THE GEOGRAPHER ONLINE

Urban Environments

  • Home
    • How to make a website: Tools and experiences
    • Maps and Regions
    • Travel Photographs and Videos
    • Live: Global Hazards and Disasters
    • Geography in the news
    • The Big Geography Challenge
  • New IB Geography 2017 onwards
    • IB Geography Introduction
    • Part 1: Geographical Themes >
      • Option B: Oceans and coastal margins >
        • 1. Ocean–atmosphere interactions
        • 2. Interactions between oceans and coastal places
        • 3. Managing coastal margins
        • 4. Ocean management futures
      • Option D: Geophysical Hazards >
        • 1. Geophysical systems
        • 2. Geophysical hazard risks
        • 3. Hazard risk and vulnerability
        • 4. Future resilience and adaptation
    • Part 2: Core Units (SL&HL) >
      • Unit 1: Changing Population >
        • 1. Population and economic development patterns
        • 2. Changing Populations and Places
        • 3. Challenges and opportunities
      • Unit 2: Global climate—vulnerability and resilience >
        • 1. Causes of global climate change
        • 2. Consequences of global climate change
        • 3. Responding to global climate change
      • Unit 3: Global resource consumption and security >
        • 1: Global trends in consumption
        • 2: Impacts of changing trends in resource consumption
        • 3: Resource stewardship
    • Part 3: HL Core Extensions >
      • Unit 4: Power, places and networks >
        • 1. Global interactions and global power
      • Unit 5: Human development and diversity
      • Unit 6: Global risks and resilience
    • Internal Assessment
    • Why should I study IB Geography?
  • IB Geography (Old Syllabus)
    • IB Core >
      • 1. Populations in Transition
      • 2. Disparities in Wealth and Development
      • 3. Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability
      • 4. Patterns in Resource Consumption
    • Part 1: Geographical Themes >
      • Oceans and their Coastal Margins
      • Hazards and disasters - risk assessment and response
      • Freshwater - issues and conflicts
      • Urban Environments
    • Global Interactions - HL >
      • Measuring Global Interactions
      • Changing Space - The Shrinking world
      • Economic Interactions and Flows
      • Environmental Change
      • Sociocultural Exchanges
      • Political Outcomes
      • Global Interactions at the Local Level
    • IB Guidance >
      • Syllabus Guidance
      • IB Examination Guidance
    • Extended Essay
  • IGCSE Geography
    • Theme 1: Population and settlement >
      • Population Dynamics
      • Migration
      • Settlements
      • Urban Settlements
      • Urbanisation
    • Theme 2: The natural environment >
      • Plate Tectonics
      • Coasts
      • Rivers
      • Weather and Climate
      • Climate and Ecosystems
    • Theme 3: Economic development >
      • Development
      • Food Production
      • Industry
      • Energy
      • Tourism
      • Water
      • Environmental Risks of Economic development
    • GCSE Key Terms
    • GCSE Coursework
    • Alternative to Coursework
    • IGCSE Geography Examination Advice
    • IGCSE Revision Games
  • Key Stage 3
    • Year 6 >
      • My Place
      • Rivers
      • Brazil
    • Year 7 >
      • Maps and the world
      • Rocky Landscapes
      • Settlement
      • Weather & Climate
    • Year 8 >
      • Maps Introduction
      • Plate Tectonics
      • Economic Activity
      • Biomes
    • Year 9 >
      • Map Skills - review
      • Development
      • Coasts
      • Tourism
      • Paradise lost - Tourism in Thailand
  • AS Level Geography
    • World at Risk
    • Crowded Coasts
  • Geography Skills
  • Donations & Contact
  • YouTube Channel
  • Essential computer programs
Please help keep the Geographer Online a FREE resource

Picture



​







​
​Index: 

1. Urban Populations
2. Urban Land Use
3. Urban Stress
4. The Sustainable City


Picture
Dan Stine
BA History,
University of Pittsburgh
MS Instructional Leadership, Robert Morris University

Collaborative creator of this page
Teacher at:
Picture
Click to follow link

Urban Populations

Picture

Picture
Learn the key terms found in the slideshare.
  1. Urbanization
  2. Centripetal vs. centrafugal movements
  3. Rural-urban migration
  4. Gentrification
  5. Re-urbanization/urban renewal
  6. Suburbanization
  7. Urban sprawl
  8. Global mega-city
  9. CBD
  10. Inner city
  11. Brownfield and greenfield sites 
  12. Urban stress
  13. Urban microclimate 
  14. Sustainable city
  15. Urban ecological footprint

Urban Environments - IB from Steven Heath

Picture
Describe the pattern of global urbanisation [3]
Picture
Urbanisation of the world (%)

Picture
Examine the following images. What patterns and trend can you see? Create a spider diagram of all relevant information you can discover from the images.
A growing population living in an urban environment.
Urbanisation by countries and cities
Major urban centres of the world.
Urban growth trends.

