Perth Academy
Geography Department
Human Environments
Urban Areas
What is an urban
area?
Are all urban
areas the same?
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An urban area is the region surrounding a city. Most inhabitants of urban areas have nonagricultural jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a high density of human
structures such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways. Since 1950
there has been a huge worldwide increase in the percentage of population living within
cities. In 2008 the population of the world was evenly split between urban and rural areas.
By 2010 50.5% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. The trend shows no sign of
stopping - for the next 20 years, the flow of people is predicted to continue rising rapidly
e.g. it is predicted that 92% of the UK’s population will live in cities which has risen from
79% in 1950. It is expected that 70 percent of the world population will be urban by 2050
but why is this happening?
World
Developed countries
Developing countries
Urban population
50.5%
74%
44%
Rural population
49.5%
26%
56%
Task
Look at the handout “World Urban Agglomerations” and answer the questions
from the powerpoint.
Locate and label on blank world map, the urban areas with a population of more
than 10 million for each time period. Think about how you could show all of this
data on just one map? What do all maps need to have?
Draw a bar graph for each continent to show the number of urban areas in each
time period.
Describe in detail the changing patterns of urbanisation from 1950-2025, using
your map and graphs to help you.
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Characteristics of Land Use Zones in Cities in the Developed World
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What do we mean by
the developed world?
We have seen previously that the vast majority of people living in the developed world such
as UK, USA and Japan, live and work in urban areas. What do they do there and what do
these urban areas look like. As Oakbank has lots of houses (and schools!) then the land use
i.e. what everything is built on, is said to be residential. This is not the only way in which
land is used in urban areas…
Task
On your own, list as many different ways in which land is used in a city.
Share this list with your neighbour and compare what you have written, adding any
new ideas to your own list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlM65VbmIgY
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Land use zones are areas within towns and cities that can be recognised as they share
similar characteristics e.g. residential, shopping and industrial areas. The main land use
zones are shown in the diagram below:
Figure 1: Land Use Zones in an Urban Area
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Towns and cities grow outwards meaning that the centre is the oldest part of a city and
what you find there will reflect this. Think about Perth – is there anything in the centre of
Perth that shows that this is the oldest part of the city?
The simplest model of urban growth is the Burgess model (also known as the concentric ring
model) as shown below. As the city grows, newer buildings are built further away from the
centre.
Figure 2: Burgess Model
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Zone 1 - Business is attracted to the centre to be easily accessible. Competition for space
leads to high prices.
Zone 2 - Industry developed in the UK in the 19th century, and factories were built around
the CBD. Housing for workers was built close to the factories.
Zone 3 - People then moved further out into newer residential areas as transport links
developed.
Zones 4 and 5 - Today many people prefer the space and cleaner environment on the edge
of the city and often commute to work, or work in new out-of-town (greenfield) sites.
Can you think of any
reasons why a city may
not follow this model?
Land Use Zones
Central Business District (CBD)
The central business district or CBD is usually located at the most accessible point in a city.
That is usually a bridging point in a river and/or where transport links such as roads and
railways meet. This helps to make the city an accessible location for workers and ensures it
is within the reach of most people for shops and businesses. The CBD is often the oldest
part of the city as the settlement has grown outwards from here. It also has high land
values due its accessibility and so there are many people in this area for work, tourism or
leisure i.e. it is busy so many business want to locate there. Buildings are built upwards
(skyscrapers) rather than outwards to save on land costs.
Why does Perth have
fewer skyscrapers
than London?
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Features of the CBD
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Task
Brainstorm what you think you would find in the city centre and describe what a city
centre looks like.
Most CBDs will have the following features:
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Tall/multi-storey buildings
Expensive land values
Lack of open space
High density of roads and buildings
Where roads and railways meet (route centre)
High order shops e.g. department stores, jewellers
Specialist shops e.g. bridal wear
Modern, under cover shopping centres
Offices, finance, banks etc.
Town Hall
Tourist functions e.g. tourist information centre
Hotels for tourists and business meetings
Main train and bus stations
Historical buildings and museums
High concentration of religious buildings e.g. churches
Entertainment venues such as cinemas and theatres
Grid iron street pattern
NOTE: Not all CBDs will have all of these features as settlements vary in size and location.
Task
From page 158 of “Key Geography for GCSE”, copy the section entitled “The CBD” as
well as diagram A into your notes.
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How to Recognise the CBD on an OS Map
In order to identify the CBD of a settlement you need to look for the features listed above.
Not all of them will be identifiable e.g. individual shops, car parks and the height of
buildings; however, you will be able to spot most of the others. See the task below to have a
go for yourself!
