Urbanisation

Central Business District (CBD)

Characteristics of land use

• High rise buildings
• High density land use
• High traffic congestion
• Good transport links
• High order settlements
• High land cost

Functions – retail, entertainment, financial services, other professional services

Problems – congestion, pollution, lack of space

Residential Areas

Inner city	Area close to CBD Has mainly terraced houses in a grid like pattern Have convenience stores Lack of open areas Overcrowding
Suburb	Lower cost of land Higher housing cost Better quality housing & most have a garden Detached or semidetached homes Have shopping centres
Outer-city estate	Located on fringes of cities with varied housing Ppl relocated here when inner city was being redeveloped
Rural-urban fringe	Edge of city Mixture of land uses e.g. housing, golf courses, businesses, parks, airport

Rural-urban fringe – border of city & countryside

• Greenfield Sites: area of countryside that has not been built on

Adv	Dis
Better environment More accessible Have room to build car parks next to shops/ for expansion Cheaper	Habitat destruction Increase pollution Gov protect areas

• Brown Field Site: disused part of city suitable for redevelopment

Adv	Dis
Redevelopment of land Near CBD Good transport links	Polluted site – expensive to clean Limited room to expand Increase pollution

Industrial Areas

Factories were built:

• As close as possible to the CBD but with enough space for expansion
• Near transport links → transport products
• Near sea → water supply, transport products
• Flat land → easy to build settlements

Characteristics of retail and business parks

• Modern
• Large area of land
• Areas of parking
• Large / specialist shops, entertainment eg restaurants, services eg car service centre

Urban Growth in Urban Areas

Urbanisation – Increase % of pop in urban areas

Rural areas – area of countryside that is not built up

Urban areas – Built up area with a large population & high order settlements

Urban sprawl – spread of urban into rural area

Explain why a greater % of pop live in urban areas in MEDCs than in LEDCs. (4)

• Urbanisation has been occuring for a longer period of time in MEDCs
• More industry developed in MEDCs
• MEDCs mainly industry
• LEDCs mainly farming

Explain why urbanisation is occuring in LEDCs. (4)

• Rural areas become built up
• Higher employment
• Better education, healthcare,
• More reliable water & food supplies

Explain why pop of many cities has grown rapidly. (4)

• Large amount of inward migration
• Ppl seeking employment
• Better education, heath care, electricity & water supplies
• Follow family & friends
• Bright lights – entertainment

Urban sprawl

Explain why urban sprawl is occuring around urban areas? (3)

• More ppl living in urban areas for eg jobs
• No place to build in cities
• Ppl want large homes
• Settlements are joining together

Suggest reasons why residents of settlements are becoming increasingly concerned by urban sprawl? (5)

• Loss of farmland
• Increase house price
• Some rural residents can no longer afford to live in area
• Traffic congestion
• Deforestation…
• Atmospheric, noise, visual, water pollution
• Flooding
• Loss of open space

Problems of urban growth in urban areas

• Traffic congestion
• Pollution
• High crime rates
• Inadequate housing, education, medical care provision

Traffic congestion

Explain why many urban areas experience problems of traffic congestion. (3)

• High population density
• Increase in car ownership
• Rush hour
• Narrow roads
• Lots of tourist attractions, traffic lights

Explain how traffic & industry may each cause air pollution. (2)

• Traffic – CO₂
• Industry – burning fossil fuels

Explain why traffic congestion is a problem in many urban areas. (5)

• Causes delays

• ppl late to work/school – result in loss of revenue for businesses
• stress/road rage
• Time wasted
• Emergency services can’t get through

• Air, noise pollution

Suggest ways in which public transport system developed to reduce traffic problems. (5)

• More regular buses, bus routes – so all parts of city served by buses
• Install railway
• Increase capacity
• Park & ride – ppl park on edge of city & uses buses to CBD
• Subsidise public transport

Solution

One-way systems By-passes Park & Ride Schemes Ring roads Improve public transport

Pedestrian zones

Benefits	Problems
No danger from cars Less air & noise pollution from vehicles Encourages walking	More difficult access for emergency vehicles Ppl may need to walk further Create traffic congestion

Squatter settlements

Describe problems faced by ppl living in squatter settlements. (5)

• Poor quality building materials – easily destroyed by storms
• Lack of electricity, clean water supplies (water borne disease)
• Overcrowding – disease spreads easily – lack of open space
• Inadequate waste disposal – lack of hygiene

Characteristics	Explain why a large % of pop in LEDCs are living in squatter settlements (5)	Describe strategies used to improve housing conditions of ppl who live there (7
High population density High home density Lack of running water & electricity Poor sanitation Lack of privacy	Pop growing rapidly – not enough houses Ppl can’t afford other housing Limited building space Lack of investment in housing from local authorities Can build squatter settlements themselves Often located close to work places	Donations of building materials Ppl being taught how to build Infrastructural improvements eg piped water Self-help Site & services schemes Build low cost housing

Suggest why land use changes are likely to cause conflict. (5)

• Some ppl don’t wanto change
• Ppl have to move out
• More traffic congestion
• More air, noise & visual pollution
• New housing might be too expensive
• Unemployment

Air pollution – breathing difficulty

Noise – hard to concentrate/sleep – stress

Water – water borne disease

Visual – spoil views

Case study – Shrewsbury (county of Shropshire in Western England)

Cause of urban sprawl	Green field site Retail park eg Meole Brace New housing estates built at Nobold → ↑sphere of influence New road infrastructure eg A5 widened New park & ride bus services eg Meole Brace → ↑accessibility
Problems	New housing estate at Nobold → loss of greenspace & access to countryside Environmentalists concern damage to natural habitat from buildings North West relief road Meole Brace retail park → impermeable surface → greater surface runoff → flood Traffic congestion at Meole Brace retail park → pollution, health problems
Solutions	One-way system, By-pass, A5 widened → ↑traffic flow around town Putting cobbles on streets to deter motorists driving into historic town & control speed 3 Park & Ride Schemes on outskirts where ppl park for free & pay a small fee to catch a bus eg south of Meole Brace retail park → ↓car to town centre Investment in public transport High parking costs in town centre