Urbanization Centripetal and Centrifugal Movements from Steven Heath
Centripetal and Centrifugal Movements
File Size: 6061 kb
File Type: ppt
Download File


Picture
Read the following articles about global mega cities and answer the following the questions:  
  • Explain the global increase in the number of mega cities.
  • What are the factors which determine the boundaries of an urban area?  
  • How is the population or area of cities measured?
  • Where are mega cities most likely to occur?  
  • Why are so many mega cities growing in China?
You may also need to do additional research.
Picture
Picture
Picture

This BBC series on the megacity may be interesting for further viewing.  Along with Andrew Marr's commentary, it gives some interesting views into what life and city planning looks like in some of the world's megacities.  


Urban Land Use

Picture

Urban Modelling and Theories from Steven Heath
Urban Modelling and Theories
File Size: 16455 kb
File Type: pptx
Download File

Picture
Examine the 5 images below and discuss the link between location and family life cycle.Make a list of the expectations that you would have in each stage and how this would impact where you live. 

Picture

The New York Times has published a series of maps below based on census data which shows the density of different populations in various American cities.  Choose two to five cities and describe patterns that you see then analyse possible reasons for the patterns that you see.  How might these maps, or the data used to create the maps, be helpful for urban planners?

Picture
Click on map to access

Picture
The Economist has written about whether to build new housing developments in London's Metropolitan Green Belt or not.  What do you think? What would be the benefits? What are the arguments against? If you were a person who paid a lot of money to buy  a house near the Green Belt, assuming that building on the Green Belt in the future would remain off limits, how would you feel if the rules changed?

Read about it here.  And here is the graph about the changing housing prices in and around London.
Picture
Economist - Belt too tight

Picture
Case Study: Detroit

Read the following article on Detroit.  As manufacturing in Detroit went elsewhere, urban deprivation increased and eventually Detroit became a bankrupt city.  Using the resources below, discuss possible strategies for Detroit to work towards being a successful urban area once again.  
Taking Back Detroit
Visualizing urban env.
Changes in Detroit's Racial Geography
Picture
Click image to link

Picture

​Explain what the informal economy is and how it affects urban environments. Use the YouTube below.


Picture

Picture
Exam style question:  In a city you have studied, evaluate the urban stress.  (10)

Plan and write the above essay

​You may want to consider some or all of the following aspects of urban stress: congestion, overcrowding, noise levels, green space availability, waste overburden, quality of housing, social deprivation, physical disorder, crime and inequality.  


The Sustainable City

Picture

Key Terms
City Inputs: Water, energy, food, products, materials and people due to migration.

City processes: manufacturing, banking, construction, water management, health care, education, transportation
​
City Outputs: Air pollution, Noise Pollution, Water pollution, Lack of green areas (recreation), Higher education, Waste material (rubbish), Traffic, People due to migration.

Picture
Task:
  1. View the videos below and consider different strategies towards creating a sustainable city.  
  2. Compare and contrast aspects of sustainable cities in NICs and MEDCs. (6)
  3. Exam style question: "Creating a sustainable city is unachievable."  Discuss this statement. (10)


Picture
Sushi, part of the UNEP, has developed sustainable strategies for cities.  Investigate how their strategies were implimented and evaluate their progress.  You can link to their website and a downloadable PDF (10)
PictureClick on image for link
​


