Urban environments are becoming increasingly populated as rates of urbanization rise globally. Some key points: - By 2025, it is estimated that 58% of the world's population will live in urban areas, up from 30% in 1950. Urbanization is occurring most rapidly in less economically developed countries (LEDCs). - Many LEDC cities face severe problems related to rapid urban growth, including lack of adequate housing, infrastructure, and services. Poor residents often live in slums and informal settlements that lack clean water, sanitation, and other basic amenities. - Common issues in large urban areas in LEDCs include overcrowding, poor public health, traffic congestion, unemployment, and crime. Rising

1. Urban environments

2. Plan
• What is the global pattern of urbanisation?
• Why is urbanisation happening in LEDCs?
• How does land use vary in an LEDC city?
• What problems do LEDC cities face?
• What are the solutions?

3. Where are the biggest and fastest growing cities?
Why?

4. Why do people live in cities?
2007: 50% global population urban (75% HIC; 40% LIC)
3.3 billion people live in cities.
Growing by 60 million per year.

5. The Growth of world cities

6. Definitions
• Urbanisation is…..
• Urban growth is…..
• Natural increase is…..

7. The world is becoming mostly urban
% 1950 1990 2001 2025
World 30 45 48 58
MEDC 53 74 76 83
LEDC 17 34 41 56
Study the table
Which parts of the world are experiencing the most
rapid growth in their populations?

8. Growth of cities
Two types of city….
• Millionaire cities – population >1 million
– Back in 1850, there were only 2 ‘millionaire’ cities (London and Paris)
– By 1950, increased to 70
– By 2003, increased to 408
• Megacities – Population >10 million
– First to appear in LEDCs
– 1970, only 3 megacities
– There are around 25 megacities
– By 2015, maybe 60 megacities

9. The distribution of megacities…
• Prior to 1950, largest cities were found in
MEDCs
• Recently, the highest growth has been in
LEDCs
• Look at fig 2 (geoactive), describe the change
in the distribution of millionaire/megacities

10. Where are the world’s largest cities?
There are 17 megacities in the world – these are cities with a population of over 10 million

11. Task – how has the world been growing
since the 1950’s?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/06/ur
banisation/html/urbanisation.stm
1) Find the BBC map of world megacities showing a
timeline from 1955-2015
2) Investigate the pages, use your mouse to hover
over facts
3) Fill in this table using the data on the mega cities
map
4) Summarise the prediction for urban population
by 2015

12. Total % city % rural List 3 biggest Describe the location of megacities (continents / HIC /
world dweller dwellers cities LIC etc)
pop s
1955 2756m 30% 70%
1985
2005

13. Why has this change taken place?
Push and pull factors!
Watch the video from channel 4 news
and answer the questions on Lagos

14. What is the typical land use pattern in
an LIC?

15. Case Study:
Rio – a city of contrasts
Click for Olympics!

16. What should I be able to do at the
end of this case study?
• Describe the location of Rio de Janeiro and the
main favelas
• Understand WHY people have moved into the
city
• Describe/explain the problems that are found
in the favelas
• Describe/explain the solutions to the
problems

17. Rio is a city of contrasts:
Beaches and luxury housing of
Ipanema.
Problems of rapid urban growth:
favelas, traffic and crime..

19. Can you think of any physical factors
which have lead to over crowing in Rio?

21. Land use in Rio

22. Land use in Rio

24. In Rio:
0.6 million homeless,
street dwellers.
1 million pop favelas.
1 million pop poor local
authority housing.
Globally slum populations
are growing by 25 million
a year.

25. There are 750 favelas in Rio.
The largest is Rocinha pop 100,000.
Favelas are illegal settlements, lacking
basic services (no water, sewerage or
electricity).
Housing is constructed from any materials.
In Rio favelas are built on steep slopes on
marginal land.

26. Study the land use model for a LIC…
In your books:
1) Describe the patterns shown in the model
2) Explain the pattern

27. Aims for today…
1) Finish off labelling LEDC land use map
2) Identify the problems that urbanisation
brings to LIC cities (video time)
3) Categorise these problems into
Social/economic/environmental
4) If time, start Rio…

