urban futures

what is a city?

a large permenant human settlement

why is it difficult to define what is a city?

• different countries require different populations in areas to consider them cities

• for example, a city in england needs to have at least 300,000 people meanwhile a city in sweden needs to have at least 50,000 people

why did cities first develop?

• after using techniques such as irrigation people could create permenant settlements and produce more food which led to food surplus

• as farms grew, more people would build even more settlements close by to access food and find work, this led to increased migration

• during the industrial revolution, migration increased as more jobs were available and urbanisation occurred as a result

how much will acs, edcs and lidcs urbanise in 2030 from 1970?

• acs: average of 20% eg, uk 60-80% to 80-100%(low positive change)

• edcs: average of 40% eg, brazil 40-60% to 80-100%(highest positive change)

• lidcs: average 27% eg, ethiopia 0-20% to 20-40%(high positive change)

what is a megacity and what are the characteristics of megacities?

a city with a population over 10 million

• massive

• often industrialised

• often capital cities

• often found in edcs

what are the characteristics of megacities sorted into advantages and disadvantages?

• disadvantages:
  -congestion

  -air pollution

  -inadequate housing

  -social unrest

  -marginal groups (groups of people not part of mainstream society)

• advantages:

  -social opportunities (eg,schools,cinemas..)

  -variety of employment

why are megacities important?

• greater financial stability provides couples the confidence to raise larger families, increasing the rate of growth without a rapid rate of immigration

• many urban areas get denser as they grow, this could potentially bring economic benefits in the longer term→ people are concentrated in a small area rather than causing an urban sprawl

• often have better and more varied provision of public services, government invest in these areas more

• greater civic identity→ people feel proud to be apart of the city, becomes part of their identity

how has the global location of megacities changed since 1950?

• in 1950, there were 2 megacities and in 2014 there were 26

• in 1950, the 2 megacities were in advanced countries(usa and japan)

• however, in 2014 most megacities were located in edcs in southeast asia eg, dhaka

what is a world city?

a city which is considered an important hub/node in the global economic system, they have iconic status and buildings

why did urban growth take place in acs and why are they not able to grow as much?

• urban growth took place in advanced countries during the industrial revolution of the late 1700s and early 1800s

• an increase in population and building of new houses has led to an urban sprawl

• they don’t grow as much as most people are born in urban areas as urbanisation has already occurred

• there’s little potential for urban growth- 70% of the population live in urban areas

why is urban growth taking place in edcs and lidcs?

• edcs and lidcs tend to have towns and cities with youthful populations as younger people in rural areas move to urban areas seeking employment

• as many people are child-bearing age there is a high birth rate in these areas which leads to a rapid natural growth, this trend will continue

what are characteristics of world cities? name some from london

• financial services, home of an important stock exchange or major banks- bank of england

• cultural opportunities such as opera, ballet, cinema, live music- royal opera house, o2

• highly rated universities, often specialising in research- imperial university(good for economics) and lse(good for banking and finance)

• a centre for business innovation- canary wharf

what is the distribution of world cities?

• most are located in europe eg, london

• one anomaly is johannesburg which is the only world city in africa

why is there rapid urbanisation in ulanabataar, mongolia?

• rapid rural-urban migration occurs because people are seeking a better quality of life and more opportunities such as education and healthcare

• an occurrence called dznd, when temperatures are so low farmers livestock die, forces farmers to migrate

• internal growth is when younger people migrate to urban areas and start families increasing population

what is a ger district?

• many people in mongolia live in a ger (a portable round tent)

• it can be taken apart and put together

• it allows farmers in rural areas to move around the country with their animals

• however, as many farmers have moved to ulanbataar there is now a ger district in an urban area

what are some push and pull factors?

• push

  -conflict/war

  -poverty

  -natural disasters

• pull

  -good healthcare

  -good education

  -jobs

how can internal growth lead to rapid urbanisation?

• once people arrive in the city seeking employment and housing they tend to have children

• this is because younger people are the ones moving to urban areas

• 1/3 of the total population live in the capital, ulanbataar

why can lidcs not keep up with rapid urban growth?