Map 1: OS Map of Edinburgh
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Task
Using the Ordnance Survey map of Edinburgh, give a four figure grid reference for
the CBD and give at least 4 reasons why you have chosen this square. Remember to
look at the key to help you if you are unsure of any symbols.
The Inner City
As settlements grew they expanded outwards. The biggest expansion of our cities was
during the industrial revolution in the 19th century where people flocked into towns and
cities from the countryside in search of work in the old heavy industries like coal mining,
steel making and shipbuilding.
The inner city therefore reflects this and is located near to the CBD and consists of factories
and tenement style housing which was built quickly and cheaply to house the workers who
needed to live close to the factories. Due to the decline of the heavy industries these areas
have undergone some of the biggest changes in UK cities in a process known as
regeneration. Some of these schemes include the London Docklands, Cardiff Bay including
the Millennium Stadium, Albert Docks in Liverpool and Glasgow Clydeside.
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19th Century Industrial Area
You would expect to find this area close to the CBD and surrounded by 19th Century
(tenement) housing.
Features of old industrial areas include:
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Factories, warehouses, shipyards, ironworks, steel works, coal mines or spoil heaps
Old industrial areas abandoned
Derelict land – many factories have now closed down
Large areas of redevelopment or urban regeneration e.g. Ocean Terminal in Leith
A declining population and high unemployment as older industries have closed down
Areas have been demolished and left as gap sites or used for motorways and ring
roads
19th Century Housing Area
Inner city areas are identified not only by their physical features but often by negative socioeconomic features, e.g. derelict buildings, waste ground and run-down housing.
The 19th century housing was built right beside the old industries as people needed to live
close to their work due to the lack of public transport and the fact that there were no cars.
These low-cost tenements (often made of sandstone), or terraced housing in England, were
built quickly and cheaply by the factory owners to house their poorly paid workers. As these
areas were still close to the CBD, it meant that the people living here could easily access the
shops, services and entertainment within the CBD.
Features of tenement housing include:
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High levels of air pollution from traffic
Visual pollution from vandalism and graffiti
High density of buildings
Lack of open space e.g. parks and gardens
Grid-iron street pattern
Many buildings were stained black from the soot from the factory chimneys
Old Industrial Area
Old Housing Area
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How to Recognise the Inner City on an OS Map
In order to identify the Inner City of a settlement you need to look for the features listed
above. Not all of them will be identifiable; however, you will be able to spot most of the
others. See the task on the next page to try to find both the 19th century industry and
housing on a map.
Old industrial areas are difficult to identify on an up to date
OS map as many old factories have been demolished and
the area regenerated, often changing the land use.
Map 2: OS Map of Salford, Manchester
Task
Using the Ordnance Survey map of Manchester, give a four figure grid reference for
the inner city and give at least 4 reasons why you have chosen this square.
Remember to look at the key to help you if you are unsure of any symbols.
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New Housing Zone (Suburbs)
As cities have grown outwards, late 20th and early 21st Century houses have been built on
land located near the outskirts of the city. Land here was more readily available therefore
cheaper which allowed larger houses to be built with gardens and often garages. As these
areas were well planned, a variety of house styles could be built including bungalows, semidetached and detached houses which were much nicer to look at. Roads are also planned
and have taken into account the large number of children likely to live in these areas so
planned roads are crescent-shaped with many cul-de-sacs to reduce traffic speeds and
make the roads safer. The environment was much cleaner due to less air and noise
pollution and congestion from the inner city. Buildings are low density and there is more
open and green space than will be found closer to the CBD. There will be road or rail access
to the CBD for work, shopping and entertainment.
How to Recognise the Suburbs on an OS Map
To identify the suburbs, look for the following features:
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Located on the outskirts of the city
Crescent shaped roads and cul-de-sacs
Lots of green/open space
Schools nearby for children
Leisure facilities nearby for families to use
Map 3: OS Map of Newton Mearns, Glasgow
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Task
Study the diagram below showing different land use zones in a city and then
answer the question that follows.
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Mr and Mrs Smith and their two teenage children are moving to the city
shown above.
They have found houses for sale in the three locations identified.
Which location do you think they should choose? Give detailed reasons for
your choice.
Perth Academy: Geography Department
New Industrial Zone
Modern industry is also known as ‘light’ industry as both the components and products are
light e.g. TV manufacture or mobile phones. Factories are grouped together in planned
industrial estates of low density, one or two storey modern buildings. They are located on
greenfield sites (countryside) on the outskirts of the city where land is cheaper to allow for
large factories, car parks and room for expansion. They are also often landscaped with trees
and open grassy areas to provide a pleasant, less polluted and less congested working
environment. They are often located close to modern suburbs so that there is a workforce
nearby. These industries require excellent road networks nearby such as motorways and
main roads (A-class) to allow for quick, nationwide deliveries and access for workers.
