Key Urban processes

What is Suburbanisation ?

the movement of people, businesses and retail out from the central city into new estates around the edge of the city called the suburbs.

Reasons of Suburbanisation ?

Larger and more modern houses with larger gardens

Perception of better ‘better’ school

Perception of fewer visible urban problems of crime etc

Perceived as a rise in status- moving to an ‘up market’ area 

Consequences of suburbanisation ?

Urban sprawl: Cities expand rapidly, growing onto greenfield land, causing the loss of agricultural land 

Congestion on roads into the city as people travel in for work/shop/leisure

Emergence of pockets of affluence and poverty 

Bland landscape of residential estates with very littler character

Counter-urbanisation

People, retailers and businesses leaving the city altogether and relocating in nearby smaller towns and ‘dormitory villages’. Reverse flow of urbanisation  

Reasons of counter-urbanisations

Desire for a semi-rural lifestyle in a village but wanting to be close enough to city for jobs/shops etc

Seen as more wholesome to bring up family

Increased ability of remote working due to technological development

Consequences of counter-urbanisation

Growth of villages and small/medium size towns onto greenfield land, and loss of agricultural land

Pressure onto greenbelt to permit development

Changes of villages from farming to suburbanised, loss of community spirit lost as more ‘incomers’ join 

Increasing house prices, prevents young locals from buying.

Deindustrialisation

A decline in the proportion employed in manufacturing industries

Industrial Revolution

!9th century emergence of factories in urban areas-stimulated urbanisation.

1970/80s

Decline in the proportion employed in manufacturing industries

Causes of deindustrialisation 

Competition from cheaper locations overseas

Relocation to lower-cost labour markets 

Exhaustion of raw materials 

Declining markets e.g. camera film processing 

Factory jobs replaced by automation 

Decentralisation

Transferring administrative, governance, planning and other functions from dominating urban areas to more local smaller urban areas (sometimes to reduce inequalities within a country)

The movement of shops, offices, people and other functions from the inner city to the suburbs or rural urban fringe (science parks, superstores and industrial areas)

Reasons of decentralisation

Cheap land

Room for expansion

Attractive environment, little pollution

Good accessibility

Workers and work available close by estates

Urban resurgence

Movement of people and economic activity from rural/suburb back to urban areas

Often stimulated by investment, through the growth of diversifying employment opportunities and providing improved facilities and infrastructure.

Examples of urban resurgence

Media, culture, Arts : MediaCity UK

Retail: The Trafford Centre

Sport: Old Trafford, Etihad Stadium

Transport: Manchester Airport, Metrolink tram network.

Causes of urban resurgence

Globalisation and technological change (East London Tech City)

Sporting Events (2012 London Olympics)

Environmental improvements (reduced dereliction, new public, green spaces, cleaned up waterways.

People choose to live closer to work/entertainment rather than having long, expensive commutes