• the resulting growth is often unplanned

• the services and infrastructure are unable to keep up with the growing population

define infrastructure

the basic physical and organisational structures and facillities needed for modern society to function eg, buildings, roads, power supplies

define informal housing/squatter settlements

a residential area which has developed without legal claims to the land or permission

define internal growth

natural increase (br higher than dr) within an urban area

define informal sector

the part of an economy that is not taxed or monitored by any form of government

define rural-urban migration

the movement of people from countryside to city areas

define quality of life

the extent to which an individual is healthy, has a suitable social, economic and environmental situation and is able to enjoy life

what is the pattern of urban slum incidence?

• countries in north america and europe have a low incidence of urban slums- less than 10%

• however, most countries in africa, specifically in central africa have a very high percentage over 60%, an exception is zimbabwe

what are the negative consequences of rapid urbanisation?

• not enough jobs-unemployment and crime

• not enough houses- squatter settlements develop

• no rubbish collection-toxic rubbish heaps

• jobs in informal sector- unregulated long hours, low pay and poor conditions

• infrastructure can’t keep up-no basic services

• road system can’t cope- congestion leads to air pollution

• lack of access to education-can’t get skills to get better jobs

• sewage and chemicals dumped in rivers-wildlife and humans harmed

• inequalities develop

how might the urban structure of an lidc differ from an ac?

• in an ac, the high quality housing is located at the edge of the city

• there are no shanty town settlements in ac cities

• this is because land is cheaper in an ac the further away you are from the city as it is less in demand

• transport is much better in acs, in the suburbs there is less air pollution so the quality of life is much better but they can’t as easily access transport to get to work

why are squatter settlements often found at the edges of urban areas in lidcs?

• people live here as they can’t afford to live close to the cbd

• land is empty as transport and houses are poor quality

• ex-industrial land is undesirable as it is polluted

what are characteristics of a cbd(central business district)?

• normally the first area in the city to be built

• full of shops, offices, banks and restaurants, very few houses here

what are the characteristics of an inner city?

• houses built mainly before 1918(older)

• many factories are now closed, area looks run down and some redevelopment might be taking place

• land values are high so buildings are tall

what are the characteristics of the suburbs?

• larger houses with gardens, some parks and shops

• this area is mainly residential

• new housing and housing estates, new shopping centres, parks and leisure facilities

what are the characteristics of the rural-urban fringe?

• the least densely populated area

• some land protected from development eg, green bell

what is suburbanisation?

the process by which the suburbs (residential areas on the edge of a city) grow as the city expands outwards

what are the causes of suburbanisation?

• people want a better quality of life, especially for their children

• people perceive that these areas have less air pollution and overall are safer

• people can buy larger houses for less

what are the consequences of suburbanisation?

• people have a longer commuting time to work

• poorer air quality due to the increase in population

• empty housing in the inner city

• increase in congestion

what is counter-urbanisation?

the movement of people out of cities into the countryside and smaller towns

what are the causes of counter-urbanisation?

• people are often looking for a more peaceful place to live and perhaps raise a family

• they believe that crime rates may be lower and the cost of living is less than in the city

what are the consequences of counter-urbanisation?

• decentralisation of people, employment and services towards the edges of urban areas

• house prices in these locations have increased in recent years

• locals notice that the area is changing due to gentrification and prices of homes are increasing

what is re-urbanisation?

the process of moving back into city areas

what are the causes of re-urbanisation?

government have initiatives to target more deprived areas in the city for additional investment to support the growth of industry which otherwise may struggle to attract investment

what are the consequences of re-urbanisation?

