Urban Futures

• What is Urbanisation?

  The movement of people from rural areas to urban areas
• Settlement Hierarchies


  If we group and classify a number of settlements according to their size and shape, the result is settlement hierarchy
• Key characteristics of Settlement Hierarchy

  • The number of services that a settlement provides increases with settlement size
  • Small settlements will only provide low-order services such as a post office
  • Larger settlements and conurbations have a much larger sphere of influence than smaller ones
  • The range of a service or product is the maximum distance people are prepared to travel to purchase it
• What is a Megacity?

  An urban area with over 10 million people living there. More than two thirds of the world's megacities are located in LIDCs and EDCs. Predictions are made that by 2030 the number of megacities will increase from 28 to 41
• What is a World City?

  Cities that are centres for trade and business. They hold global influence. They are mostly in AC countries but more EDCs are becoming world cities; e.g. Moscow
• Push Factors of Urbanisation

  • Natural disasters
  • War and Conflict
  • Mechanisation
  • Drought
• Pull factors of Urbanisation

  • More Jobs
  • Better education & healthcare
  • Increased quality of life
  • Following family members
• Social Consequences of Rapid Urbanisation in LIDCs

  • Little official housing available
  • Infrastructure struggles to support growing population
  • Increase in crime rate
• Economic Consequences of Rapid Urbanisation in LIDCs

  • May not be enough jobs - increased unemployment
  • Informal sector increases - little access to education and healthcare
• Environmental Consequences of Rapid Urbanisation in LIDCs

  • Rubbish may not be collected
  • Sewage and toxic waste pollutes river environments
  • Increased congestion produces more pollution
• What is Counter-Urbanisation in ACs?

  This is the movement of people from city centres to the outskirts
• Push factors of Counter-Urbanisation in ACs

  • Overcrowding and pollution
  • Unemployment increases
  • Deindustrialisation of centre
  • Traffic congestion increases CO2
• Pull factors of Counter-Urbanisation in ACs

  • Green spaces & family friendly
  • New modern housing estates
  • Improved public transport
  • Rents cheaper on outskirts
• What is suburbanisation?

  This is the movement of people from city centres to the outskirts
• Push factors of Suburbanisation

  • Overcrowding and pollution
  • Unemployment increases
  • Deindustrialisation of centre
  • Traffic congestion
• Pull factors of Suburbanisation

  • Green spaces & family friendly
  • New modern housing estates
  • Improved public transport
  • Rents cheaper on outskirts
• Environmental consequences of Suburbanisation

  • New housing damages countrysides and habitats
  • Increase of cars - adds to air pollution
• Economic consequences of Suburbanisation

  • People leave centres and they become deserted
  • Unemployment increases, which leads to poverty
• Social consequences of Suburbanisation

  • Offices and businesses are abandoned
  • Economic and ethnic segregation
• Push factors for Re-urbanisation in ACs

  • Lack of jobs in rural and suburban areas
  • Less leisure and entertainment in rural areas
  • Counter-urbanisation may have increased house prices
• Pull factors for Re-urbanisation in ACs

  • Redevelopment of brownfield sites with improved housing
  • Young people are attracted to the Universities
  • People are attracted to entertainment facilities available
• Social consequences of Re-urbanisation

  • Shops and services benefit from the additional residents
  • Increase in tension between new and older residents
  • House prices in redeveloped areas increase
  • Schools benefit from the increase of students
  • More jobs and less employment within the area
• Environmental consequences of Re-urbanisation

  • Redevelopment of brownfield sites improves old industrial and polluted areas
  • Decreases pressure on greenfield areas
  • Could destroy urban wildlife
• Economic consequences of Re-urbanisation

  • New shops and services will improve local economy
  • Jobs available may not be accessible to original residents
  • Urban tourism may increase
• What is Informal Housing?


  This is housing that is built on land which does not belong to those who are building it. This may be on land that is unsuitable due to its surroundings
• What is Internal Growth?

  Internal growth occurs when urban areas experience rapid rates of population growth. This comes as a result of a large amount of arrival of people in cities, who are after finding a job, house and a partner will have children. This occurs mostly in LIDCs
• What is a Greenbelt Area?

  This is a zone of land surrounding a city where new building strictly controlled to try to prevent cities growing too much and too fast
• What is a conurbation?


  A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, though population growth have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area