigration followed dock’s declines (closure of East Moors Steelworks in 1978 lots 3200 jobs)

Cardiff Bay - impacts of regeneration

• 4800 flats and houses created

• 16,750 jobs created

• new office space to attract new businesses

• new commercail and leisure facilities created (Atlantic Wharf Leisure Village)

• 327 hectares of land reclaimed

• 79 hectares of open spaces created

• 26 miles of new/upgraded roadways

What is sustainable urban living?

planning cities with aims to improve social, economic and environmental conditions to ensure the quality of life for current and future residents

problems caused by traffic congestion

Emissions:

• discolour buildings

• acid rain

• impact health - respiratory conditions

• noisy

• unsightly

• slows essential emergency service vehicles

• lower economic productivity

how does greater use of public transport help relieve congestion?

• more space efficient (can carry more passengers than a private car)

• offers more efficient and direct routes - bus lanes

• reduce number of cars on the road

how do ring roads help reduce congestion?

• redirects through-traffic and heavy trucks away from city centers

• connects major highways facilitating more direct travel

• distribute traffic evenly around the city

is sustainable transport the key to urban sustainability?

for:

• reduced emissions - lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and mitigate climate change

• resouce efficiency - reduces need for extensive infrastructure and energy consumption associated with private cars

against

• implementation costs - expensive and requires significant investment in infrastrucutre and technology

• behavioural change - shifting public habits away from private car use can be slow impacting overall effectiveness of systems