29. TASK: On a blank double page in your book, cut out and stick in the blank map of an LEDC
city, then add the following statements to the correct zones
Informal industries become
established along major
The wealthy residents This area is where rural communication routes
continue to live in these migrants typically live, in a through the outer
areas, but are shanty town or favela. They zones, such as tyre
surrounded by high lack basic amenities, and are repairs, cafes and
walls, and security built on poor quality and workshops – there is a
unsafe land reliable flow of business
The CBD has similar Some wealthy residents
Greater traffic
Houses in the Outer Zone characteristics to MEDCs, move outwards from
congestion and
are the opposite to those offering entertainment, the Inner zone, living in
competition for
in MEDCs – ie: the quality retail and business expensive and well
space are a concern
rapidly decreases with opportunities guarded communities
in LEDC cities
distance from the CBD
The quality of housing is
considerably poorer than
Large & luxurious houses
Planned industries similar areas in MEDCs. Often
The middle zone , or were built in pre-industrial
are found in the houses are self-built, and are
the ‘periferia’ shares and colonial times around the
inner zone, often unlikely to have basic amenities
characteristics to CBD by
along lines of such as running water and
MEDCs, providing administrators, merchants
communication electricity
“inbetween housing” and the wealthy

30. What are the problems found in
LEDCs?
Create the following headings in your books, and add to them during the video:
• Housing
• Health
• Education
• Transport
• Social
• Tour of Rochina
• Favela wars

32. Definition of a Favela
“A residential area of 60 or more
families living in basic accommodation
that lacks basic services, and who have
no legal right to the land”

34. Solving Rio’s problems – Poor quality housing
1) Self-help housing in Rochina (The Favela Barrio project)
- Original poor quality housing replaced with bricks and tiles, sewerage,
electricity, water butts may be installed, and the houses are extended
where possible
- The government provide the materials, and the community join forces to
carry out the work. This has many advantages….(what are they?!)
- In return, the residents pay a small tax to the government. The favela now
has a formal status
Facts!
- Took place in 1990s
- $200 million spent
in 60/600 favelas
- 16 mid size sites
were chosen first

35. Solving Rio’s problems – Overcrowding
2) The new town of Barra da Tijuca
• In an attempt to find more space, Rio’s wealthy have
moved out from the centre of Rio (counter-urbanisation)
• Barra da Tijuca is 20km along the coast from Rio – but a road
had to be built through the moutains.
– This area had been relatively cut off since the 1970s
• By 2000, the town had a population of 140,000
Cleaning up the litter in the favelas – including the odd body!

36. Summary of the solutions to Rio’s problems
• Forced evictions of squatter settlements – To clear land for formal
development
• Low cost housing – Very basic breeze block housing constructed. People re-
housed in them. City of God
• Site and Service – Land is cleared and building plots prepared with water and
electricity.
• Self Help Scheme – Existing settlements provided with water, sewage and
rubbish collection. Building materials provided for residents to upgrade their
homes (Favela Barrio Plan)
• Counter-urbanisation - encourage upwardly mobile people to move out to the
new town of Barra da Tijuca, reducing overcrowing in Rio
• Rural Development – To reduce rural to urban migration
• Increasing policing - to stop new squatter settlement
• Raise taxes - on the rich to pay for improving housing for the poor
• Local initiatives – such as Afro-Reggae using music and culture to keep kids
away from crime and drugs

37. Task…
You are the new governor of Rio – born and raised in the
Favelas, your mission is to begin to solve the issues in Rio
The challenge!
You must make a proposal to the government in the
form of an A3 poster, proposing how you are going to
solve Rio’s issues. You must include:
- Self help schemes
- The Barra da Tijuca
- One of the other schemes mentioned
For each scheme:
- Outline the problem (give details!)
- Explain how the scheme will solve the issue
- Briefly evaluate each scheme

39. Study the picture of a favela
1) Name one problem caused by the physical
environment
2) Name one problem caused by high population
growth
3) Describe the benefits of living in a favela.
4) Describe the problems caused by the growth of
large shanty towns in LICs.
5) Explain how governments in LICs have managed
shanty towns.

41. Compare and contrast an HIC and LIC
LIC
HIC

42. MEDC’s

43. Transect across a typical British city

45. Prevailing wind – why is this significant?

47. Urban
Zones

48. CBD

49. Characteristics
• In the centre around the historical core (e.g.
cathedral, castle)
• Contains skyscrapers and other tall buildings
• Contains:
– The largest offices and shops including department stores
– The widest variety of goods on sale
– High land values, rents and rates
– The main place of work by day
– The most accessible location where the main roads meet and
has the main railway station
• The main difference between the CBD and other zones
is that few people live here

50. Main Functions
• Shops:
– The department stores and national chains are
in the very centre of the CBD
– The smaller, often privately owned, shops are
located on the edges of the CBD (The frame)
– Some shops, e.g. clothing, shoe and jewellery
tend to cluster together to take advantage of
competition
– Other shops are more dispersed e.g.
newsagents and chemists

51. • Offices:
– Banks, building societies, solicitors, company
HQ, etc. occupy the upper floors above shops
• Culture and entertainment:
– Some parts ‘come alive’ at night as
theatres, cinemas, clubs, bars and restaurants
attract customers e.g. London’s West End

