In Mexico City, drivers are bannedfrom using their cars one weekday per week, based on the last digit of their number plate. However, some households get around the system by buying two cars. Birmingham, Bristoland London have council-run car sharing schemes to...
A Level>Notes>Human geography>Contemporary urban environments
Buildings Impermeable Materials
Urban areas are covered in impermeable materials. Many urban structures are designed to shedwater quickly. This means that infiltrationis low in urban areas, so replenishment of groundwater stores is slow. Groundwater feeds rivers, so during drier periods,...
Waste Streams and Components of Waste Vary
Economic Characteristics As people get richer,they tend to consumer more goods. This means that developed countries produce more waste than developing The componentsof waste also vary depending on the development level of the country. In developed countries, the main...
Case Study – Singapore
Singapore has moved from landfill to incineration: Singapore is an islandoff Malaysia. It is almost entirely The amount of waste produced in Singapore increased from 1,260 tonnes per day in 1970 to 8,400 tonnes in 2015. Land is scarce, so waste management is...
Bangkok – Case Study
Bangkok is in Thailand, an emerging Lack of regulation and poor planning has led to environmental problems: Air Pollution A rapid rise in car ownership, coupled with poor vehicle maintenance, is causing high levels of air pollution. In 2011, some pollutants were...
Manchester – Case Study
Manchester is in the UK, a developed country. During the 19thand early 20th centuries, Manchester was very polluted. Factories and mills produced massive amounts of greenhouse gases and industrial waste, which polluted airand Deindustrialisationand strategies to...
Cities Local Impact on The Environment
Urbanisation also causes lossof open space in and around cities, resulting in loss of habitats and biodiversity. At a global scale, cities increase demandfor resources, such as food, water and Cities are home to around half the world's population, but account for...
Dimensions of Sustainability
There are different dimensionsto sustainability, how sustainable a city is depending on its natural, physical, social and economic characteristics. Sustainable cities have a range of features: Natural Natural sustainability is about how the environment,...
Liveability
Sustainability can affect the liveabilityof a city, this is a measure of how good living conditions in an area are. Liveability depends on many factors, including job opportunities, crime rates, open space and access to Different factors matter more to different...
Schemes to Improve Cities in the UK Since 1979
Urban Development Corporations 1979-1990s By 1979, many UK city centres were in catastrophic decline. The government created agencies called Urban Development Corporations(UDCs), which used private sector funding to restore derelict areas. The first UDCs were...
Urban Form
Urban formis the physical characteristics that make up a city, including its size and shape, population density and how the city is Many cities were initially established in areas with good water supplies, fertile soilfor growing food, plentiful natural resources and...
Modern Urban Areas
Town Centre Mixed Developments These are areas where land useis mixed - luxury flats, offices, shops and entertainment facilities are all located there, so residential, commercial and leisure uses are combined. Developments are plannedby local councils, often...
Changes in Modern Urban Areas
Many cities, especially in developed countries, are gradually moving awayfrom uniformity in architecture and from clear-cut patterns of land use - these are known as post-modern western cities. They have a number of characteristics: Multiple centreswith different...
Urban Heat Island Effect
The phenomenon of urban areas being warmer than rural areas is called the urban heat island effect. Urban areas with higher air temperatures than the surrounding rural areas are called urban heat islands(UHIs). For example, London has a clearly defined UHI....
Particulates
Particulatesare tiny pieces of solids and tiny droplets of liquids floating in the air. Moreparticulates are found in urban areas than in rural areas. The concentration of particulates in urban areas is around 10-40 pg/m^3, compared to less than 10 pg/m^3 in rural...
Traffic Measures to Reduce Pollution
Lots of cities have tried to reduce pollutionby reducing traffic. There are numerous ways that this can be done: Congestion Charging Peopleare charged if they use their vehicles in certain places at certain times. This reduces pollution by reducing road...
Contemporary Urban Environments
Globally, the numberand proportion of people living in urban areas has increased dramatically since 1945. In 1950, 30% of people lived in urban areas. In 2014, just over 50% lived in towns or In the developed world, the majorityof people live in cities, but the urban...
Processes of Movement of People
Urbanisation The growthin the proportion of people living in urban areas. It usually occurs because of migrationand natural increase. People often migrate to cities for easier access to schoolsand healthcare, and because there are more jobs Many migrants are young...
Population Growth in Urban Areas
Mega City A megacityis an urban area with over 10 million people living there such as Istanbul, Turkey. In 1950, there were only twomegacities - Tokyo and New York. By 2014, there were 28, and this is predicted to rise to 41 by More than two-thirds of megacities are...
Cities Urbanise in Different Ways
Economic Cities attract people from rural areasbecause they offer more job opportunities, and jobs are often better paid. As the urban population increases, businesses,such as factories and shops, grow in size and become more profitable. This leads to...
Cities in Developed Countries Processes of Change
Deindustrialisation In the 1960s,some developing nations, such as Singapore and Taiwan, became These countries were able to produce goodsat a cheaper price than Europe or North America, mainly due to lower labour costs. By the 1970s, the developed worldwas struggling...