Urban forms- section 2

what is urban form

the physical characteristics that make up built up areas, including the shape, size, density and organisation of settlements

describe the UKs urban form

• 64 primary urban areas

• 1 megacity

• 6 large metropolitan areas

describe the emergence of shanghai’s megacity

500,000 population in 1816

27 million population in 2020

what is the economic role of megacities globally

• TNC headquarters

• innovation

what is the economic role of megacities regionally

• immature- opportunities for the informal sector

• mature- high end tertiary and quaternary jobs

describe world cities as learning centres

• high quality educational institutions including universities and research centers that attract international students and foster global collaboration.

describe world cities as serving the whole world

• centres of new ideas business

• decision making power at global levels

• media and communication for global networks

describe world cities as centres for finance, trade and business

• existence of financial HQs- stock exchange and major financial institutions

• HQs of multinational corporations

give an example of an immature megacity

lagos, nigeria

give an example of a consolidating megacity

mumbai, india

give an example of a maturing megacity

sao paulo, brazil

give the characteristics of lagos

• 2/3 residents live in slums

• poor sanitation- due to ineffective waste management

• air pollution- due to industrial activities and traffic

• annual population growth of 4.5%

give characteristics of mumbai

• upgrading of slums- replaced by high rise housing - e.g. Dharavi redevelopment project

• 90% of workers in the informal sector

• annual pop. growth of 2.3%

give the characteristics of sao paulo

• annual pop growth of 1.9%

• high contrast between luxury housing and favelas

• 13,000 electric buses

• B3 stock exchange for brazil, balsa and balcao

• lowest rate of informal jobs in brazil

give an example of an established megacity

london, uk

give the characteristics on london as a megacity

• 1% annual growth rate

• high QOL

• 2021- large scale regeneration and urban sustainability projects

• diverse population

• major financial center

• extensive public transport system

what is urban morphology

the spatial structure and organisation of an urban area

why do urban forms vary

• land use

• population density and growth

• coasts, mountains

• car ownership

• rivers

• government policies

how does population and migration affect urban form

• increased migration with population growth

• lack of planning or management

• high population density- can lead to poor quality housing or slums

how does economy affect urban form

• industry located in areas of high pop density- e.g. chennai car manufacturing

how does land use vary urban form

higher land value attracts wealthier people

gentrified areas- e.g. notting hill

lower value- could lead to slums

how does tech vary urban form

• industries pull towards wired networks where there is high speed internet

• counter urbanisation- better communication

• e.g. cambridge and oxford science and business parks

how do government policies vary urban form

green belt prevents urban sprawl

affects planning, transport and economy

urban regeneration policies can encourage redevelopment and improve infrastructure.

how does relief impact urban form

steep landscapes can be challenging to develop

e.g. rio- favelas are built on steep hills which is less accessible to cbd and may limit infrastructure development.

describe how quality of water/ access affects urban form

lack of access would reduce size of city- e.g. las vegas

poor quality could reduce size of city- people in slums dont have access to sewerage- so located around water sources, e.g. estero de paco

describe how defence affects urban form

concentrated around access points- e.g. rivers and coasts

viewpoints

protection in valleys

why have urban areas declines

lack of investment- deindustrialisation

urban to rural migration

inner city decline- dereliction

what is postmodern used to describe

the changes that took place in western society and culture in the late 20th century

describe the concept of the postmodern western city

• modernist buildings were high rise

• structures are more varied in design