• a lack of affordable housing can lead to expensive apartments ending up empty

• traffic congestion due to increased numbers of residents

• new houses and jobs are created

• poorer quality of life→air and noise pollution

explain from this image how people/migrants move over time

• when people are in their 20s they usually live in the inner city so they have a short commute to work

• when they get older they may want to move to the suburbs to start a family

• after having a family, they may seek a better quality of life for their children so they may move to the countryside as they perceive that the countryside is safer and has less air and noise pollution

• as their children grow and no longer require their care, some will return to the inner city they lived in

describe the location of london and how its location helped its development

• london is located in the south east of england

• the m25 surrounds london

• the m1 is in london as well as other motorways

• london is 120 miles south east of birmingham

• in the past, a lot of trade was accomplished by boat so they could transport goods to northern europe

• excellent infrastructure eg, railways and motorways

how did london develop?

• started as a roman settlement with a population of 30,000 (londonium)

• it has expanded physically by 60% over the past 100 years

how important is london within the region, country and wider world?

• london has a major influence on its surrounding area, companies are attracted to the region by proximity to london, which increases jobs and wealth, the south east and east of england are the two biggest regional economies in the uk outside of london

• london is the uk’s capital city and is an essential part of the uk’s economy, over 20% of the uk’s capital comes to london, it is also the centre of the uk’s transport system- with road, air, rail and shipping links

• london is important globally too, it’s a world city and along with new york one of the two most important financial centres in the world, there are more foreign banks in london than anywhere else

how big is london?

• london has a population of 9.6 million, london is growing by over 100,000 people per year

• there are more people living in london than in wales and scotland combined

define birth rate, migration, an immigrant, death rate, a domestic immigrant, an international migrant and emigration

• birth rate- the number of babies born per thousand per year

• migration- the movement of people from one place to another, usually to live

• immigrant- is a person who comes into a country to live permenantly

• death rate- the number of people who die per thousand per year

• domestic migrant- is someone moving to live somewhere else in their own country

• international migrant- any person who has changed his or her country of residence

• emigration- the process of leaving a place in order to start a new life in another country

how has london grown?

• 1900-1930: urbanisation, reaches a peak of 8.6 million

• 1930-1990: counterurbanisation, exodus of 2 million people from city

  → causes: bomb damage, post-war slump, improved transport to suburbs, search for better life

• 1990-2020: 1980s-90s financial boom attarcted people back and young migrants push up natural increase causing population growth (more births than deaths)

what is net migration?

• net migration is the difference bewteen the number of immigrants and emigrants throughout the year

• immigrants>emigrants= positive net migration

• immmigrants<emigrants= negative net migration

• net migration in london is quite stable, there is not much difference between emigration and immigration in london

describe the patterns of domestic migration from 1998 to 2013

• domestic immigration increased from 1998 to 2002, where the figure was at its lowest at 150,000, then the figure continued to gradually increase up to 2013, where the final figure was 200,000

• domestic emigration reaches its peak between 2002 to 2005 when it began to decrease (from 260,000 to 240,000) it continued to decrease until 2015 where the figure increased

• more people are leaving london and going elsewhere than people coming into london

describe the patterns of international migration from 1998 to 2013

• a lot more people are coming in from abroad than people who are leaving

• the figure of people leaving london has fluctuated but has remained around 100,000

what is the main reason for london’s population growth in the last decade?

• over time london’s population has grown but at times has also decreased, since 1998 net migration has been stable, this means that the number of people moving in has not been higher than the number of people moving out

• the main reason for london’s population growth in the last decade has been the number of births being higher than the number of deaths

• birth rate is rising mostly amongst young immigrants

why is london’s population growing and what are the results of the growth?

• london’s population is growing due to positive net migration (people moving from elsewhere in the uk to work or study) and internal population growth (migrants are often young which means the birth rate will increase)

• over the past 10 years london’s workforce has grown from 4 million to 5 million, it’s made up of people around the uk, the eu and the rest of the world

• 3.2 million of london’s workforce were born in the uk (60% of the total)

• 680,000 people of london’s workforce were born in the eu (13% of the total)

• 1.3 million workers were born elsewhere (25% of the total)

how has international migration in london changed over the years?

