Urbanisation
GEOGRAPHY
Urbanisation
 Is the growth of towns and cities over time
 When did humans first build cities?
 Where were the first cities?
 Why did people move to cities?
Growth of an Irish City - Dublin
 Six stages of development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Viking
Norman
Georgian 18th century
19th Century
20th century up to 1990
1990 – present (Celtic tiger)
Key points
 Cities grew rapidly after industrial revolution
 As towns grew they took on a whole range of
functions
 More people live in urban areas then rural
 Poorer countries tend to have larger rural pop
 Towns / cities in developing(poor) countries are
growing rapidly
Cities – Functional zones
 Functional Zones mean –whatever the land is
being used for.
1. Zone One = Central Business District (CBD)
2. Zone Two = Shopping Area
3. Zone Three = Residential Area
4. Zone Four = Recreational Areas
5. Zone Five = Industrial Area
1.The Central Business District (CBD)
 Located in centre of city
 Most valuable land
 Commercial
administrative and
social activities
 Higher high rise
buildings
2. Shopping Area
 Located near or around
the CBD
 City centre
 High street stores
3. Residential Zones
 Suburbs and Urban
Rural fringe
 Apartment blocks
 Semidetached housing
estates
 Geometric patterns
short streets cul de sacs
4. Recreational Zone
 Open green areas
within cities
 Parks Playgrounds
 Sports fields further
out of city
5. Industrial Zone
 Located in suburbs
 Land needed for large
buildings
 Residents provide labour
 Less traffic congestion
 Industrial Estates
Land Use and Values in Cities
 Land Value Increased as you move towards the city
centre
 Building height also increases
 Retailers locate here
 Larger shopping buildings locate in suburbs e.g..
Large shopping areas ie Mahon Point
Class activity
 Label the urban land use model and give a brief
description of the characteristics of each zone
Urban Problems
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Traffic Congestion – lack of investment has caused severe traffic
congestion
Urban decline/ Urban decay – old derelict sites and poor public
inner city housing
Inadequate Infrastructure – facilities are often not able to cope
with influx of people. Social isolation occurs.
Urban sprawl – uncontrolled growth, haphazard unplanned
developments
Urban Decline / Decay – public housing in bad condition. Old
derelict site
Unemployment – low skilled jobs located on outskirts of town.
Jobs in CBD are highly skilled and beyond the reach of locals
Crime – young people living in inner city experience social
problems and drug problems. Crime to support habit
Solutions to Urban Problems
1.
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Traffic Initiatives (National Spatial Strategy
– NSS )
Construction of M50 motorway
Development of (LUAS) and (DART)
Upgrading of Bus Routes and bus lanes
Building Dublin’s Port Tunnel.
Rigid enforcement of traffic regulation – clamping
and towing
Solutions to urban problems
2.
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Planning of new towns: Tallaght
Built in 1960s to accommodate pop growth (1,420
1961 – 63,000 2002)
Provides services e.g. hospital college industries
Good transport infrastructure
Young population structure
Solutions to urban problems
3.
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
Inner city renewal and redevelopment
The Historic Area Rejuvenation Project
(HARP)
Urban renewal and redevelopment
Class test
 Name and describe four problems caused by
Urbanisation
 Outline three solutions implemented to help resolve
urban problems
Residential Accommodation in Cities
 Old houses – terraced housing
 Modern apartment blocks
 Georgian Housing 18th cetury
 Town housing – high quality apartments
 Semi-detached and detached estate houses
Task: find as many different types of
residential accommodation in Mallow as
you can?
Commuting to Work in Cities
 Commute is the movement of people into and out of
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cities for work
This has a pattern – chaos routes
Rush hours – traffic congestion
Can you think of any solutions to this problem?
Efficient public transport (rail and bus)
Congestion charges references
Car pooling
Greater incentive to cycle or walk
Urbanisation in the Developing World
 Sharp social and economic inequalities
 Wealth living close to Poor
 Wealthy live in inner city – poor live in suburbs
 Faster Population growth
 Unplanned development
 Lack of infrastructure
Urban Problems in the Developing World
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Shanty towns - Calcutta
Shanty towns develop in poor areas (e.g. India)
Bastis/shanty towns are makeshift dwellings
250,000 pavement dwellers
No fresh water, no education waste disposal or
sanitation
People live in absolute poverty
Case study – Calcutta
 4.5(M) or 30% of the POP
live in Bastis (slums)
 Street dwellers are the most
disadvantaged – 250,000 of
these
 Development aid is being
spent on infrastructure
 Supply cant keep up with
demand – rural to urban
migration is too great
There is a huge contrast between rich and poor
Key Points
 Urban
 Rural
 CBD
 Commuters
 Conurbation
 Urbanisation
 Urban fringe
 Urban redevelopment
 Urban renewal
 Urban sprawl
Questions
 Name one city you have studied which has shanty
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towns?
Name and describe three problems for people living
in shanty towns?
With reference to one Irish city you have studied –
explain the factors which have led to its development
(the growth of Dublin over time)
Name any new town in Ireland?
Briefly describe two typical features of this new
town? (solutions to Urban Problems)
Urbanisation – Key Points
 Development of Dublin over time ( stages of
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Development)
Functional Zones in the City
Commuting to Cities – the Problems
Urban Problems (Congestion and Urban Decline)
Solutions to Urban Problems (Case Studies NSS &
DDDA, Development of New Towns – Tallagh)
Urbanisation in Developing world – Case study on
shanty towns in Calcutta