Changing Cities Revision Notes
Urbanisation: The increase in the number of people living in towns and cities compared to the
number of people living in the countryside
Rural to urban migration: people moving from countryside to cities
Urban pull: better jobs and higher wages, Better services – health, education, electricity
Rural push: Lack of services, investment, opportunities, low pay, poverty, drought and
flooding
Natural increase: More births and fewer deaths – difference between birth rate and death rate
Result of improved living conditions
Migrants tend to be young (seeking work) – youthful populations
Many are child-bearing age – contributes to youthful population
Rates of urbanisation in the world:
Asia and Africa have had the fastest rates of urbanisation in the world
Oceania – consistent. Deserts – people don’t want to live there – cities on edge of Australia
Asia rise in 1995 – India’s reforms and economic growth + China’s economic reforms
Africa: Need to urbanise to create more jobs – not many in country and are not high paid.
More people educated – higher literacy levels – once educated ppl move to get high paid
jobs
Process of urbanisation:
UK
Most growth took place during agricultural and industrial revs
1830-1890 towns grew by 10% a year – ppl looking to find jobs in cities
UK pop now 82% urban
Counter-urbanisation: People move from city back to countryside
Re-urbanisation: People (often young) move back into city from countryside
India
Rapid urbanisation after independence
Economic reform, green rev + more jobs in service sector have increased urbanisation since
1970s
Effects: Megacities and shanty towns (rapid growth – not enough time to build sufficient
housing) – eg Mumbai w/ pop >18m + largest slum in Asia (Dharavi)
Governments control urbanisation
Uganda
Growth happened quickly in past 50 years or more recently
Push + pull factors – no jobs in country – droughts, poor housing, no clean water, lack of
medical care and schools in country. Better jobs and living standards in cities.
Urbanisation variation in the UK
Population density: Number of people per square km – sparse pop – low pop density
Population distribution: How people are spread out
Largest cities = largest pop density – London, Manchester, Liverpool
Line dividing UK – NW of line land is higher and steeper – fewer people live here
, Sparse pop density where areas are wild, mountainous, and used for farming or forestry
Herefordshire and E Anglia are sparsely populated – rich soils – hamlets, villages and farming
communities
Conurbation: where 2 big cities meet – an area where a number of existing urban areas have grown
and merged into 1 large urban area e.g Birmingham or Leeds/Bradford
In 19th century Industrial Rev –> rapid growth of factory towns on coalfields of central
Scotland, NE England and S Wales.
Towns developed around coalfields where there was lots of power eg Birmingham/Sheffield
-> rural to urban migration for jobs. After jobs in farming ↓ - loss of jobs in countryside ->
Agricultural revolution
From the 1950s UK economic growth focused on tertiary industries (health and education)
and quaternary (research + development) – strongest in S+SE England – good transport (near
to sea) + comms.
London – centre of UK road, rail and air comms. Large labour force + many job industries.
Centre of UK gov – encourages companies and ppl to live in/near capital.
London Case Study
Site: Land which settlement is built upon
Good fertile flat land – floodplain near estuary
Chalk hills to N+S
London clay
Thames for transport/trade – lower course – valley meandering from E->W
Building materials nearby – timber/clay
Situation: Where settlement is in relation to physical + human factors around it
SE of England
Connectivity: The way a city is connected or linked to other settlements in the UK or to other
countries in the world
Motorways, train, international airports, ferry across Channel
Time zones – can trade with other countries quickly – same time zone as Europe – trade and
business can operate 24hrs
Distance – not far from Europe
Internet users – over 70 users per 100
Structure
Burgess model + Easy to use – Lack of detail: too simple
CBD
Businesses pay high rents – more ppl in city centre (more ppl, more businesses – very
expensive land) – good transport links.
Important shops and entertainment – only chain stores can afford high rent
Tallest/oldest buildings.
