Paper 2 Section B - The UK's evolving human landscape

Completed flashcard set

Explain the differences between the UK’s urban core and rural areas

Population density, age structure, economic activities, settlement

Population density:

• Population density is highest in the urban core

  • Employment opportunities

  • Access to services

  • Better transport links

Age structure:

• The urban core has a younger population

  • Young population in urban core

    • Employment opportunities

    • Universities and colleges

    • Better transport links

  • Ageing population in rural areas

    • Older people prefer a quiet, peaceful lifestyle

    • Rural areas have cheaper and larger houses for retired people

    • Retired people no longer need employment

Economic activity:

The urban core has more economic activity

• Urban:

  • Mainly tertiary jobs

  • Higher paying jobs

• Rural:

  • Mainly primary jobs (fishing, farming, forestry)

  • Seasonal tourism

  • Some rural settlements become commuter settlements, where people live there and commute into the urban core for work

Settlement:

• Urban:

  • High population density

  • Buildings are close together, multi storey developments

  • Mainly commercial and residential land use

  • Limited green space

  • Good transport opportunities

  • High number of services and facilities (education, healthcare, shopping, entertainment)

  • Many tertiary jobs

• Rural:

  • Low population density

  • Buildings are far apart, large detached and semi-detached homes with gardens

  • Mainly agricultural land use, leisure activities (eg. golf)

  • Lots of green space

  • Poor transport opportunities

  • Poor services and facilities (people will have to travel for good education, healthcare, shopping and entertainment)

  • Mainly primary jobs

Explain why there are inequalities between the urban core and rural areas

• Lack of employment opportunities, low paying jobs, poor transport links

therefore,

• People migrate away, depopulation, causing a loss of services as they can no longer be supported (less taxes, less demand)

• Rural areas that have experiences de-industrialisation which caused a loss of jobs

• Depopulation

Explain how EU and government policies have attempted to reduce inequalities between the urban core and rural areas

Enterprise zones, investment in transport infrastructure, regional development

• Enterprise zones

  • These give companies reduced taxes, simpler planning rules, improved infrastructure

  • Encourage companies to locate in areas of high unemployment, bringing jobs and income which can help rural areas to develop

• Transport infrastructure

  • Reduces travel times and congestion

  • Rural people gain better access to employment, bringing higher incomes

  • Improved access to services

  • Makes the areas more attractive to business, encouraging them to invest, providing employment

• Regional development

  • Regional development is government or private investment to improve less developed regions.

  • Funds infrastructure, provides training to improve local people’s skills

  • Encourages business to invest, providing employment

How has national and international migration changed the population geography of the UK?

Numbers, distribution, age structure

Population has increased:

• More people have moved to the UK than left, causing a net population increase

• Many migrants are of child bearing age, increasing the birth rate, increasing the rate of natural increase

Migration has increased population density in urban cores:

• International migrants move to major cities for universities and employment

Migration has increased the proportion of young people in the population:

• Migrants are usually young as they are usually of working age migrating for better employment or education

• Many migrants are of child bearing age, increasing the birth rate

How has UK and EU immigration policy contributed to increasing ethnic and cultural diversity?
What are the impacts of this migration?

UK and EU immigration has increased ethnic and cultural diversity

• Commonwealth act: after WW2, the UK encouraged immigration from commonwealth countries (eg. Caribbean, India, Pakistan) to fill shortages in the UK workforce

  • Causing a high proportion of Caribbean and Asian ethnicity

• in 1970s UK became a member of the EU, allowing free movement of people within member countries

  • Increasing the proportion of European migrants (eg. Polish) as they migrated for employment

Brings skilled migrants that fill gaps in the economy and services so people have access to doctors and teachers. Increased cultural diversity through: languages, food, arts, festivals and fashion.

Can cause overcrowding, strain on services, increase unemployment as there are less jobs to go around, some ethnic groups remain segregated and hostilities can arise.

How and why have primary and secondary employment sectors changed in regions of the UK?

