World Cities

• Millionaire city: urban area with over a million people living there (Budapest)
• Mega city: urban area with over 10 million people living there (Mumbai)
• World city: city that has influence over whole world, centres for trad and business, hubs or culture and science (LDN, NY, Tokyo)

• Millionaire cities: more than 400. In past, found in developed world, increasingly in developing world
• Mega cities: more than 20. 2/3 in developing countries
• World cities: in developing countries.  Over time, more in developing countries such as India and China

• Urbanisation: growth in proportion of a country's population living in urban areas
• Suburbanisation: movement of people from city centre to outskirts or suburbs
• Counter-urbanisation: movement of people from cities to rural areas
• Re-urbanisation: movement of people back to city centre

Urbanisation caused by rural-urban migration and naturally increasing populaiton.  Migrants are young people looking for work.  They have children, increasing population.  Takes place because of push and pull factors.

In developing countries: Push:

• desertification, land cant support population
• farmers take out loans, crops fail, cant pay back so lose land
• conflict and civil war, killed or injured - less people wokring so food shortages
• natural disasters
• changes in land use
• mechanisation of agriculture

Pull:

• more jobs - better pay
• health and education services
• family members help find work and homes
• perception of better quality of life

Urban population grows; need for space,resources, services increases; if cannot be met, poor quality of life

Developing countries cannot afford extra needs and growth or urbanisation. -ve impacts:

• not enough houses; live on streets or shelters
• build own - slums/shanty towns
• competition for jobs in formal sector, have to accept low wages/poor working conditions
• informal sector, dangerous
• pressure on roads and railways, increasing congestion and air pollution

Management

• new housing to replace slums
• improving servics in slums
• residents involved in improving area
• redeveloping slums into independant townships

Mega city.  Major port, financial centre, hub of industry and services.  Cultural centre.  5.9mil in 1907 - 12.5mil 2011 - more than half population live in poverty.

Issues

• poor living conditions
• poor health care
• cant meet demand for water
• road congestion and air pollution
• waste

Manage

• redevelopment project in Dharavi
• slum sanitation program - comunal toilet blocks
• rainwater harvesting
• alternative forms of transport
• public transport upgraded

Push:  housing in city is poor quality - clear low qual housing and build new houses out of city; deindustrialisation - lose jobs - unemployment increases - less money - shops shut

Pull: planning laws more relaxed; improvements in public transport and car ownership; businesses and shops move out of city centre

Impacts on city centre: abandoned, run down;  lower living standards and poverty - unemployment;  people are poorer/foreign = economic and ethnic segregation;  commuting - increased congestion and pollution

Impactss on suburbs: new housing - affects wildlife habitats;  more ground conreted over - increased surfact runoff and risk of flooding;  own cars - cars on road increase = congestion and pollution

Managing impacts: redevelopment schemes encourage moving back, improving brownfield sites; greenbelt to prevent urban areas getting too large - protects countryside; schemes to reduce traffic congestion in city centre; flood defence schemes

SW London

141000 1970 - 160000 2011

Transport links, good quality housing, shops and restaurants, schools and parks

Problems

• cars, on street parking, buses cant get through
• london travel zone 6 - fares to central london expensive
• high house prices - economic segregation

Management

• widening roads
• local decision making
• reclassify Surbiton station as zone 5 = less expensive
• secure bicycle storage units

Push: escape air and noise pollution; cities have congestion and problems parking; house prices rise, not getting value for money

Pull: housing developments less densely packed; quieter and open space; improve quality of life; improved communication services = work from home; technological improvements = companies move to rural; increased jobs; increased car ownership; increased rail services; commute to work

Impacts on rural areas

Positive: increase in business; residents have higher disposable income; farmers make money selling unwanted land/buildings; schools in rural areas can stay open

Negative: developments unattractive; rural shops and services shut (wealthy residents have cars); roads and infrastructure cant cope with extra traffic; schools close if residents dont have kids; house prices increase = old population

Manage: developments allowed if similar to current buildings; companies offer mobile services (banks); local occupancy clauses

St Ives: 70 miles N of London.  1961 - 3800 2010 - 16400.  Road access and rail links to Cambridge and London

Impacts

• increased house prices (commuters earn more than local workers)
• housing built on river banks and flood plain
• more shops and services in town
• families changed population structure; was ageing now youthful = pressure on schools

Manage

• 2010 = 200 new homes - 75 affordable housing
• expand primary schools
• flood protection works (£8.8mil); new embankments and flood walls
• £116mil guided busway, reducing congestion

Pull: redevelopment of brownfield sites (new developments); urban development corporations = buy land and plan how to use to encourage businesses and people to move back; universities; young single people want to live close to work with good clubs; once it has started it continues

Push: lack of jobs; less leisure/entertainment facilities; high house prices

Positive on city centre: boosts economy; less unemployment; tourism increases; state schools benefit

Negative: cant afford housing as prices increase; tension between old and new; new jobs unaccessible to original residents; upmarket shops replace shops for original residents

Manage: re-urbanisation projects guarantee affordable housing; charitable projects imrpove skills of existing population

London Docklands: 19th and 20th centrues globally importan.  1960s+ decline.  1980 - derelict, 150000 unemployed, 20% housing unsuitable for living. 1981 - LDDC redeveloped

Positive: economy - 1998 2700 businesses 85000 jobs; housing - 24000 new homes, 6250 affordable; transport - 1987 Docklands Light railway, walking and cycling routes easier and safer; community - watersport centre, shopping, health centres; education - new schools and colleges, existing improved; environment - docks refurbished, outdoor spaces new

Since 1980 population doubled

Negative: conflict between old and new residents; orginial residents unable to find jobs

Manage: 40% new housing sold at affordable price; training centres to improve literacy, numeracy, IT; skillnet - provide people with skills needed for work in area

1. Decline in industry - movement of manufacturing oversees, sites outside city centre

2. Increase in unemployment - industry decline = job loss, people move away for work - jobs unskilled/low paid

3. Shops and services decline - fewer people ot use shops, remaining have less money, shops close down

4. Physical environment declines - empty buildings = derelict = vandalism and grafitti, parks neglected = crime, becomes unattractive = more decline

Gentrification - regeneration by wealthier group

+ves: housing improved; value of housing increases; new businesses = jobs; crime rates fall

-ves: high demand for housing = tennants forced out - landlords sell for money; children of original homeowners unable to buy/rent; original shops/services replaced by upmarket shops; tension between old and new

Large Georgian and Victorian houses; 19th century; railways expanded; wealthy moved to suburbs; poor moved in; overcrowded; run down.  1960s; middle class began to buy because:  increase in jobs in service sector - live close to city centre; well connected by underground; large and attractive houses; cheaper - rennovate; more and more wealthier lived there

Positive

• improved housing
• new businesses

Negative

• increased house prices
• wealth gap
• busnesses closed

Manage: London living wage £8.3 ph = larger income;  charities to improve education