Topic 6: Changing Settlements in the UK
How and why are settlements changing?
Key Ideas
There have been many changes in urban areas
in the UK in the past 50 years as a consequence
of government policies, in addition to economic,
social and demographic changes.
Content
Investigate the contrasting economic, social,
political and demographic processes that have
transformed urban areas in the UK with some, e.g.
London, experiencing significant economic growth
with rapid population growth while others have
experienced economic and population decline, e.g.
Liverpool.
What you need to understand
 To understand that different processes
have changed urban areas.
 To know that economic processes include a
decline in traditional industry
(deindustrialisation) as well as an increase
in other industries such as financial
service industries in London e.g. Docklands
(tertiarisation)
 To know that political processes include
governments trying to regenerate innercity areas e.g. redevelopment of London
Docklands, and deregulation of financial
markets = made London more competitive.
Also privatisation led to industries closing
or modernising and planning regulations like
greenbelts controlled the growth of towns
and cities.
 Social processes through redevelopment
e.g. Docklands which forced some local
people to move away. Also more single
person households has led to a change in
the houses being built
 Demographic processes include people
moving from cities to the suburbs, and
migrants often moving into inner city
areas.
 To know that all these changes and
processes have led to some areas seeing
more jobs and population growth e.g
London whilst others have gone into
economic decline (less jobs and people
move away) e.g. Liverpool.
Examine how these processes have led to
variations in the quality of urban residential areas
(including housing, services, amenities and
recreational areas) and the levels of multiple
deprivation within large urban areas.
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Rural settlements in the
UK have changed greatly
in the past 50 years and
new types of settlement
have developed in that
time.
Identify different types of rural settlement,
including remote rural communities in upland areas,
retirement communities and commuter villages,
and explain how these have developed.
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Investigate two contrasting rural regions in the
UK, e.g. the Highlands of Scotland and East Anglia,
to explain the variations in the quality of life and
levels of deprivation.
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To know that processes have led do some
urban areas being ‘more affluent/’better’
than others.
To be able to explain the different quality
of housing, services, amenities and
recreational areas in and between urban
areas. (this can be linked to St Albans
controlled assessment)
To understand that some areas are
deprived / poor in a number of ways e.g.
incomes, health, education, crime.
To know the characteristics of different
types of rural areas.
To be able to explain how the different
rural areas have developed e.g. Commuter
villages = people being able to afford to
live in rural areas and still travel into
towns and cities to work.
Retirement communities = people living
longer and being healthier once retired,
retired people being more affluent,
wanting a better quality of life.
Remote upland areas e.g. Highlands of
Scotland = lower than average
unemployment but prosperity is low –
agriculture difficult, fishing in decline,
tourism jobs are seasonal, limited services
because remote, little industry.
To be able to describe the differences of
quality of life and wealth between 2 rural
areas and explain why those differences
exist.
How easy is it to manage the demand for high quality places to live?
Current demand for some urban
residential
areas in the UK is rising, placing
pressures on the environment.
Examine the environmental, social and
economic impacts of rising demand for
residential areas in one urban area in the
UK.
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Evaluate the success of strategies to
improve urban areas, e.g. ‘rebranding’ and
urban regeneration.
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Different strategies can be used to
improve the quality of settlements in
rural regions of the UK to make them
sustainable.
Examine the role of rural development
schemes and larger projects, e.g. the Eden
Project, in stimulating growth in the rural
economy and arresting outmigration.
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Evaluate the success of planning policies
such as ‘green belts’ and National Parks in
both conserving valuable landscapes, and
allowing economic development.
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To know that there is an increase in the number of
people wanting to live in some urban areas e.g. St
Albans
To be able to explain why there is a demand to live in
these areas
To understand that this puts pressures on urban
areas in a number of ways:
Environmental e.g. pressure to build on greenbelt land
Social e.g. Pressure on school places / hospitals.
People not being able to afford to stay in the area
Economic e.g. increase in house prices, no land for new
offices so businesses can’t expand.
To understand what is meant by the term ‘rebranding’
and regeneration.
To understand the key processes/ways of urban
regeneration of the Docklands LDDC).
To know that Canary Wharf is an example of
‘rebranding’.
To be able to discuss the benefits / successes of
regeneration of the Docklands
To be able to discuss the problems of regeneration of
the Docklands
To understand why some rural economies are in
decline i.e. lack of jobs, lack of services, poor
communications, high house prices.
To know these problems are leading to out-migration
i.e. people leaving rural areas.
To be able to describe how the Eden Project is an
example of a rural development scheme
To explain the successes and problems of the Eden
Project for the area.
To be able to give a definition for green belts and
national parks.
To clearly understand the purpose of both.
To be able to explain the advantages and
disadvantages of both policies – using examples e.g.
St Albans greenbelt, Lake District National Park