Primary and secondary industries have declined

Primary:

• Increased mechanisation, so fewer people are needed for jobs

• Mining industry declined due to competition from abroad and cheaper alternative fuels

Secondary:

• Decline in manufacturing due to cheaper imports from other countries

This has caused mass unemployment and decline in these regions.

How and why have tertiary and quaternary employment sectors changed in regions of the UK?

Tertiary and quaternary sectors are growing.

Tertiary:

• People have more disposable income, so there is more demand for labour in the service sector

• De-industrialisation caused a shift to service based industries

Quaternary:

• More people attend higher education, so universities supply a skilled labour force

• Improvements and advancements in technology increase the demand for IT specialists, researches and data analysts

What is FDI and why has it increased in the UK?

FDI is when a company based in another country invests money in a different country in the form of:

• buying land or buildings, locating their factories/offices there

• buying all or part of a pre-existing business

Increased due to: globalisation, privatisation, free trade policies

• Globalisation: the process of countries becoming more integrated and interconnected

  • Transport and communication links have improved, making it easier for foreign companies to operate there

  • Globalisation has allowed London to develop as a global financial centre, with many foreign banks located there; FDI increases due to the great business culture and networking opportunities

• Privatisation: services that were previously run by the government transferred to private ownership and control

  • Creates opportunities for FDI as foreign companies take over these services or merge them with their own companies

• Free trade policies: eliminating barriers like tarrifs and import and export restrictions, allowing goods to flow freely between countries

  • Makes it easier to trade, import raw materials and export products, encouraging companies to invest in the UK due to the trading opportunities

Describe the role of TNCs in the UK economy

Positives:

• Creates jobs

• Allows large scale projects and infrastructure to be built that the UK government cannot afford

• TNCs bring new technology, products and business practices that can be adopted by other firms to increase productivity

Negatives:

• Local businesses can struggle to compete

• UK is becoming over-dependent on TNCs, meaning that if a TNC leaves, it can lead to economic collapse

• Many profits are sent back to the TNC’s home country

Describe the significance of site, situation and connectivity of London

Site:

• Located on the flat floodplain of the river Thames, low lying, which means it is easier to build on allowing urban expansion and transport infrastructure

• Thames provided early trade opportunities historically

• Central in UK trade networks

Situation:

• Close to the South coast, easy access to Europe providing close proximity to ports for trade

• Close to South East’s major cities

Connectivity:

• Many motorways, rail networks and international airports

• Ports for global trade

Why is there inequality in services, education, employment and healthcare in London?

• Services

  • In deprived areas, people have lower incomes, so pay less taxes and the councils have less money to invest in services

  • Deprived areas usually have a dense population, which puts pressure on services

• Education

  • The best state schools are over-subscribed and difficult to get into, and parents cannot afford to send their children to fee-paying schools; leads to a cycle of poverty as children receive a poor education, leading to a limited range of employment opportunities and lower incomes

• Employment

  • Low paid service jobs

• Health

  • Healthcare is free on the NHS, however services are often overwhelmed and take long periods of time to access, and poorer people cannot afford private healthcare

  • Cannot afford healthy food, gym memberships; live in areas where there is a lack of green space, densely populated and air pollution

Describe the city’s structure in terms of its functions, building age, building density, land-use and environmental quality

• CBD

• Inner city

• Suburbs

• Urban-rural fringe

• CBD:

  • Mainly commercial and financial centre

  • Mix of historical buildings and new high-rise offices

  • Very high building density

  • Mainly offices and shops

  • Poor air quality, lack of green space

• Inner city:

  • Low class residential and high class residential

  • Mostly older Victorian and Edwardian houses, some modern apartments from regeneration projects

  • High density

  • Poor environmental quality, lack of green space

• Suburbs:

  • Mainly residential, some commercial

  • Mostly 20th century housing

  • Medium density, some houses have gardens

  • Better environmental quality than inner city, more green space

• Urban-rural fringe

  • High class residential, leisure, industrial parks

  • Mix of new developments and older farm buildings

  • Low density

  • Farms, green spaces, golf courses, residential

  • Very good environmental quality

What is meant by decline of a city?