‘Business
Park ’
‘Ind Est’
‘Industrial
Estate’
‘Trading
Estate’
Task
Discuss with the person sitting beside you then write down in your jotters what you
think you would have to look for if you were trying to identify a modern industrial
estate on an OS map. Heading: “Identifying New Industrial areas on an OS map”.
New Business District
Since the early 1990s, there has been a trend for large shopping and entertainment
complexes or out-of-town shopping centres to be built on the very edges of the city,
furthest away from the CBD e.g. Braehead in Glasgow or the Gyle in Edinburgh.
Task
Based upon the knowledge of land use that you have already gained, describe the
look and location of such an area in as much detail as possible.
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Rural-urban Fringe
Also known as the greenbelt, the rural-urban fringe is where the edge of the city meets the
countryside. The greenbelt is designed to stop large settlements merging with one another
and slow urban sprawl. As a result it is often difficult to obtain planning permission to build
here.
On an OS map, look for:
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Open space on the edge of the city
Farmland
Small, scattered buildings – usually farm buildings
The letters ‘fm’ indicating a farm
Roads and railways – connecting settlements
Homework Task
Pretend that you are taking a bus journey from the greenbelt into the CBD, the rain
is battering off the window and you are daydreaming about the people, vehicles
and buildings that you pass by.
Use your knowledge of the different land use zones in a city to produce a piece of
creative writing that should accurately describe each of the areas that you pass
through.
TASK: CREATIVE WRITING  describe journey from CBD out or outskirts into CBD
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Recent Changes in Developed World Cities
Most cities in the developed world have existed and grown for hundreds of years. During
this time a lot has changed – cars, trains, building materials, industry, shopping etc. The
world has changed and cities need to change too. Cities continue to develop and you need
to be aware of what has been happening recently and the reasons behind these changes.
Case Study: Edinburgh
CBD
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The main changes in the CBD involve shopping areas and alterations to transport,
particularly geared towards restricting vehicles in the CBD to ease congestion and air
pollution.
These changes have taken place as out-of-town shopping centres with free car parks have
led to less people using the shops in the CBD and therefore closures. There has also been a
vast increase in the number of vehicles entering the CBD which has led to congestion on the
narrow roads that were not intended for cars as well as air pollution from exhaust fumes.
Change
Undercover shopping
centres built
SHOPPING
Shop closures
Pedestrianised streets
Al fresco dining
Landscaping, benches,
sculptures etc.
Reason
Built to attract shoppers
back into the CBD as they
can shop in more pleasant
conditions rather than the
wind and rain
Competition from out-oftown shopping centres and
internet sites such as
Amazon
Safer for shoppers and less
polluted
Outdoor eating areas to
attract people back to the
CBD by making it feel more
Cosmopolitan and
European
Make the area more
attractive and appealing
for shoppers
Named Example
St. James Centre
Rose Street
George Street
George Street
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Change
‘Park and Ride’ schemes
Ring roads
TRANSPORT
Bus lanes (greenways)
One-way streets
Multi-storey car parks
Parking restrictions –
traffic wardens, double
yellow lines, parking
charges
Trams
Reason
Ease congestion and
reduce air pollution in the
CBD by reducing the
number of cars that travel
in
Cars, lorries etc can travel
around the city rather than
through it but this may
reduce trade to shops
along main access roads
Allows faster access to the
CBD by bus as well as
keeps them running on
time to encourage people
to use public transport
Allows traffic to move
more freely and faster
reducing congestion
Reduces on street parking
and allows traffic to move
freely
Also reduce on street
parking to reduce
congestion on narrow
roads and are also
designed to discourage
people from driving into
the city centre
Encourage the use of
public transport and
thereby have fewer cars in
the city centre
Named Example
Hermiston Gate
A720 Edinburgh by-pass
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A71
Omni Centre
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Inner City
Changes in the inner city have been characterised by redevelopment of areas that had
become run down due to the decline and closure of old heavy industry. In some cities this
has allowed the CBD to grow outwards with the addition of tourist attractions such as
museums as well as entertainment venues.
The closure of these industries such as ship building and steel making have led to large areas
of derelict buildings are neglected and often vandalised which makes them an eye sore and
the land itself is often polluted. Where buildings have been demolished, the land is often
left unused leaving gap sites which are also unsightly. Some of these are now used as
impromptu and ‘cheap’ all day car parks. High unemployment in the inner city became a
huge problem as most of the workers also lived in tenement flats beside the factories. This
led to many social problems such as crime and alcoholism.
