L10 cities in the Uk

• most UK cities have 4 distinct zones
• the central business district (CBD) is usually in the middle of the city. most amenities and services are found here. the CBD is often surrounded by a ring road
• the suburbs are found towards the edge of the city. they are mainly residential areas, often with semi-detatched houses, look out for short, curved streets and cul-de-sacs
• the rural-urban fringe is on the edge of the city. it has farmland and open spaces as well as new housing developments and large retail and business parks. a mixture of white space and built up areas show this on a map
• the inner city area often has a mix of land uses- mainly residential but with some businesses and recreational parks. lots of short parallel roads often show areas of terraced housing in the inner city
• the population distribution of the UK is very uneven, many of the major cities have developed into conurbations- towns that have merged to form continuous urban areas
• the relief affects where most people live
• upland regions such as the north of scotland are sparsely populated - they are difficult to farm and have few natural resources
• many coastal areas have attracted human settlement - especially where there are sheltered bays and river estuaries suitable for building harbours. key ports eg liverpool and cardiff have grown into major cities
• london is the UKs biggest city- it has over 9 million people which is 16% of the countries total population. it is the national capital and has many industries (eg it is one of the global financial centres)
• mineral wealth (coal and iron ore) has often led to rapid population growth because this was where industries developed. many of the UKs cities developed on major coalfields eg Newcastle and Leeds
• most urban areas develeoped in lowland areas (eg birmingham) - these are easy to build on and have a milder climate than upland areas
• during the industrial revolution there was growth of manufacturing industries and rapid urbanisation
• the industrial revolution was followed by industrial decline - many industries relocated overseasor to the rural-urban fringe
• after the industrial revolution, many people moved to the suburbs and the inner city areas and CBDs declined
• regeneration projects have helped make city centres more attractive again
• opportunity of urban change: immigrant communities were attracted by low cost inner city housing, many UK cities are now very multicultural - offering a range of food and festivals, eg the notting hill carnival in london
• opportunity of urban change: redevelopment presents opportunities for new investment, hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues can be upgraded to make the city centre more attractive
• opportunity of urban change: CBDs have been redeveloped with offices and entertainment facilities - creating employment opportunities in, for example, finance, tourism and creative industries
• opportunity of urban change: cities dealing with congestion problems and high numbers of commuters coming into CBD have developed innovative transport solutions
• opportunity of urban change: the importance of green space in cities is being increasingly recognised by planners, parks, gardens and open spaces are being incorporated into regenerated areas of UK cities
• challenges of urban change: industrial decline in cities caused a decrease in wealth , people moved away leaving derelict buildings that became a target for crime and many areas in many inner cities became deprived
• challenges of urban change: deprived areas are linked to poor access to health care, education and job opportunities compared to other areas - these inequalities can lead to social unrest
• challenges of urban change: derelict land in inner cities provide brownfield sites (sites that have been previously developed) which can be used for new development, however high demand for housing means new estates also sprawl onto rural greenfield sites (land which is free from development)
• challenges of urban change: the rural urban fringe is under pressure from the development of business parks and large shopping centres - the land here is attractive because of good transport links and lower cost
• the UK is one of the most urbanised countries in the world , with 82 percent of our population living in cities, it is different in low income countries (LICS) such as Nigeria which are still rapidly urbanising today
• on a map of the UKS population distribution, people are evenly distributed, while some areas such as South-East england are densely populated, other areas like Northern Scotland are sparsely populated
• overall the Uks population density is 260 people per square kilometre ranging from about 5000 per km2 in london to less than 10 per km2 in northern scotland
• the UK is more crowded than france but less crowded than the netherlands
• the UK cities are located in mostly densely populated areas in flat, low lying parts of the country, particularly on the coast or near major rivers
• today the fastest growing cities are in south east england, which is the region with the fastest growing economy, by far the biggest growth in the 21st century has been in london with over a million new people
• sunderland in the north east of england is the only city where population has fallen, due to the decline of industry and loss of jobs, forcing people to move away and find work
• the uk cities are located in the most densely populated areas which tend to be in flat, low-lying parts of the country, particularly on the coast or near major rivers, as this is historically where many cities grew due to support from farming, trading and industry
• today the fastest growing cities are in south east england which is the region with the fastest growing economy
• by far the biggest growth so far in the 21st century has been in london with over 1 million new people
• sunderland in the north east of england is the only major uk city where population has fallen, due to the decline of industry and loss of jobs, forcing people to move away and find work
• sunderland in the north east of england is the only major uk city where population has fallen, due to the decline of industry and loss of jobs, forcing people to move away and find work