52. The Central Business District

53. INNER CITY

54. The Inner City Industrial Zone

55. Inner City Decay - Dereliction

56. Victorian Terraced Housing

57. Inner City High-rise Flats

58. Characteristics
• Located next to the historical core
• An area of old housing and industry
• Contains a mixture of land uses:
– Old high-density terraced houses
– Some are 3 or 4 storeys high which are often let out as flats
and badly maintained
– Old and sometimes abandoned factories
– Areas of derelict land around railway sidings, unused docks
and canals
– High-rise flats (many built in the 1960s)
– Pockets of smart new developments e.g. London Docklands
• The main difference between the inner city and other
urban zones is its generally run-down appearance

59. SUBURBS

60. Characteristics
• Normally cover the largest area
• Part of the urban area that has grown outwards from the
old centre across what was once countryside
• Predominantly residential:
– Along the sides of main roads are inter-war semi-detached (S-D)
housing and small shopping parades
– Behind the main roads are more modern housing estates (S-D
and detached (D))
– Some are private estates others were local authority built (some
have been bought by the residents)
– The houses usually have gardens and garages and space
between them
– More recent and expensive housing is in the outer
suburbs, where density is lower
• There is less change in this zone than in the other 3; the
houses are good for many more years and virtually all the
land suitable for building has already been used

61. Suburban Housing – Semi-
detached inter/post war

62. Suburban Housing –
detached houses

63. RURAL-URBAN
FRINGE

64. Characteristics
• On and around the edge of the built-up area
• Partly urban, partly countryside
• A mixture of land uses:
– Some traditional rural land uses e.g. farmland and woodland
– Others are rural businesses targeted at people living in nearby
urban areas e.g. garden centres and farm shops
– Recreation e.g. golf courses and stables
– Public utilities e.g. water storage and sewerage farms
– New urban developments e.g. out-of-town
supermarkets, shopping centres and business parks
– New housing in villages leads to old settlements growing and
becoming part of the urban built-up area
• This zone has many conflicts between developers who
want to use the greenfield sites for building homes and
planners and conservationists who want to preserve as
much countryside as possible

65. Edge of town Estates

66. Commuter Towns & Villages

67. In which urban zone/s are you likely to find…
a shop open at 2am?
the highest buildings? cul-de-sacs?
a castle? a museum?
the cathedral? an old warehouse?
houses with large gardens?
a department store? a small corner shop?
golf courses? Someone who wants to mug you?

68. Urban Structure Exercise
Look at the photos that follow. For each one:
•Describe the area it shows
•Identify which zone of the city you think it is
•Name a part of London with similar characteristics
Cut the photos out and stick them in your books beside your answers
Photo 1 Photo 2

69. Photo 3 Map 4
Photo 6
Photo 5

70. Task...
• On the map of Luton, study the 6 squares
closely
• Based on the road layouts, nearby services,
and the shape of the housing, identify what
zone of the city it is in

72. Urban Zones ICT exercise
• Double click on the “urban zones” file below in the work folder
on the student “V” drive
• V:workGeography4th Yearsettlement
• Look at the summary model of urban land uses and read the
text on the Urban Land Uses page that appears.

73. Look at the maps below, and refer to the textbook. For each one, suggest the
types of houses and ages of houses
Chose 2 areas and explain the differences between them.
Include: type/design/age of housing; road pattern; land use; socio-economic groups;
amenities, quality of environment
Feature Map 1 Map 2 Map 3 Map 4
Location in city
Type, appearance, age
of housing
2 main types of land use
Main type of tenure
2 main types of socio
economic groups
% born outside the
% with amenities

75. Urban land use and functional zones
• The location of each zone and the
distribution of each functional zone are
related to several factors
• Land value and space:
– Land values are highest and available sites are
more limited in the CBD where competition for
land is greatest
– As land value decreases rapidly towards the
urban boundary then both the amount of
space and the number of available sites
increase

76. • Age:
– As towns develop outwards, the oldest buildings were near to
the city centre (although many of these have now been
replaced) and the newest ones on the outskirts
• Accessibility:
– The CBD, where the main routes from the suburbs and
surrounding towns meet, has been the easiest place to reach
from all parts of the city although ease is now often reduced
due to increased congestion
• Wealth of inhabitants:
– The poorer members of the community tend to live in
cheaper housing near to the CBD (with its shops) and the
inner city (where most jobs used to be found). These people
are less likely to be able to afford the higher transport (private
or public) and housing costs of places nearer the city
boundary