Inner city
Flats and terraced housing – ppl can walk to work
Land changes from retail commercial to residential
Light industries here – don’t need much space
Urbanisation: The increase in the number of people living in towns and cities compared to the
number of people living in the countryside
Rural to urban migration: people moving from countryside to cities
Urban pull: better jobs and higher wages, Better services – health, education, electricity
Rural push: Lack of services, investment, opportunities, low pay, poverty, drought and
flooding
Natural increase: More births and fewer deaths – difference between birth rate and death rate
Result of improved living conditions
Migrants tend to be young (seeking work) – youthful populations
Many are child-bearing age – contributes to youthful population
Rates of urbanisation in the world:
Asia and Africa have had the fastest rates of urbanisation in the world
Oceania – consistent. Deserts – people don’t want to live there – cities on edge of Australia
Asia rise in 1995 – India’s reforms and economic growth + China’s economic reforms
Africa: Need to urbanise to create more jobs – not many in country and are not high paid.
More people educated – higher literacy levels – once educated ppl move to get high paid
jobs
Process of urbanisation:
UK
Most growth took place during agricultural and industrial revs
1830-1890 towns grew by 10% a year – ppl looking to find jobs in cities
UK pop now 82% urban
Counter-urbanisation: People move from city back to countryside
Re-urbanisation: People (often young) move back into city from countryside
India
Rapid urbanisation after independence
Economic reform, green rev + more jobs in service sector have increased urbanisation since
1970s
Effects: Megacities and shanty towns (rapid growth – not enough time to build sufficient
housing) – eg Mumbai w/ pop >18m + largest slum in Asia (Dharavi)
Governments control urbanisation
Uganda
Growth happened quickly in past 50 years or more recently
Push + pull factors – no jobs in country – droughts, poor housing, no clean water, lack of
medical care and schools in country. Better jobs and living standards in cities.
Urbanisation variation in the UK
Population density: Number of people per square km – sparse pop – low pop density
Population distribution: How people are spread out
Largest cities = largest pop density – London, Manchester, Liverpool
Line dividing UK – NW of line land is higher and steeper – fewer people live here
, Sparse pop density where areas are wild, mountainous, and used for farming or forestry
Herefordshire and E Anglia are sparsely populated – rich soils – hamlets, villages and farming
communities
Conurbation: where 2 big cities meet – an area where a number of existing urban areas have grown
and merged into 1 large urban area e.g Birmingham or Leeds/Bradford
In 19th century Industrial Rev –> rapid growth of factory towns on coalfields of central
Scotland, NE England and S Wales.
Towns developed around coalfields where there was lots of power eg Birmingham/Sheffield
-> rural to urban migration for jobs. After jobs in farming ↓ - loss of jobs in countryside ->
Agricultural revolution
From the 1950s UK economic growth focused on tertiary industries (health and education)
and quaternary (research + development) – strongest in S+SE England – good transport (near
to sea) + comms.
London – centre of UK road, rail and air comms. Large labour force + many job industries.
Centre of UK gov – encourages companies and ppl to live in/near capital.
London Case Study
Site: Land which settlement is built upon
Good fertile flat land – floodplain near estuary
Chalk hills to N+S
London clay
Thames for transport/trade – lower course – valley meandering from E->W
Building materials nearby – timber/clay
Situation: Where settlement is in relation to physical + human factors around it
SE of England
Connectivity: The way a city is connected or linked to other settlements in the UK or to other
countries in the world
Motorways, train, international airports, ferry across Channel
Time zones – can trade with other countries quickly – same time zone as Europe – trade and
business can operate 24hrs
Distance – not far from Europe
Internet users – over 70 users per 100
Structure
Burgess model + Easy to use – Lack of detail: too simple
CBD
Businesses pay high rents – more ppl in city centre (more ppl, more businesses – very
expensive land) – good transport links.
Important shops and entertainment – only chain stores can afford high rent
Tallest/oldest buildings.
Inner city
Flats and terraced housing – ppl can walk to work
Land changes from retail commercial to residential
Light industries here – don’t need much space
