Geography 5.1.1 Population , Economic Activities & Settlement

What is the population like in UK urban areas?

• Urban areas cover approximately 6% of the land area in the UK

• Urban core areas characteristics include:

  • Densely populated 

  • Home to 83% of the UK population

  • The focus for most economic activities (exceptions are primary activities: farming, forestry, mining)

  • Infrastructure hubs: train and bus stations

  • Cultural centres: museums, theatres, libraries

  • High property prices

What is the population like in UK rural areas?

• Rural periphery areas cover 94% of the land area in the UK

• Characteristics of the rural periphery include:

  • Lower population density

  • Ageing population

  • Economic activities tend to be primary or tourism

  • Cheaper land prices

What are the differences between the Urban Core and Rural Areas?

• There are clear differences between the urban and rural areas in the UK in terms of:

  • Settlements

  • Population density

  • Age structure

  • Economic activities

Differences between UK urban and rural areas

SettlementsDifferences between UK urban and rural areas

• The urban core refers to the densely populated city areas

• The urban core is surrounded by the urban fringe which has lower density populations

• When two or more urban areas merge together a conurbation is formed 

• Conurbations in the UK include:

  • West Midlands - Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley

  • West Yorkshire - Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Halifax

• Rural areas are those areas and settlements with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

• Rural settlements include:

  • Villages 

  • Hamlets

  • Dispersed settlements

Differences between UK urban and rural areas

Population Density

UK population density (people per km²)

• The population density of the UK is uneven

• The average population density is 281 people per km² 

• In urban areas this increases to over 5000 people per km² in London, Brighton and Luton

• In most rural areas it decreases to fewer than 50 people per km²

Differences between UK urban and rural areas

Age Structure

Percentage of population in age groups - rural v urban

• Urban core areas have the youngest average age 

  • In major conurbations the average age is 37.8 years 

  • In most remote rural areas the average age is 45.9 years

What are the main economic activities in rural areas?

• In rural areas the main economic activities are:

  • Agriculture (farming)

  • Mining

  • Forestry

  • Fishing

• Average earnings in rural areas (£22,500) are almost £2000 lower than in urban areas (£24,300)

  • This does not include London where average earnings are £ 36,800

• In rural areas there are the highest number of homeworkers (22%) compared with only 13% in urban areas

  • In remote rural areas it increases to 32%

• Many people living in rural areas commute to work in the urban areas

Government policies

• There are 48 enterprise zones across England 

• Enterprise zones which offer:

  • Reduced taxes on any profits made

  • Support with start up costs

  • Infrastructure - including internet access

  • Simplified planning to allow construction of buildings

• Post-Brexit, the UK government has developed policies such as 'Build back better' and 'Levelling up':

  • These target deprived areas through investing in development projects and infrastructure

  • £50 million to transform Morecambe Bay

  • £50 million for new train links in Cornwall

EU Policies

• Although the UK has now left the EU existing policies are still having an impact in some areas

• Regional Development Fund

  • These are available across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England

  • They offer:

    • Business grants 

    • Improved broadband access in rural areas 

Transport improvements

• Both Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 are now part of the governments Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands

• Planned improvements include Northern Powerhouse Rail which planned:

  • New tracks

  • Electrification of the railway to decrease travel speeds from Manchester to Leeds - this has since been scaled back and the high speed line will go from Manchester to Marsden, West Yorkshire

• HS2 is a planned high speed railway from London to Manchester due 

  • This would reduce travel time from Birmingham to London by 30 minutes down to 52 minutes

  • The planned link from the West Midlands to Leeds has been reduced and will now only reach East Midlands Parkway in Nottingham

• In 2021 Highways England announced a £200m investment to improve roads in the south west of England including areas of South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall

• There are also plans to improve upgrade the A66 Trans-Pennine route