What are the challenges and opportunities for cities today?

• Location and importance of London

  • the capital of the UK, in the southeast of England on either side on the Thames River.
  • has 32 boroughs and once City of London.
  • the largest city in the UK and is England's economic, transportation and cultural centre with a long history and popular tourist destination.
• Regional importance of London

  • many people commute to London and it provides many jobs.
  • wealthy city with higher than average house prices and earnings.
  • Europe's fastest growing technology cluster, 3,000 companies concentrated in the East End.
  • the capital generates 22% of UK GDP despite only have 12% of the UK population.
• National importance of London

  • 40 leading universities and research.
  • central government is based in Whitehall.
  • 6 major train stations and 5 international airports around London, home to the second biggest port in the UK.
• International importance of London

  • considered a world city, one of the three important financial centres in the world along with New York and Tokyo.
  • major international centre for fashion, art, theatre and film.
  • headquarters of major TNCs.
• Location and importance of Lagos

  • Nigeria's largest and most populous city.
  • Nigeria is an oil-rich nation and is predicted to be one of the larges economies in the world.

  
• Regional importance of Lagos

  • Lagos Island is the financial hub of the city.
  • 6,300 millionaires live in Lagos and 4 billionaires.
  • the CBD and Eko Atlantic development provide high skilled jobs with industrial areas and ports providing low skilled employment.
• National importance of Lagos

  • the city has a well connected transport hub along with a major international airport and busy seaport providing raw materials for local industries.
  • although Lagos is not the capital it is one of the world's fastest growing megacities of 600,000 people a year and is Nigeria's leading city in terms of trade and economy.
  • 80% of Nigerian industry is in Lagos.
• International importance of Lagos

  • port facility on Tin Can Island is Lagos connects Nigeria to the world through global trade in mostly oil.
  • the city has emerged as a major centre for the headquarters of national and global companies like Shell Nigeria.
  • has the fourth highest GDP in Africa.
  • growing fashion and film industry.
• Patterns of national and international migration in London 1

  • the most ethnically diverse place in the UK, migrants bring their own culture, traditions, religions, music and food.
  • migration increased during the Industrial Revolution, decreased after WWII, increased since 1991.
  • population is 8.8 million, 2021 which is younger than the rest of the UK, increasing the rate of natural increase in the city.
  • economic migrants from within the UK and overseas in their 20s and 30s give London its distinctive age structure.
• Patterns of national and international migration in London 2

  • older population is smaller as families leave the capital and people leave when they retire.
  • in 2021 3.58 million resident were born outside the UK.
  • India is the top non-UK country of birth with 323,000 London residents, then Romania, Poland, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Italy and Nigeria.
• Patterns of national and international migration in Lagos 1

  • income in Lagos is 4 times higher than in rural areas, contributing to Lagos' rapidly growing population.
  • international migration from neighbouring countries like Chad and Niger, some migrants from the USA, the UK and China who are employed by foreign businesses in Lagos, mostly the oil industry.
  • migration has resulted in an overcrowded, congested and polluted city with pockets of high density populations like squatter settlements and gated communities.
• Patterns of national and international migration in Lagos 2

  • 1900, small fishing village on Lagos Island.
  • 1965, with the discovery of oil, Lagos expanded across Lagos Island, Victoria Island and mainland, Lagos grew in a linear pattern along the major transport routes.
  • 1990, inward migration saw rapid expansion of Lagos including rise in slums, Tin Can island container port increased global links, Lagos and Victoria Island connected to mainland by 3 bridges.
  • 2020, officially a megacity in 2010, urban sprawl pushed northwest, Eko Atlantic began development in 2009 to solve housing shortage.
• Patterns of national and international migration in Lagos 3

  • mainland Lagos is located on flat land with an annual influx of 600,000.
  • wealthy areas like Victoria island with gated communities, Makoko is one of the biggest squatter settlement and home to 250,000 people where many work in the informal economic sector or fish in the lagoon, it floods regularly.
  • rural to urban migration caused the high rate of natural increase and youthful population.
• Ways of life in London

  • a vibrant, busy capital city with rich heritage and popular tourist destination, very expensive to live there.
  • most Londoners like a fast paced life, rush hour is busy and the underground is usually packed.
  • the London Underground is a rapid transit system opened in January 1863, the world's first underground passenger train.
  • black cabs and red double decker buses are notable forms of transport.
• Culture in London

