Get That Grade

GET THAT GRADE!
Unit 04

» Topic Task

Topic Task 4

Urban issues

There are some key definitions that you should make sure you know, which are linked to urban issues in the UK and other MEDCs.

These include:
• urban area
• conurbation
• urbanisation (Remember! This is not simply the growth of cities!)
• counter-urbanisation
• central business district (CBD)
• suburb
• commuter settlement
• urban redevelopment
• urban renewal
• gentrification

Before you can understand and explain the issues connected with urban areas you should be familiar with the main models of urban structures. The two main models that you will need to know at GCSE level are the Hoyt and Burgess models, as shown below.

(If you are aiming for the Higher Tier paper you should learn to draw and label these diagrams. If you are entered for the Foundation Tier, learn to add the labels when you are given copies of the diagrams.)

Remember that these models do not show real cities. They show many of the features of cities - but real places are far more complex. Models are ways of helping to simplify urban structures to help understand them.

Why have businesses often needed to locate as close to the city centre as possible? (Think about accessibility and market share.)
What types of businesses usually locate in the CBD? (Learn some examples of CBD businesses from your own case study example.)

When they are writing about 'an example of an urban area that you have studied' most exam candidates refer to their own local example. This is good — but do not leave your knowledge of your city to chance. Learn your local example as carefully as you would with any other case study.

Why are many businesses moving out of the CBD and setting up on the rural-urban fringe? (Think about pushes from the centre and pulls to the edge of the city. Think about where people live and about how they travel to shops and services. Think cars!)

Why is traffic congestion a serious problem in many city centres? (Think about the way routes converge. Think about increased car ownership.)

What problems is traffic congestion causing in cities? Think about the following:

• pollution
• noise
• vibration and damage to buildings
• stress for motorists and pedestrians
• space needed for roads and car parks
• the barriers that roads form for pedestrians trying to move around the city

How are the problems of urban transport being managed to try and reduce congestion? Think about the following:

• introduction of schemes to make car use less attractive
• improvements in public transport
• easing the flow of traffic at particular 'crisis points'

You must learn about specific examples of all of these. One or two schemes in each category will be enough, if learnt well.

Why did inner cities become run-down areas? (Think about when they were built, and why many people moved out if they could afford to. Think about who was left, and about why they could not afford to invest in their property.)

What problems were found in these run-down inner city areas? Think about the following:

• lack of space
• different sorts of pollution
• poverty (see above for why it was mainly the poor who were left in these areas)
• social problems associated with poverty — crime, vandalism, broken families, poor health, etc.
• lack of shops and services, which had often moved out of the area (see above)

What can be done to improve run-down inner city areas? Consider the following:

• Urban Development Corporations (you should learn an example in detail)
• renewal of housing (usually on a smaller scale than area redevelopment)
• demolition of very poor quality housing to create open space and improve the quality of life for remaining population.

It is easy to write vague generalisations about inner city renewal. But this will earn you many marks. Learn five or six specific facts about a named urban redevelopment scheme and you will raise the level of your mark very quickly.

What problems are being caused by development on the rural-urban fringe?
Consider the following:

• loss of open space and amenities
• loss of wildlife habitat
• more cars needed as city spreads farther and farther
• loss of farmland

Cities in LEDCs
The main issues that you need to learn with reference to cities in LEDCs are those related to rapid urbanisation and its results.

Remember your definition of urbanisation: Urbanisation is an increase in the proportion of a country's people who live in cities. It is usually caused by migration of people from the countryside to the towns.

What makes people move? Think of pushes and pulls.

The main pull is almost always the chance to make a reasonable living in the cities. There may not be enough 'proper' jobs in the formal sector of the economy — but there are many opportunities in the informal sector.

Make sure you know the difference between the formal and informal sectors of the economy. Informal sector jobs usually have:

• irregular hours
• irregular payment
• no contracts of employment and no papers to fill in
• no income tax paid (or less than should be) and therefore no benefits like sick pay, pensions or rights to join a union

Remember:
people who migrate are usually quite sensible, and do so for good reasons. They may have to live in difficult conditions in the cities, but their chances are better than they were in the countryside.