Picture
Picture
Explore the Parts of a Sustainable City
Sustainable Cities


Possible IA investigation

Fieldwork investigation
Investigate two shopping areas in an urban area of your choice.  One in the city centre and one on the rural-urban fringe.  
    • 11.2.1: Areas of economic activity
      • Explain the spatial pattern of economic activity, the zoning of urban and suburban functions and the internal structure of the central business district (CBD).
  • Students will evaluate:
    1. Via Survey:
      1. Sphere of influence
      2. order of goods...convenience vs. specialty goods
      3. consumer mode of transport
    2. Via Mapping:
      1. shop function
      2. shop density
      3. shopping centre footprint in square meters or hectares.
      4. parking availability
    3. Via Data collection
      1. customer footfall
      2. Price Comparison of at least five goods
  • What else could be evaluated?  Do the two shopping area meet expected outcomes of land use and zoning patterns for urban environments?
  • Can you think ways to collect qualitative data in addition to the quantitative data sets above?

www.thegeographeronline.net
Picture
The Geographer Online is an educational website aimed at providing geography teaching resources for all levels. 
Created and Developed by: Steven Heath

Follow us!
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
  • Home
    • How to make a website: Tools and experiences
    • Maps and Regions
    • Travel Photographs and Videos
    • Live: Global Hazards and Disasters
    • Geography in the news
    • The Big Geography Challenge
  • New IB Geography 2017 onwards
    • IB Geography Introduction
    • Part 1: Geographical Themes >
      • Option B: Oceans and coastal margins >
        • 1. Ocean–atmosphere interactions
        • 2. Interactions between oceans and coastal places
        • 3. Managing coastal margins
        • 4. Ocean management futures
      • Option D: Geophysical Hazards >
        • 1. Geophysical systems
        • 2. Geophysical hazard risks
        • 3. Hazard risk and vulnerability
        • 4. Future resilience and adaptation
    • Part 2: Core Units (SL&HL) >
      • Unit 1: Changing Population >
        • 1. Population and economic development patterns
        • 2. Changing Populations and Places
        • 3. Challenges and opportunities
      • Unit 2: Global climate—vulnerability and resilience >
        • 1. Causes of global climate change
        • 2. Consequences of global climate change
        • 3. Responding to global climate change
      • Unit 3: Global resource consumption and security >
        • 1: Global trends in consumption
        • 2: Impacts of changing trends in resource consumption
        • 3: Resource stewardship
    • Part 3: HL Core Extensions >
      • Unit 4: Power, places and networks >
        • 1. Global interactions and global power
      • Unit 5: Human development and diversity
      • Unit 6: Global risks and resilience
    • Internal Assessment
    • Why should I study IB Geography?
  • IB Geography (Old Syllabus)
    • IB Core >
      • 1. Populations in Transition
      • 2. Disparities in Wealth and Development
      • 3. Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability
      • 4. Patterns in Resource Consumption
    • Part 1: Geographical Themes >
      • Oceans and their Coastal Margins
      • Hazards and disasters - risk assessment and response
      • Freshwater - issues and conflicts
      • Urban Environments
    • Global Interactions - HL >
      • Measuring Global Interactions
      • Changing Space - The Shrinking world
      • Economic Interactions and Flows
      • Environmental Change
      • Sociocultural Exchanges
      • Political Outcomes
      • Global Interactions at the Local Level
    • IB Guidance >
      • Syllabus Guidance
      • IB Examination Guidance
    • Extended Essay
  • IGCSE Geography
    • Theme 1: Population and settlement >
      • Population Dynamics
      • Migration
      • Settlements
      • Urban Settlements
      • Urbanisation
    • Theme 2: The natural environment >
      • Plate Tectonics
      • Coasts
      • Rivers
      • Weather and Climate
      • Climate and Ecosystems
    • Theme 3: Economic development >
      • Development
      • Food Production
      • Industry
      • Energy
      • Tourism
      • Water
      • Environmental Risks of Economic development
    • GCSE Key Terms
    • GCSE Coursework
    • Alternative to Coursework
    • IGCSE Geography Examination Advice
    • IGCSE Revision Games
  • Key Stage 3
    • Year 6 >
      • My Place
      • Rivers
      • Brazil
    • Year 7 >
      • Maps and the world
      • Rocky Landscapes
      • Settlement
      • Weather & Climate
    • Year 8 >
      • Maps Introduction
      • Plate Tectonics
      • Economic Activity
      • Biomes
    • Year 9 >
      • Map Skills - review
      • Development
      • Coasts
      • Tourism
      • Paradise lost - Tourism in Thailand
  • AS Level Geography
    • World at Risk
    • Crowded Coasts
  • Geography Skills
  • Donations & Contact
  • YouTube Channel
  • Essential computer programs