  • over 192 museums, 857 art galleries including 3 top ten museums and galleries in the world and 4 UNESCO world heritage sites, Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich, Westminster Palace, Kew Gardens.
  • culturally diverse with over 300 spoken languages, more than any other city in the world which influences food and music.
• Ethnicity in London

  • a city of trade with different races and many immigrants than have come in waves and recently from eastern Europe as former communist countries joined the EU.
  • most ethnically diverse region in England and Wales.
  • 46% of resident identify with Asian, black, mixed or other ethnic groups.
• Housing in London

  • one of the world's top ten most expensive cities to live, average house prices in Greater London being £709k in 2023 compared to a UK average of £288k.
  • housing is unequal with many having to rent their homes, spending 2/3 of their income on rent.
  • Mayfair, Kensington and Chelsea have high house prices over £1 million.
  • east and southeast London have lower prices like Hackney and Ealing.
  • the highest population density is in central London with 10,000 per km2.
• Leisure in London

  • has many world class sporting venues and event like 2012 Olympic Games, Wimbledon, Lord's Cricket Ground and Wembley.
  • many Premier League football teams are located there like Arsenal and West Ham.
  • Theatreland in the West End.
• Consumption in London

  • diverse number of shops on high streets like Oxford St. Regent St. and Carnaby St., with shops like Hamley's Toy's, Harrods and Selfridges.
  • Westfield has two major shopping centres in London with more than 250 shops under one roof.
  • food markets like Covent Garden and Borough Market are open to all.
• Ways of life in Lagos

  • attracts 600,000 new residents annually all seeking a better way of life, making Lagos diverse.
  • a mix of rich and poor with 4 billionaires and 6,300 millionaires.
  • access to water and energy is slowly improving and transport systems are getting better.
• Culture in Lagos

  • the heart of the film industry in Africa, Nollywood produces 1,500 films a year.
  • western influence is becoming more common but traditional clothing, street vendors and markets are still the most popular as well as Lagos Museum built as part of the redevelopment of the Onikan area as a cultural hub.
  • the city has a growing art scene, with events like Badagry Festival, Lagos Street Carnival and One Lagos Fiesta which gains international coverage.
  • home to Afrobeat and Afro hip-hop music movement attracting musicians from all over the world.
• Ethnicity in Lagos

  • more than 250 ethnic groups due to heavy migration from other parts of Nigeria and surrounding countries, originally inhabited by the Awori group of the Yoruba people.
  • small minorities of American, British, East Indian, Chinese and other people.
  • over 500 different languages spoken with English, Pidgin and Yoruba being the most common.
• Housing in Lagos

  • 77 people moving into Lagos every hour, hosing is very limited making renting in Lagos expensive and home buying almost impossible, very few can afford to buy their own homes with no government social housing, 2/3 of the population live in slums the largest being Makoko.
  • housing is mixed and range from skyscrapers, luxury apartments within the city centre to colonial mansions and gated communities on Victoria Island to tin shacks on the outskirts.
  • Eko Atlantic City built in land reclaimed from the sea is protected by a 8.5km sea wall helping to support the housing shortage.
• Leisure in Lagos

  • football is the national sport some of the best players in Europe are Nigerian.
  • as an emerging city leisure activities are limited and aimed at tourists, but they take advantage of the natural beaches and scenery like the Landmark Leisure Beach and Lekki Leisure Lake.
• Consumption in Lagos

  • as population rises so does the demand for resources, Lagos consumes half of Nigerian energy output.
  • as more people become wealthier there is greater demand for consumer goods so more resources are used.
  • shopping malls and mix of food markets and street vendors.
  • growth of commercial and industrial zones along with an overall improvement to economic development and standard of life.
• Housing availability affecting London

  • London's housing stock has not kept up with population growth and prices and rents have increased rapidly.
  • rents are double the UK average making housing some of the least affordable in the world.
  • lower income workers cannot afford to buy or rent so either have to commute into London or share a house with others.
• Transport problems affecting London

  • London has a good transport system but is under pressure due to the rising population.
  • roads are congested and slow with the average speed during the day 8mph which impacts lost office hours or makes worker hours longer.
  • 1 million commuters arrive on overcrowded trains daily and delays on the tube have doubled.
• Access to services affecting London