• international migration has been a major part of life in london for centuries, as a result it is now the most ethnically diverse city in the uk

• the largest group of migrants before the 1950s were irish

• in the later 1950s there was also an increase in commonwealth immigrants from india and pakistan

• in 2004, the extension of the uk led to polish and lithuanian migrants coming to live and work in the uk

why do people of the same ethnicity tend to settle in the same place creating distinctive areas?

• people with the same ethnicity tend to settle in the same place as they can rely on people who speak the same language

• they will also have the same religion and culture meaning immigrants will open up shops to sell food from their culture

what are some examples of areas that consist of people from the same ethnicity?

• golders green- jewish migrants

• chinatown- chinese migrants

• kilburn- irish migrants

how has the character of london been changed as a result of international migration eg, chinatown?

• where is chinatown?

  -city of westminster

• what is its history?

  -once home to maltese immigrants, the location of today’s chinatown in london started to form in the 1950s, when a handful of chinese restuarants opened in the district

• name 3 things you can see there:

  -restaurants eg, wong kei

  -buildings and streets decorated with chinese symbols

  -chinatown gate on wardour street

• name 3 events you can see there:

  -chinese new year celebrations- parade with floats and lion dances + live performances

  -mid autumn festivals, delicious mooncakes

  -celebrating the women of chinatown, meeting women in charge

• name 3 shops there and what they sell:

  -golden gate cake shop, they sell custard tarts

  -lucky foods, they sell fruit and veg

  -oseyo, they sell asian skincare products and cosmetics

• name 3 restaurants and what they sell:

  -four seasons, they sell roast duck

  -baozilnn, they sell dumplings

  -leong’s legend, they specialise in taiwanese cuisine

how has internal migration changed the character of london?

• internal migration is mainly young adults (youthful population) moving to work in london and university students moving to study in london

• leisure activities:

  -shopping centres

  -cinemas/theatres

  -libraries

  -clubbing

• housing:

  -small or cheap accommodations

  -often very messy as they are usually busy with school or with work

• shops:

  -clothing shops

  -cheap take-away places

  -shops that require younger workers

• tensions with original residents:

  -may believe that the youthful population are disturbing their area

  -may worry that younger workers may be after their jobs (less experience=cheaper)

what is life like in london?

• housing:

  -luxury waterfront apartments

  -low rise council housing in newham

  -expensive detached houses with gardens eg, suburbs such as sutton

• leisure:

  -leicester square cinemas

  -british museum

  -tate modern art gallery

• consumption:

  -selfridges

  -westfield

  -pubs, clubs and bars in soho

• culture and ethnicity:

  -notting hill carnival

  -chinese new year

  -over 300 langauges are spoken in london homes

how is urban deprivation measured?

• an area of london with urban deprivation is one that has a quality of life below what is recognised as acceptable in england

• urban deprivation is measured by looking at:

  -income

  -levels of education

  -crime rate

  -levels of healthcare

where is housing most/least expensive in london?

• housing is typically most expensive is west central london, the average property price is £1 million+

• housing is typically least expensive in east london, the average property is £200,000+

• an anomaly is a section in barnet with house prices reaching £1 million+, meanwhile surrounding areas are £400,000

why are prices of homes increasing?

• london’s population has been growing rapidly, but homes have not been built at the same rate

• as a result, the supply of homes is not enough to meet the demand of those who want to live in london so house prices and rents are rising

• average rents in london are about double the uk average and house prices are some of the least affordable in the world

• as a result, workers on a low income often can’t afford to live near to where they work, many people can’t afford to buy homes and adults house-sharing is becoming more common

which areas of london have the best/worst access to public transport?

• areas in central london have the best access to public transport

• areas along the outskirts eg, south east and west london have the worst access to public transport

• 54% of people have access to their jobs via public transport

what are challenges with public transport?

• roads are frequently congested, average traffic speed between 7am-7pm in central london is only 8mph

• about 1 million passengers arrive by train each day- many trains are overcrowded

• the london underground is increasingly filled beyond its capacity, delays due to overcrowding more than doubled between 2013 and 2015

which areas produce the highest/lowest gcse point scores?

