Unit 4 Planning Sustainable Places

Urban Areas

Areas where the majority of people are employed in the secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors of the economy.

Rural Areas

Areas where the structures and functions are associated with primary activities such as agriculture, mining fishing and forestry.

Urbanisation

The proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas

Liveability

Wellbeing

Urbanisation

the process where an increasing percentage or proportion of a total population lives in urban areas rather than rural areas.

Urban Growth

the increase in the absolute number of people living in urban places.

economic inertia

urban multiplier effect

rural-urban drift

younger individuals migrate to cities for tertiary education and diverse employment. This movement leads to a 'circle of decline' in many rural towns, characterized by an ageing population and reduced economic diversity.

urban morphology

drives low-density residential growth on the periphery, and land use competition, which forces high-profit businesses into the Central Business District (CBD)

land use competition

explains why skyscrapers dominate city centers—only high-intensity functions like finance can afford the 'economic rent' of such accessible land

inertia

explains why buildings like the Perth Town Hall remain in place despite the high value of the land they occupy, often due to heritage protection or high relocation costs

spiral of decline

occurs when a community experiences population loss, particularly among young people, leading to a drop in demand for essential goods and services.