77. • Changes in demand:
– Land use and function change with time:
• Nineteenth century industry was located next to the
CBD whereas modern industry prefers edge-of-city
sites
• The main land use demand in the nineteenth
century was for industry and low-cost housing.
Today it is for industry, shops and better-quality
housing, all in a more pleasant environment, and
open space

78. Birmingham Virtual Tour

79. The joys of Google Streetview!

80. The joys of Google Streetview!

81. The joys of Google Streetview!

82. Using the attached sheet, in google maps, search the
streets and explore the area in street view!
Visit these areas (not in order):
• Colmore Row & Paradise Street
• Alderbrook Road, Solihull
• Edmund Road, Saltley or Church Street, Lozells
• Legge Lane
• Upper Highgate Street
• Broad Street
• Wellington Road, Edgbaston
• School Road, Hall Green
• Ithon Grove & Meadowsweet Avenue, Kings Norton

83. With your partner, choose two areas of the city to explain the major land use
Urban Zone Map extract List land uses Explain major land use
CBD
Old Inner city
Zone in transition
Prestige inner
city
redevelopment
1960s
Comprehensive
redevelopment
Inner Suburbs
(Pre
WW1, Edwardian
)
Interwar
suburbia 1930s
Outer Suburbs
Outer city council
estate

84. Broad Street

85. CBD

86. Church Street, Lozells

87. Old Inner City

88. Legge Lane

89. Zone of Transition

90. Colmore Row

92. Alderbrook Road, Solihull

93. Outer Suburbs

94. Upper Highgate Street

95. Inner City Council Estate

96. Wellington Road, Edgbaston

98. School Road, Hall Green

99. Inter-war Suburb 1930’s

100. Ithon Grove

101. Outer Suburbs Council Estate

103. Is Birmingham ethnically
segregated?

104. CBD

105. Population Ethnic origin
Key % from BME Group
Key Number of People
Below 10.0%
Up to 20,999
10.1% to 20.0%
21,000 to 22,999
20.1% to 40.0%
23,000 to 24,999
40.1% to 60.0%
25,000 to 26,999
60.1% and above
27,000 and above

107. Unemployment
Key % Unemployed
None to 10.0%
10.1% to 15.0%
15.1% to 20.0%
20.1% and above

108. Is Birmingham segregated?
1. Which wards in Birmingham are most densely populated?
Why?
2. Where are the highest proportions of ethnic minority
immigrant populations? Why?
3. Where is the highest unemployment? Why?
4. What causes segregation?
5. Is Birmingham ethnically segregated? Read this article
and give a reasoned answer using data and ward names.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1234984.stm
• http://bigcityplan.birmingham.gov.uk/gcly-highgate.php

109. Manufacturing jobs Service jobs
Key Service Sector Jobs
Key Manufacturing Jobs
None to 5,000
None to 1,000
5,100 to 10,000
1,100 to 2,000
10,100 to 15,000
2,100 to 3,000
15,100 and over
3,100 and over

111. Key terms:
Counter-urbanisation - the process of people
moving from cities and towns into the
countryside
Suburbanised Villages - villages growing in
size and taking on more urban characteristics

112. The causes of suburbanisation can be explained by push and
pull factors similar to the ones causing changes to the rural-
urban fringe. Can you remember them?
Push factors Pull factors
• Congestion • Perceived better quality of
• High rates of air, noise and life
visual pollution • Safer, more pleasant
environment
• High crime rates
• Less pollution
• High land values • More open space
• Lack of space • Lower land values and
cheaper housing
• Room for businesses to
expand

113. Can you think of any consequences for
the village?
Sort the following into POSITIVE and NEGATIVE consequences:
New housing developments
Growth in population
Growth of village
New business units Becoming more like the suburbs of a city
Village becomes like a ‘dormitory’ village for commuters
leading to a drop in services
Increase in people owning a second home
Loss of community Increase in house prices

114. Let’s solve a mystery!
• Background
• Thurston is a village 5km east of Bury St
Edmunds in Suffolk

115. Current Day 1940’s

116. Task: Find out why Thurston Primary
School needs a new teacher!
• Work in pairs
• Sort the statements into two piles of relevant
and irrelevant to the question
• Rank the relevant statements
• Use them to write up your report and solve
the mystery.

117. Watch this!
Watch this!
Urban sprawl
Who are the winners and losers?

118. You are going to have a debate on Tuesday
• You will each be given a role:
– Dairy Farmer
– Young couple wanting to set up a small holding
– Developer wanting to build a business park
– Conservationalist & environmental campaigner
– Young family living in the outer suburbs
– Representative from the planning authority
• You will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of
urban sprawl for the role that you have been given.
– Today – discuss your viewpoint with a partner and write ideas down in
your books under ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES