Contemporary Urban Environments

• Mega city- a city with a population of over 10 million people (Tokyo)
• World city

  • A city that is a major centre of economic, cultural, political, and social influence on an international scale.
  • (e.g. London is an Alpha++ city due to it being a global financial centre)
  • World cities have an important role in global politics as they host international summits (e.g. G*) where leaders use their influence to drive trade deals and economic links with other countries
  • World cities are seen as centres of innovation which attracts businesses and migration
  • Most TNC's headquarters are in world cities which has influence of production in the manufacturing industries in LIC's
• Rural-Urban migration- The movement of people from the countryside to cities
• Deindustrialisation

  • The decline of manufacturing industry in a place
  • due to outsourcing labour to LIC's were labour is cheaper (globalisation)
  • due to reduced demand for manufactured goods
  • due to increased costs of raw materials arising from subsidies and environmental controls in the country
• Rural-Urban fringe- The area between the city and the countryside.
• Urban regeneration- the process of improving an area of a city by redeveloping it using investment of public money or private finance
• Why urbanisation in HIC’s is slowing down:

  • want a quiet lifestyle
  • better technology (e.g. wifi, video calls)
  • near to family- back to where you’re from
  • saves time- less travel to work
  • HIC’s have more office based jobs- more common working from home
  • money- well paid job, but can move to cheeper area
• Cities are important:

  • for organising economic production
  • the exchange of ideas and creative thinking
  • as social and cultural centres
  • as centres of political power and decision-making
  • for availability of labour
• In 1945, less than a third of the world's population lived in urban areas. By 2030 it is expected that his will increase to 2/3
• The number of large cities around the world has increased in rapidly in recent decades, particularly in LICs.
• Suburbanisation

  • The process of people moving from the city to the suburbs.
  • Houses are built on greenfield sites
  • Due to growing populations and people being able to afford bigger houses and a better QoL
  • Improved transport links allow people to be able to commute to work from further away.
• Urbanisation

  • proportion of ppl living in towns/cities increase
  • caused by: rural to urban migration, natural population increase and increased life expectancy
  • by 2050 expected 2/3 of population living in urban areas
  • causes many economic problems such as increased house prices
• Counter-urbanisation

  • the movement of people from large urban areas to smaller urban areas or rural areas
  • Caused by: rising demand for second homes, people wanting a better QoL (air quality) and working from home being available
  • leads to rising house prices in the area, growth of housing estates which prices the locals out of the area
• Urban resurgence

  • the movement of people back to an area that was previously in decline
  • caused by: regeneration of area, rebranding of place identity, gentrification (e.g. Notting Hill)
  • leads to multiplier effect, more vibrant city life (24hr city), displacement of lower income people leading to social inequality
• Decentralisation

  • the movement of people and business to settlements from the centre to the periphery
  • due to: competition for space
  • more accessibility on the outskirts due to better transport links
  • retail/science parks meaning more businesses are closer together
• Rise of service economy

  • usually seen in developed countries
  • due to expanding consumer demand for leisure services, increase in tourism
  • jobs are often lower paid and temporary
  • urban unemployment may remain high