• Population decline

• Loss of jobs/ employment

• Physical deterioration (derelict buildings)

• Reduced tax revenue, so decline of services as councils cannot continue to fund them

Why has the inner city and CBD of London declined?

What has this caused?

Inner city:

• De-industrialisation

  • Cheaper imports due to globalisation

  • Advancements in machinery and technology, mechanisation

This causes mass unemployment and depopulation as people move away

• Buildings left derelict

• Decrease in services as there weren’t enough people and money to continue them

CBD:

• De-centralisation (shops move out of the CBD), as shops cannot afford to pay the high rent in the CBD. Shops and industry locate in business parks on the periphery of the city where land is cheaper and better transport links.

  • Growth of out-of-town shopping centres, retail and business parks

• Growth of e-commerce - less demand for physical shops, so less customers and income, less profit and are forced to close down. Some are forced to move to the periphery of the city where there are good transport links to distribute goods to online shoppers more easily.

How and why have the inner city and rural-urban fringe seen economic and population growth?

About creating jobs and then people moving in.

Growth of inner city and CBD:

(including growth of finance and business in CBD)

• Studentification

  • High student population benefit services and entertainment venues, generating new jobs and wealth for the area, causing economic growth

• Gentrification (wealthier people move in and regenerate the area by improving the houses)

  • Creates a higher tax revenue for council, allowing investment and regeneration

  • New businesses locate here to cater for the wealthy newcomers

    • Generating jobs and profit, causing population growth and economic growth

• There has been a growth of finance and business in the CBD

  • Many TNCs locate businesses due to its business culture and importance as a financial centre

  • Many foreign banks locate here, which benefit from being close to each other (labour pool, client pool, sharing of market information).

  • This attracts further TNC investment and creates jobs, causing population growth and economic growth

• Investment by TNCs

Growth of rural-urban fringe:

• Growth has caused urban sprawl (outward, often unplanned expansion of cities and towns into surrounding rural land as land is cheaper, less congestion) -

  • Many large shopping centres and business locate there due to cheaper land, less congestion, more parking space

  • This creates many jobs (especially due to lower population density)

  • Industrial areas, like business parks, also locate here, creating jobs

• Investment in culture and leisure // regeneration // investment in transport links

  • Creates jobs and people move for better quality of life

  • Eg. London hosted Olympic games in 2012. There was investment to create sports stadiums (which are now open for community use), more green space and to improve transport links.

For a UK city that you have studied, explain reasons why some parts of the city have experienced growth.

• New transport links (1) eg. the Elizabeth line (1), makes areas more accessible and easy to reach (1) so businesses grow and develop there (1) so people move into the area

• (Studentification, gentrification)

• Growth in some areas because of regeneration (1) which has attracted inward investment (1) creating jobs (1) which lead to people moving in (1)

What is meant by the regeneration and rebranding of a city, and what are its positive and negative impacts in London?

Regeneration: bringing improvements to an area through new and better buildings and services

Rebranding: improving a place’s image so people will want to go there, usually through marketing

Positives:

• Transport links are improved

• Environment is improved as green space is created

• Businesses are attracted back, more job opportunities

• Population increases, so more people are spending money on local businesses, allowing them to thrive

Negatives:

• Many local people are forced to leave as they can no longer afford to live there

• Traditional businesses and community centres are closed to make space for new services to cater the wealthier newcomers

• Existing communities are broken up

How are London and its surrounding rural areas interdependent?

What are the benefits and costs of this?

