V Geography - Rural-Urban Links

Where are the main populated areas in the UK?

Major cities: London, Manchester etc.

Rural Pull Factors

• Cheaper cost of living

• Less pollution

• Slower lifestyle

Rural Push Factors

• Little job opportunities

• Little educational opportunities

• Bad transport links

• Ageing population

• Less variety of services

• Bad tech/broadband

Urban Pull Factors

• Many job opportunities

• Many educational opportunities

• Better sports facilities

• Better/more variety of services

• Better transport links

• Better tech/broadband

Urban Push Factors

• Pollution

• Busy

• Traffic

• More crime

• Higher cost of living

Sphere of Influence

Area surrounding a service of place that is directly affected through its social, political or economic factors

How does the urban-rural continuum and sphere of influence affect retail/services?

• More people are willing to travel further for the services

• Big companies are thriving

• Small companies are not

Counter-Urbanisation

People migrating from urban areas into rural areas for a better quality of life

Causes of Counter-Urbanisation

• Pollution in the cities

• Crime in the cities

• High cost of living in cities

• People seeking slower lifestyle

Impact on rural settlements of counter-urbanisation

• More stress on services and amenities

• More congestion

• Housing crisis

• Pressure on schools

Patterns of commuting and transport issues caused by them

More longer commuting into the cities from rural areas → Creates congestion in the roads → Creates pollution

The impact of urban spheres of influence and technological change on services in rural areas

More technological advances→ online shopping/ people shopping in out of town centres → less shopping on high streets and smaller businesses → businesses close → high street fills with shops like pound shops and fast food → less people with jobs

Remote Rural Depopulation

Lack of services in remote rural areas → young people leave → less working people → ageing population → birth rate declines → depopulation

Lack of job/ educational opportunities → young people leave → etc.

People buying second homes → drives up house prices → residents are unable to sustain rent or buy a property → may cause homelessness or leave residents w/ low level of disposable income

Strategies to create sustainable rural communities

• Better/affordable transport → reduce car ownership → reduce pollution

• More greenfield sites

• Build on brownfield sites

• Affordable services

• Active participation in the community

BedZED: Sustainable Community

• Use of recycled material

• Long lasting homes

Economic Factors affecting population in the UK

NHS → free healthcare → people living longer → ageing population/ overpopulation

Social Factors affecting population in the UK

Poverty/inequality → homelessness

Political Factors affecting population in the UK

Brexit → more migration → overpopulation

Consequences of an Ageing Population

• Strain on social care services

• Healthcare becomes an ever increasing demand as the elderly visit the hospital more often + are in beds for longer

• More people that need pensions→ could lead to a pension crisis

• Less people of working age → lower number of workers → economy shrinks → tax base shrinks

• Can have a strong influence when voting in elections

• Specific demands for housing

• Grey pound

Why the UK needs new housing

• More migrants

• More people living longer

• People buying second homes

Advantages of Brownfield sites

• Cheaper to buy

• More sustainable

• Have surrounding services already built in

Disadvantages of Brownfield sites

• More expensive to build on

• Must be cleaned and decontaminated

• High pollution

Advantages of Greenfield sites

Disadvantages of Greenfield sites

Economic factors that have affected Retail

Cultural factors that have affected Retail

• Types of shops changing as ethnic diversity grows → types of jobs changing

• Reduced plastic

• Ethical shopping

• Veganism

Technological factors that have affected Retail

• New technology changing the types of jobs that are available

• Online shopping

Benefits of out of town shopping centres

• Number of shops under one roof makes shopping easier

• Free parking

• Inside - can go in any weather

• Pricing may be lower

• Rents are lower

• Increase in footfall/customers

Costs of out of town shopping centres and online shopping

• Further away from other options

• Higher competition with other retail units

• Creates more traffic

• Harder for smaller/independent shops to be successful

• May not be accessible to some members of the community

Global City

A city that is well connected globally

Change of Distribution of Global Cities

Increased and spread overtime

Globalisation

Interconnectedness and interdependence of world cultures and economies

Connections of Global Cities through Transport

• International airports

• Other transport links like the Eurotunnel

• Train lines between countries

• Cruises

Connections of Global Cities through Trade/Tourism

• Trade allows the exchanging of culture

• Trade routes

Connections of Global Cities through Media

• Media hotspots - people may come to build a life in the media industry: Bollywood in Mumbai