  • London has some of the best health care an education services in the UK, although some struggle to access them or to access private health care.
  • hospitals are often overcrowded and waiting times for doctors have increased, congested roads delay ambulances.
  • wealthy people access fee paying schools leaving children from poorer families in underperforming schools, therefore widening the gap between children's attainment.
• Inequality affecting London

  • a wage disparity with the average wage in Kensington and Chelsea being £130,000 compared to Newham where it is £30,000.
  • London's economy consists of 96% service industry positions, often low paid with zero hours contracts, many migrants are exploited and are paid below minimum wage and work several jobs to meet basic needs.
  • unemployment increases in deprived areas, often people don't have the skills or education to be employed and if they do are poorly paid.
  • this inequality impacts life expectancy which varies across Greater London by 5 years.
• Squatter settlements affecting Lagos

  • 60% of the population live in slums around the city.
  • the largest slum is Makoko where homes are built on wooden stilts within the low lying lagoon itself due to the risk of flooding.
  • the huts are illegally built with communal toilets and the waste goes directly into the lagoon waters, polluting the water.
  • there is no running water and there is a 3km to the communal water point.
  • electricity is obtained illegally by connecting to the city's supply.
• Informal sector jobs affecting Lagos

  • 60% of people in Lagos work in informal jobs either scavenging through the waste in rubbish dumps, becoming street vendors or working on the docks.
  • street vendor stalls can be bulldozed to make way for new development.
  • informal jobs pay very little and require long hours and has no job protection.
  • crime rates are high and includes gun and gang violence and drugs.
  • there is one primary school but few parents can afford to send their children regularly.
• Health and services affecting Lagos

  • rapid urbanisation is causing dangerous levels of traffic congestion and pollution.
  • there is a lack of health care services and many people cant afford to access them.
  • most people don't have access to clean water or sanitation, leading to disease and illness like cholera and diarrhoea.
  • stagnant water of the lagoon is breeding ground for mosquitoes leading to the spread of malaria.
• Waste disposal affecting Lagos

  • just 40% of the 10,000 tonnes of daily waste produced in Lagos is collected and taken to large rubbish dumps like Olusosun.
  • many of these rubbish dumps contain toxic waste where people pick over the waste to make a living, many of these people have no formal training or protective clothing and are exposed to unsafe material.
• Sustainability in London

  • due to London's popularity buildings have been built to be lived and worked in as the city has changed.
  • many factories shut down as manufacturing moved overseas to countries like China, these areas become environmentally damaging due to toxic leaks, asbestos, and unwanted plant growth and socially are an eyesore and place of danger for kids.
  • London needs 63,000 new homes a year to keep up with the population growth.
• Transport improvement Elizabeth Line

  • its objective was to increase London's railway capacity and reduce journey times, Heathrow to Liverpool Street was 55 min now 35 min.
  • £14.8 billion budget created 42km of new railways tunnels with trains that will move up to 72,000 passengers per hour.
  • links London's major businesses like Heathrow, the West End, the City and Canary Wharf.
  • however it is very high cost and there was disruption to vehicle and pedestrian movement during construction.
• Road transport improvement

  • drivers of older, more polluting petrol and diesel cars have to pay a T-charge and congestion charge, the aim of T-charge is to improve air quality in central London where legal pollution limits are often exceeded.
  • ULEZ operates 7 days a week so vehicles meet strict exhaust emission standards or pay a daily charge to enter the zone.
• Sustainability in Lagos

  • sustainable urban development, through improving residents lives now without destroying opportunities and the environment for later generations.
  • top down action, intervention by local and national governments and business projects.
  • bottom up action, communities and individual action.
  • help from NGOs, funding by donations with no formal links to any government like Water Aid.
• Waste disposal

  • authorities encourage residents of Makoko to recycle plastics, metals and paper.
  • some waste to the Olusosun dump is diverted to Makoko, where it's gathered up, compressed down, covered in sawdust and sand to create new land in the lagoon which helps to alleviate waste but also create new land for residents.
• Air and water pollution and transport

  • air pollution is managed through improving the road and rail networks, 7 new light railway's will reduce the amount of traffic and congestion along with reducing air pollution.
  • residents are encouraged to use public transport or share cars to reduce congestion and air pollution.
  • stricter pollution controls are enforced with factories being fined for polluting waterways.
  • public information and education have seen a reduction in the amount of raw sewage entering waterways.