Labour:

• Many people commute to London from surrounding rural areas to work

• Students and young professionals move into London for work

Goods:

• London relies on surrounding rural areas for food (farmers sell their produce to supermarkets)

• Many rural people travel into London for shopping

Services:

• London has excellent hospitals and private schools that rural people travel to use

• Many Londoners travel into the countryside for leisure activities (eg. play golf, walk)

Benefits:

• Rural businesses have an increase in business as commuters live in rural areas and use the services; Londoners also travel into the countryside to use leisure services

• Less pressure on housing in London

Costs:

• Some areas become commuter settlements, leaving villages empty during the dat, so some shops and services may close due to reduced demand

• New housing estates and leisure facilities are built in the countryside, which affect wildlife habitats

• Lots of commuters drive to train stations to catch the train into London, causing additional traffic, congestion and air pollution

Explain the social and economic changes rural areas experience due to their links with the city

Eg. Sevenoaks District

• Counter-urbanisation

  • Puts pressure on housing and raises house prices

• Increased leisure and recreation services

  • Due to demand from people in the city

• Population changes

  • Greater proportion of older people as younger people move into the city for employment and education, causing a decline in services

Describe the challenges for rural areas around London, what are the impact of these challenges? (3)

LINK TO SEVENOAKS DISTRICT

• Decline in primary employment

  • Due to mechanisation and advancements in technology and machinery, the number of workers needed in agriculture in rural areas have decreased

  • Fewer businesses and industries overall, so less job opportunities; limited public transport to reach jobs that are there

  • Seasonal employment/ tourism jobs mean that some people have inconsistent incomes

Impact: unemployment, poverty

• High house prices, lack of house availability

  • Rural areas surrounding London (Eg. Sevenoaks district which borders London) have higher house prices as it is within commuting distance to London

  • Rural housing is desirable due to more space, green space, peaceful and quiet way of life

Impact: creates a challenge to provide affordable housing for young people, whose incomes are often lower

• Healthcare and education

  • Ageing populations require more healthcare and special facilities (eg. nursing homes)

  • Declining population causes schools and services to close

Impacts: young people have to travel long distances to get to school. Elderly people may not own cars, so struggle to get to shops and healthcare facilities that are sparse and far away.

Explain how new income and economic opportunities are created by rural diversification, describe their environmental impacts

Rural diversification: farmers finding alternative methods of making money (eg. by farm based activites, new business)

• Farm shops

  • Land can continue to be farmed

• Accommodation (eg. caravan parks, campsites)

  • Large caravan parks can be unsightly; pressure on the natural environment due to many visitors through increased use of water, energy, waste; damage wildlife habitats

• Leisure activities

  • Land is built on to create car parks, visitor facilities, traffic increases in the area creating air pollution

Explain two ways in which TNCs (transnational corporations) have changed the economy of the UK.

Increasing jobs in some sectors (1) because of inward investment (arrival of money from into a country’s domestic economy from foreign companies) e.g. Nissan, Tata (1)

Growth of London as a financial centre through TNCs in the banking sector (1) so more foreign banks established here

TNCs have caused a shift from manufacturing to service based economy (1) as TNCs such as microsoft and google invest in sectors like technology and finance rather than heavy industry (1) which creates more jobs in services (1)

Help regenerate deprived areas (1) by investing in transport infrastructure and providing jobs (1) allowing people to access higher paying incomes (1)

(b) Explain two reasons for regional variations in ethnic diversity.

• Job availability is greater in cities

• So more migrants seek larger cities for work eg. London

• Migrants seek living spaces where there are established communities of their ethnic group

• so large cities with those specific cultural assets are attractive

For a UK city that you have studied, explain the strategies that have been used to make urban living more sustainable.

Employment, recycling, green spaces, transport, energy-efficient housing

Employment:

• Creation of London Living Wage (1) encourages businesses to pay a fair wage taking into account the high cost of living in London (1)

  • (Improves the economy, people can make sustainable choices)

• Skills programmes

Recycling:

• Councils collect household recycling waste (1) increasing recycling (1)

Green spaces:

• 40% is public green space (1)

Transport:

• Congestion charges reduces traffic in the centre of the city (1) which reduces the air pollution from vehicles (1)

• Investment in bike lanes and electric buses encourages people to use public transport (1) reducing the number of cars on roads, reducing air pollution (1)

Energy-efficient housing:

• Housing schemes eg. Bed ZED create communities with mixed use (1) to reduce travel and therefore reduce carbon emissions

• Subsidies for residential properties to use solar panels (1) reduce fossil fuel usage (1)