As a result a number of policies have been put in place to redevelop the inner city in a
process known as urban regeneration.
Leith
Most inner city areas have these urban regeneration programmes in which buildings are
modernised, converted, demolished and replaces, and gap sites filled. One of the areas
undergoing such a transformation is Leith in Edinburgh:
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the Royal Yacht Britannia is now docked there as a permanent tourist attraction
warehouses and empty docks have been converted into flats
old, stone built whisky bonds were converted into open-plan offices and luxury flats
above boutique shops and restaurants
Ocean Terminal provides a shopping environment for locals and tourists
housing is a mix of social and private accommodation
the Scottish Executive was moved to new premises on Victoria Quay
also in the area are a radio station headquarters, new hotels, a private Health Club
and new restaurants
Leith Walk (the main road into Edinburgh) was improved e.g. tree planting
The impact of these changes has been to:
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attract younger, more affluent people to Leith
increase daytime population as people travel to work in the shops, offices,
restaurants and the Scottish Executive
attract people, from all over Scotland, to Leith to spend their leisure time
transform the area, providing homes and leisure facilities
create an affluent dock and riverside fringe
Task
Make neat notes in your jotter from the presentation you have been shown.
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Rural-urban Fringe
Recently there has been increasing competition for the use of land on the edge of cities,
known as the rural-urban fringe, due to urban sprawl (the expansion of towns and cities
into the countryside. The main reason for this competition is due to:
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cheaper land at the outskirts of an urban area
less traffic congestion
less noise and air pollution
easier access and better road infrastructure
a pleasant environment with more open space
access to leisure facilities on the edge of towns and cities
Task
Read pages 172 and 173 of “Key Geography for GCSE”, copy summary and answer
questions 1 – 3. Use the heading “Changes in the Rural-urban Fringe” and answer in
full sentences in your jotter.
Greenfield or Brownfield Sites?
We have seen development of old industrial sites in the Inner City (called brownfield sites)
as well as development at the rural-urban fringe which is called a greenfield site. Both have
advantages and disadvantages fro development but when should development take place
on a brownfield site and when should development take place on a Greenfield site?
?
Task
Read page 175 of “Key Geography for GCSE”, copy the summary, answer question 2a)
and also diagram C into your notes. Use the heading “Brownfield or Greenfield?” and
answer in full sentences in your jotter.
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Recent Changes in Developing World Cities
Issues in Shanty Towns
In the population unit we investigated the movement of people in the developing world
from rural areas into larger cities. This is known as rural-urban migration.
Task
With your neighbour, brainstorm the reasons why people move from rural to urban
areas. Also try to think of a city in the developing world where this takes place.
HINT: Think of
‘push’ and ‘pull’
factors
Earlier in this unit we discovered that in developing countries the majority of people still live
in rural areas so this increased movement into cities is causing many problems.
Task
Watch the DVD entitled “Rural Urban Migration” and make notes in your jotter about
why people migrate from the countryside to towns and cities.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/urbanisation-rio-de-janeiro/518.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/contrasting-wealth-in-the-city-of-rio-de-janeiro/515.html
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Issues in Shanty Towns
Unfortunately, the reality is very different as many families find themselves struggling for
survival in shanty towns which are called favelas in Brazil. The shanty towns in Rio have
been in the news recently due to the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. The
largest and best known favela in Rio de Janiero is Rocinha which has a population of over
100,000 people living in poor-quality, high density shacks situated on dangerous, unsuitable
land on a hillside that is prone to landslides.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/life-in-the-favela-of-rocinha-rio-de-janeiro/1693.html
The main issues in shanty towns are:
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Poor-quality housing and overcrowding
Poor health care
Unemployment
Crime
Pollution
Landslides
Perth Academy: Geography Department
Solutions to Issues in Shanty Towns
How do you ‘solve’
the problems in
favelas?
Task
View the powerpoint and the resources you have been given to complete the
‘Improving a Shanty Town’ exercise.
Governments are in difficult position when it comes to shanty towns. They do not want to
encourage any more to form but they also cannot let these unsafe, squalid, crime ridden,
eyesores that give a bad impression of the city exist as they are. Bulldozing the favelas does
not work so they have had to think of alternative solutions such as:
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Self-help schemes
Site and service e.g. Favela Bairro Project
New towns e.g. Barra da Tijuca
Charities
Task
Use National 5 course notes page 183 – 186 to make notes under the four headings
outlined in the bullet points above.
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