• on average, more areas in the west produce higher gcse point scores, meanwhile areas in east london produce lower gcse point scores

• specifically, in barnet most point scores are 360-420

• in daggum, most scores are between 310-320

what are the issues with services in london?

• healthcare- healthcare is free due to the nhs but services are often overwhelmed, waiting times for appointments have increased and ambulances have to cope with increasing traffic

• education- the best state schools eg, holland park are oversubscribed and difficult to get into, wealthy parents are able to send their children to good schools by paying large fees however poorer families end up in under-performing schools

describe the pattern of urban deprivation across london

• the pattern of deprivation is uneven across london, there is more deprivation in inner london than outer london

• east london tends to be more deprived than west london

• the area of greatest deprivation can be found in a strip running north-east from the centre of london through boroughs including hackney and haringey

what is the problem with inequality in london?

• london is home to the richest and the poorest people in the uk and the gap is widening

• average income in kensington and chelsea is more than £130,000 but less than £35,000 in newham, more than 25% of the population are living in poverty due to unemployment and low wages

• unhealthy lifestyles eg, drinking, smoking and poor diets are more common in deprived areas, life expectancy is about 5 years lower in poorer areas of the city than in wealthier areas

background information on bedzed

• a sustainable solution means improving things for people today without negatively affecting future generations

• we are focusing on these aspects of sustainable urban living in london: energy conservation and waste recycling

• bedzed is located near croydon and it is the largest carbon-neutral eco-community in the uk

• it is known as eco-town and is built on a brownfield site (an area that has previously been built on), so when it was built, it did not damage any ecosystems

• there are 100 homes, which were completed in 2002

how is bedzed socially, economically and environmentally sustainable?

• social:

  -people eat in communal areas, residents never get lonely and it is easy to make friends

  -clothes and furniture swap: when residents first moved in a swap shop was set up, residents took items they no longer wanted and swapped them with other residents for items that they did

• economic:

  -council recycling depots enable most items to be recycled including woods, plastics and metals

  -low energy lighting and energy efficient appliances are used

  -wind powered ventilation system keeps the home supplied with fresh air so there’s no need for air conditioners

• environmental:

  -all london councils, including croydon, have adopted strigent recycling policies in order to cut landfill as the government charge penalties if they put too much waste in landfill sites (charge £50 per tonne) more waste is now recycled

  -waste is recycled using kerbside collection for plastics, glass, paper etc

  -homes all face south and have sun spaces to heat homes without the need for heating systems powered by fossil fuels, this reduces carbon emissions and also cuts heating bills

describe the location of rosario

• rosario is located along the parana river

• it is 200km north west of buenos aires

• it is also 200km west of uruguay

what is rosario’s history?

• rosario began as a small settlement, then in the late nineteenth century, the city became argentina’s first port to export goods such as grain which drew in migrant workers

• gang and mafia activity increased after italian migrants arrived

• around the year 2000, many of the city’s chemical and steel plants had closed and unemployment was high

• french migrants built renaissance buildings signifying it’s wealth and importance

• in the last century, there has been an increase in the growth of soybeans, which are in demand for products such as vegetable oil

how important is rosario within its region, country and wider world?

• rosario is the largest city in the santa fe, with a population of 1 million people, it is a regional transport hub, the area has many major roads eg, national route 9, an interntional airport and lies on the parana river and it is an important industrial centre in its region

• rosario is the third largest city in argentina, it was important in the late 1800s when it became the first port to export goods abroad, the city declined, around 2000 when the chemical and steel plants closed, however, new investments made the city more important within the country

• rosario developed due to the trade in agricultural products, its location on the parana river, which connects to the atlantic ocean, allowed it to export corned beef, soybeans and other products around the world

how has international migration changed over time in rosario?

• in the 1500s spanish migrants arrived

• in the 1800s italian migrants arrived

• many migrants in argentina have links with italy, up to 60% of the argentinian population have some degree of italian descent

• recently migrants from other south american and south-east asian countries have arrived

how have italian migrants changed the character of rosario?

