Challenges of an urbanising world

• Bid rent theory


  A theory that shows how land value changes with distance from the CBD
• bottom-up development


  experts work with communities to identify their needs, offer assistance and let people have more control over their lives, often run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• brownfield site


  A formal industrial area that has been developed before
• Central Business District (CBD)


  The heart of an urban area, often containing a high percentage of shops and offices
• Conurbation


  A continuous urban or built-up area, formed by merging towns or cities
• Counter urbanisation


  when people leave towns and cities to live in the countryside
• Deindustrialization


  Decreased activity in manufacturing and the closure of industries, leading to a decline in industrial areas and unemployment
• Greenfield site


  An area that has never been developed before
• Hyper-urbanisation


  Extremely rapid growth of urban areas
• Integrated transport system


  Where a range of different transport methods overlap and meet
• Megacity


  City with more than 10 million people
• Reurbanisation


  when people move back into inner city after previously moving to the countryside or suburb
• Rural-Udban Fringe


  The area where a town or city meets the countryside
• a shanty town, a slum


  An area of very poor quality housing and services. Usually found on the outskirts of cities in LICs (Low Income Countries)
• Suburbanisation


  The movement of people from the inner suburbs to the outer suburbs
• suburbs


  The housing and communities on the outskirts of a town or city
• Top-down development


  when decision-making about the development of a place is done by governments or large companies
• urban primacy (primate city)


  An urban area that is much larger and more dominant than any others within a region or country
• Urban regeneration


  The redevelopment of an urban area to remove both its environment and economy with the aim of increasing the inhabitants' quality of life
• Urbanisation


  a rise in the percentage of people living in urban areas, compared to rural areas
• world city (global city)


  Urban areas with a global economic and political importance
• two factors that lead to urban growth

  1. rural-urban migration - the movement of people into or out of the city
  2. natural increase - the difference between the numbers of births and number of death
• reasons for growth of mega cities

  • mass rural-urban migration
  • international migration
  • government investment
  • inequality between rural urban areas
• primate city


  where a city is particularly bigger than other cities in terms of population size and economic influence
• how do primate cities emerge

  • word of mouth - the city gets a reputation
  • attracts more FDI
  • Government investment here as in developing/emerging countries
• problems associated with urbanisation

  • congestion - too much traffic which leads to pollution and air quality
  • bad working conditions because of increased demand
• problems in london from urbanisation

  • air pollution - mainly from vehicles
  • traffic congestion - too many cars, roads not designed for cars
  • wate - no room for landfill
  • housing - homelessness - very expensive housing in London
• problems from rapid urbanisation

  • pollution
  • a lot more slums and become a lot more crowded