Case Study: City in an Advanced Country, London
- London is a world city in south-east England and is the capital city of the UK
- Over 20% of the UK’s income comes from London
- It is the centre of the UK’s transport system with road, rail, air and shipping links
- Companies are attracted to the surrounding areas and the South East and East of England are the two biggest regional economies in the UK outside of London
- Along with New York, London is the most important financial centre in the globe, with more foreign banks than in anywhere else
- The population of London is over 8.5 million people and is growing
- International migration – around 100 000 more people arrived than left in 2014
- National migration – people move for work and education
- Internal population growth – the young population means the birth rate is higher than the death rate
- There are several top-class universities in London where over 20% of students are international
- Population growth means the average population density is very high at over 5000 people per km2
- Migration makes London the most ethnically diverse city in the UK as less than half are White British and more than half of babies born are to international migrants
- London’s West End is home to cultural entertainment
- At the theatres the top musicals and plays are performed regularly
- Popular museums and art galleries are in London such as the British Museum and National Gallery
- The city is also a centre for fashion, with events like London Fashion Week which is one of the four biggest fashion events in the world
- London’s character is strongly influenced as people of the same ethnicity settle in the same place, creating distinctive areas
- Brick Lane is famous for its curry houses due to the Bangladeshi community
- Southall has a large Indian market
- Ethnically, London is extremely diverse, and some areas are densely populated with people from one background, such as Chinatown
- Lots of food, music and goods from that culture can be found in the area and many people are attracted to those areas to shop and eat
- Many festivals celebrate different cultures and ethnicities such as the annual Afro-Caribbean Notting Hill Carnival, Chinese New Year parade, Proms and Eid in the square
- Housing in wealthier areas, mainly in west London, such as Sutton, tend to be modern and large apartments or houses with gardens
- Housing in poorer areas, mainly in east London, such as Newham, tend to be building split to fit multiple residents and the housing density is higher
- Many leisure facilities are available in London
- Cinemas, concert venues, clubs, pubs, restaurants and shopping centres
- Tourist attractions and parks are in the city centre
- London’s sports facilities are world-class, and it hosted the 2012 Olympics
- Each year there are popular mass-sporting events such as the London Marathon
- London’s wealth means that it consumes a huge amount of resources
- Londoners consume nearly 7 million tonnes of food each year, most of which is imported
- London’s population has been growing rapidly, so there are issues with housing availability
- The supply of homes cannot meet demands, so house prices and rents are rising
- Average rents in London are double the UK average and house prices are some of the least affordable in the world
- As a result, workers on lower incomes often must live far from their work
- House-sharing is becoming more common as many people can’t afford homes
- London has a very good transport system but the rising population and increasing number of commuters is stressing the transport network
- Roads are frequently congested and the average traffic speed between 7am to 7pm in central London is 8mph
- About a million passengers arrive by train each day, so many trains are overcrowded
- The London Underground is consistently beyond its capacity and delays have more than doubled due to overcrowding between 2013 and 2015
- For some people, there is difficulty accessing services
- Healthcare is free on the NHS, but services are overwhelmed so waiting times increase and ambulances must come with increased traffic
- The best state schools, such as Holland Park, are over-subscribed; wealthy children can go to private schools, however poorer children end up in under-performing schools
- London is home to the richest and the poorest people in the UK and the gap is widening
- Average income in Kensington / 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 are more common in deprived areas, so life expectancy is about 5 years lower in poorer areas than richer areas
- The Mayor’s Transport Strategy is an initiative that aims to improve London’s transport network and make it more sustainable by easing congestion and reducing air pollution
- A new railway, Crossrail (the Elizabeth line), is being built east to west across the city to increase rail capacity in central London by 10% and the Bakerloo line is to be extended to Lewisham
- Rail and Underground capacity are being increased by running more trains every hour, increasing the number of carriages on trains and making parts of the Underground service 24hour
- More dedicated bus lanes are to be created and roads have been made more suitable for cyclists by constructing two-way Cycle Superhighways throughout the city, such as between Oval and Pimlico and bikes are readily available to hire using self-service machines
- Congestion charges have been introduced to discourage drivers from entering the city centre
Case Study: City in a Low-Income Developing Country, Lagos
- Lagos is a city on the coast of Nigeria built around the western shore of a large lagoon
- It is the biggest city in Africa
- Nigeria is an LIDC despite having the biggest economy in Africa
- The city’s population is around 21 million, and is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the world
- The population of Lagos is growing by over 500 000 people a year