• italian migrants have changed the character of rosario the most, they have influenced food and the architecture

• mafia activity was also brought to the city when italian migrants arrived

how has national migration changed the population of rosario?

• rosario has a youthful population, there are many students in rosario as there is the national university of rosario which specialises in law

• rosario attracts migrants across argentina as it has a temperate climate (less extreme than other cities) and new investment has transformed the city

what is it like to live in rosario?

• culture and ethnicity:

  -the national flag monument

  -french renaissance architecture eg, the stock exchange

• leisure:

  -the river parana and its sandy beaches

  -parque de espana, tree-lined park built on former industrial land

  -temperate climate with warm summer temperatures

  -art galleries eg, the museum of contemporary art

  -night clubs

• consumption:

  -restaurants

  -cafes eg, cafe chico

  -el centro, new shopping area in the centre of rosario

what challenges affect life in rosario?

• how are drugs uniquely sold in rosario?

  -sold in bunkers

  -similar to drivethroughs you pay for the drugs and they give them to you through a hole

  -a lot of corruption, police turn a blind eye

• how is football linked to violence?

  -in football groups there is a lot of violence, especially with the leaders who are known to kill their predecessors

  -extreme rivalry between fans eg, rosario central and newells: old boys (nobs)

  -alcohol banned, weed is smoked instead

• how would you describe the slums in rosario?

  -the city brings their rubbish to the slums

  -the lack of opportunity means that the mafia find a lot of recruits in the slums

  -made up of migrants from other areas of argentina

  -temporary infrastructure

  -locals call the slums “villas miserias”

• how does rosario’s homicide rate compare with the rest of argentina?

  -5x higher than the rest of argentina

• what are the authorities doing to limit violence in rosario?

  -they are constantly monitoring areas with high crime rates

  -constantly searching people’s cars and documents and getting dogs to sniff for drugs

  -they sent 3,000 police to destory bunkers

• why is rosario a key point for the drugs trade?

  -drugs from mexico could be transported to north america and europe via ports

  -links to paraguay and bolivia as well, who sell quantities of cocaine and marijuana

what are the challenges in rosario?

• social inequality:

  -over 100,000 people in rosario live in slums- villas miserias

  -many of these slums are located next to main roads eg, national route 9 and railways

  -the population densities in these areas is very high and they lack sanitation and healthcare facillities

  -people do not own the land on which they have built housing

• unemployment:

  -high rates of unemployment have led to riots in rosario and looting of supermarkets

  -a number of initiatives have reduced unemployment rates since 2001

• crime:

  -the slum areas in rosario, villas miserias, have high levels of poverty, crime and drug use, a violent drug war has led to the deaths of over 570 people between 2011 and 2014

  -the two football teams, rosario central and nobs, are associated with the slums and crime

  -the main roads eg, national route 9 in rosario link cocaine producing bolivia and marijuana producing paraguay to buenos aires

what are two initiatives that help rosario have a sustainable future?

• the rosario habitat program (aims to improve housing):

  -the scheme has helped over 5,000 people upgrade their houses since 2000, it has helped by

  -new urban planning, new roads and basic infrastructure

  -adding toilet facillities to houses

  -obtaining legal ownership of settlements rather than having the previous uncertainty over the status of tenure

  -providing education programme for young people regarding risky behaviour

  -increasing employment and income generation

  -targeting support for women

  -generating 150 construction jobs and training 1,000 people in business

• rosario pro huerta programme (aims to get people to produce their own food):
  -in 2001, 1/3 of the workforce was unemployed due to the closure of the city’s chemical, paper and steel factories, due to hyperinflation the price of food increased by 400%, out of desperation people began looting supermarkets for food

  -825 hectares of agroecological land is being cultivated

  -it aimed to produce food locally at a small scale usually along highways

  -800 gardens supporting 40,000 people

  -2/3 of gardeners are women

  -low income families involved in farming are earning $150 per month from sales which is well above the poverty line

  -the vegetables are grown 100% organic and chemical free

  -plots are assigned annually, free of charge to gardeners in return for a guarantee that they will grow crops continuously throughout the year