Geography paper 2

• Urbanization


  Growth in the proportion of people who live in urban areas
• Around 55% of the world lives in urban areas
• Types of countries by level of urbanization

  • High income countries
  • Low-income countries
  • Newly emerging economies
• High income countries


  More economically developed countries like the UK and Japan, with around 80% of the population living in urban areas and low rates of urbanization
• Low-income countries


  Less economically developed countries like Ethiopia, with only around 30% of the population living in urban areas and high rates of urbanization
• Newly emerging economies


  Countries where economic development is increasing rapidly, with around 50% of the population living in urban areas and moderate rates of urbanization, e.g. Brazil and China
• Rural to urban migration


  The movement of people from rural areas to urban areas
• Push factors for rural to urban migration

  • Lack of healthcare
  • Lack of facilities
  • Worse education
  • Natural disasters
  • Mechanization of agriculture
• Pull factors for rural to urban migration

  • More jobs
  • Better access to healthcare
  • Better education
  • Benefit schemes
• Natural increase


  When the birth rate exceeds the death rate in urban areas due to a younger population moving in
• Most UK cities are located in lowland areas due to the geology
• The UK has an unequal population distribution, with the northern areas being more sparsely populated and the southern areas more densely populated
• Central Business District (CBD)


  The middle of a city, with most amenities, services and businesses
• Inner city


  An area around the CBD with a mix of residential, business and recreational land uses, often with terraced housing
• Suburbs


  Residential areas on the edge of a city, with more space and semi-detached housing
• Rural-urban fringe


  The area where the urban city meets the rural countryside, with farmland and potential future housing developments
• Sustainable urban living


  Living in a way that meets current needs without compromising the needs of the future
• Water conservation schemes


  1. Only taking renewable water

  2. Collecting rainwater

  3. Installing water-efficient toilets

  4. Using water meters
• Energy conservation schemes


  1. Promoting renewable energy

  2. Improving energy efficiency of homes

  3. Reducing car usage and promoting public transport
• Green spaces in cities

  • Provide mental health benefits
  • Help reduce air pollution
  • Reduce flood risk
• Waste reduction and recycling schemes

  1. Curbside collections

  2. Freecycle schemes to reuse items
• Problems caused by traffic congestion

  • Environmental (air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions)
  • Economic (delays, lost productivity)
  • Social (accidents, health issues)
• Traffic management schemes


  1. Encouraging public transport use (e.g. DLR, London Underground)

  2. Providing self-service bikes

  3. Creating bicycle lanes
• Docklands Light Railway


  Automatic train system that connects the east of London to the city center, operates mostly on tracks above street level
• The Docklands Light Railway is used by 120 million people per year or per annum
• London Underground


  Network of ways to take people off the roads, takes 3 million people off the roads every day
• Self-service bikes


  Can be electric or regular bikes, the cheapest form of public transport, provided with bicycle lanes in London
• Oyster cards


  Allow people to travel on most of London's public transport network without having to buy separate tickets, reduces waste of buying tickets
• Congestion charge


  Charge paid when entering certain areas of London, dissuades people from using cars and persuades them to use public transport
• Bus priority lanes


  Allow buses to take precedence and not get delayed by traffic, attracts people to use public transport
• Parking restrictions


  Ensure parked cars do not block the traffic flow
• Ring roads


  Pedestrianized shopping streets that keep traffic away from the city center, ensuring a safer experience for pedestrians
• Development


  Economic growth, progress in technology usage, and improvement of welfare
• Gross National Income (GNI)


  Total value of all goods and services produced by a country
• GNI per head


  Total GNI divided by the population of the country
• Birth rate


  Number of live births per thousand of the population per year
• Death rate


  Number of deaths per thousand people of the population per year
• Infant mortality rate


  Number of babies below the age of one years old dying before they become one per thousand babies born
• Literacy rate


  Measure of development
• Access to Safe Water


  Measure of development