- The city was under British rule during colonial times and was a centre of trade
- It was the national capital until 1991, and it remains the main financial centre for the whole of West Africa
- Lagos has an international port and airport, making it an important centre for regional and global trade
- The city contains 80% of Nigeria’s industry and lots of TNCs are located there
- The population of Lagos is growing rapidly, largely due to rural-urban migration
- Large numbers of migrants arrive in the city every year, creating an outward urban sprawl of the city into the surrounding countryside and engulfing nearby towns
- Most people come from within Nigeria, and they come seeking better jobs – incomes are about 4X higher than those in rural areas
- International migration from neighbouring countries like Niger and Chad, also contributes to the growth of Lagos
- There is some migration from countries like the USA, UK and China, mainly by people working for TNCs operating in Lagos
- Migration has impacted the city’s character as it now has a very diverse population
- From its origins as a small fishing settlement inhabited by the Yoruba people, it has a very diverse population with people from each ethnic group within Nigeria, as well as many people with different nationalities
- Lagos is a very cultural city with thriving film, music and fashion scenes
- Lagos’s film industry produces popular ‘Nollywood’ films
- Music styles such as Afrobeat and Afro hip-hop have been introduced
- Western-style fashion is becoming more common among richer inhabitants, but many retain their traditional dress and way of life
- Ethnically, Lagos is extremely diverse, with over 250 different ethnic groups living there
- This can lead to ethnic tension, particularly between different religions
- Housing in Lagos is generally poor and the very rich live in gated communities, such as Banana Island
- About two-thirds of the population live in slums
- For those who can afford proper housing, it’s a mix of old and new with old colonial buildings next to high-rise flats and skyscrapers in the central business district
- Many leisure activities are popular in Lagos
- Street parties, pool parties and nightclubbing are all popular leisure activities
- Many festivals are held throughout the year, such as the Lagos International Jazz Festival, Badagry Festival and Eyo Festival, celebrating food, music and local culture
- Shopping is also a popular pastime and there are many street vendors, markets and small shops
- The central business district on Lagos Island has been modernised and has more western-style shops and supermarkets, selling international foods
- Consumption of all resources is rising with the wealth of the population because they can afford more consumer goods and resources
- Consumption of energy is rapidly increasing in Nigeria, and Lagos is responsible for more than half of this increase
- There are challenges of squatter settlements with over 60% of the population living in slums such as Makoko
- Houses are flimsy, wooden huts built on stilts in the lagoon; they are illegally built so people face eviction if slums are demolished to clean up the city
- There’s only one primary school in Makoko and many families can’t afford education
- Communal toilets are shared by 15 households and most of the waste goes straight into the lagoon below
- Water can be bought from a communal water point which is up to 3km away from some homes
- The only electricity comes from illegal connections that are often cut
- There are high levels of crimes and slums are often patrolled by gangs called ‘area boys’ who commit crimes and act as informal ‘police’
- There aren’t enough formal jobs for all the migrants so many work in informal sector jobs
- People must make money in any way, such as by scavenging in the Olusosun rubbish dump for items to sell
- About 60% of the population work in informal jobs such as street sellers, barbers and carpenters
- There’s no protection for informal workers; many live on less than $1.25 a day
- Street-sellers’ stalls are bulldozed to make way for wider roads and new developments
- There aren’t enough healthcare facilities in Lagos and there is almost no access to clean water
- The lack of access to clean water or proper sewers causes diseases such as cholera
- Malaria is also a problem as the stagnant water provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes
- Many people can’t afford to travel to and pay for healthcare
- Many rural migrants distrust western medicine and prefer to seek help from traditional healers
- The huge population produces lots of waste – approximately 9000 tonnes a day and there are challenges of waste disposal
- Only about 40% of rubbish is officially collected and there are large rubbish dumps, such as Olusosun, which contain toxic waste
- Waste disposal and emissions from factories are not controlled, leading to air and water pollution
- The Lagos State Integrated Waste Management Project is an initiative that aims to improve sustainability by reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfill sites and reducing air pollution that landfill causes
- The World Bank is financing a project to collect waste from food markets to turn into compost
- This stops waste going into landfill sites, where it releases methane as it decomposes
- Instead, a useful product is created that can be used in fertilise land, increasing food production
- Where waste still ends up in rubbish dumps, the government generate electricity from it by burning the methane released
- This is already happening at Ikosi Fruit Market, where electricity generated from rotting food is used to provide lighting for the market
- A larger-scale project is also underway at the landfill site at Olusosun, where pipes are being placed into the rubbish to collect methane so that it can be taken to generators which will power the dump, open 24/7
