SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 21
Urban Climate
Compare the climatic conditions between urban area and its adjacent rural area in the following
aspects:
(1) The amount of radiation received on urban ground surface is (greater / less) than in urban area.
Reason: _____________________________________________________________________
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(2) The annual mean temperature in urban area is (higher / lower) than rural area.
Reason: _____________________________________________________________________
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(3) The relative humidity in urban area is (higher / lower) than rural area.
Reason: _____________________________________________________________________
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(4) The occurrence of fog is (more / less) frequent in urban area.
Reason: _____________________________________________________________________
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(5) Amount of precipitation received in urban area is (more / less).
Reason: _____________________________________________________________________
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(6) The mean wind speed is (higher / lower) in urban area.
Reason: _____________________________________________________________________
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 22
7.
The visibility in urban area is (higher / lower) than rural area.
Reason: _________________________________________________________________
Urban Heat Island
22℃
24℃
28℃
26℃
CCC
The above diagram shows the cross section of an urban heat island. You can find that the
temperature at the city centre is ______________ than the surrounding rural area, therefore the air
pressure is _____________ at the city centre.
Draw the air circulation between city centre and surrounding rural area.
With the aid of the above diagram, describe the negative impact cause by an urban heat island and
urban climate.
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 23
SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 24
Evaluation the effectiveness of the following measures in the alleviation of air pollution. Consider
the conflicting interest of different parties .
Legislative Measures
1. 'Pedestrianise" the heart of shopping area(closing some busy streets in
Causeway Bay and Mongkok to traffic);
2. Introduction of LPG taxi and no-rail tram;
3. Using unlead oil and fuel with low sulphur content;
4. Fine on excess heat emission
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Green
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Group
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Businessma
SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 25
Planning Measures
1.
2.
3.
4.
more widespread green area
separate land use zones
heat emission plants on downwind location
control spacing between buildings and height
Do they work?
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 26
Impact of Urbanization on Water Cycle
Peak flow after urbanization
Discharge
Peak flow before urbanization
Time
Describe the difference between the hydrographs before and after urbanization.
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Explain the causes of the difference mentioned above.
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Describe negative impact caused by the new hydrograph.
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 27
Transport Problem
Congestion is the most common transport problem in large cities of both more and less
developed countries It can be defined as a condition in which the number of cars that
want to use a road in a given period of time exceeds the flow capacity of that road.
Many solution have been suggested by governments and scholars to solve the problem of
congestion. Some of these suggestions are listed below.
1. build more roads to accommodate the growing number of cars;
2. increase the flow capacity of existing roads by better management (e.g.
'tidal flow' scheme that was once used by Lion Rock Tunnel, or build
flyovers that separate pedestrians and cars);
3. improve public transport or give priority to public transport(bus lane) so
that fewer people feel the need to drive;
4. restrict the inefficient road users (e.g. Singapore's policy to charge
private cars with less than 4 people inside when they entre the C.B. D.
during the rush hour);
5. control the number of private cars by imposing high tax on owning a car;
6. reduce the number of parking space so as to discourage people from
driving into some area (e.g. the beaches of Hong Kong Island in summer);
7. encourage major employers to modify their working hours;
8. land use control in newly developed area, so that people need not travel
long distance to work or to school.
Each of the above policies has their own merits and demerits. Each policy can be judged
by a set of criteria listed below:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Revenue to government : can the policy generates income for
government?
Administration cost : is it too cost to carry out?
Effectiveness : is it really effective (in short and long term)?
Equality : does it punish those that do not generate much congestion?
Environmental conservation : will the policy produce more pollution or
threaten a lot of pedestrians?
Political & social acceptability : will it be regarded as to authoritarian, or
too disruptive to the existing socio-economic order?
SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 28
Two to four students should form one group and evaluate the polices, using the criteria given. Fill in
the table below by ranking the policies. The best policy under one criterion should be given 8 marks,
the worst 1 mark. If you think two polices are equally good (or bad), give them same mark, and
omit the next mark (e.g. 8, 7, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4, 1).
 You can assign a role to each member of your group. One can act as
a driver, another acts as government official, the third one a
pedestrian, etc. This can help to create conflicting ideas.
After you have completed your ranking, find the best policy by adding up the marks of each policy.
Write a short passage to explain your group's choice.
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 29
Describe the characteristics of an efficient urban transportation system.
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Describe the major causes of transportation and traffic problems in the large cities.
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Discuss how transport problems affect the growth of a city.
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 30
The above description is an abstract from the leaflet of the Housing Authority. With reference to
the description, state the criteria for the assessment of housing quality.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________________________
-
-
SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 31
With reference to the photograph, describe the
common housing problems in large cities.
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State the causes of the housing problems in large cities.
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 32
Why there is an urgent need of large scale urban renewal in Hong Kong?
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Visit the following web site for further reference. http://www.info.gov.hk/planning/studies/urss/urss_e.htm
Suppose you are a city planner, make a proposal for the urban renewal in Kwun Tong.
Try your best to make your plan attractive to all the people involved.
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 33
Suppose you are the owner of an old building in Kwun Tong, how will you response to
the urban renewal plan?
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Suppose you are the tenant of an old building in Kwun Tong, how will you response to
the urban renewal plan?
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 34
According to the information you learned in the role play, on your worksheet,
describe the common problems confronting city planners in urban redevelopment and
discuss their possible solutions.
Further reference can be found at http://www.pelb.gov.hk/ura/paper.htm
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Describe how urban renewal projects and new town development affect urban land use pattern and
population distribution of a city.
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SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 35
Map Reading Exercise
With reference to the map extract of Shatin provided, answer the following questions.
Draw a transect to show the land use along the straight line from 100800 to 122800.
Using the same scale given by the map, draw a sketch showing the various types of land use bounded
by eastings 10 and 12 and northings 77 and 79.
SLCSS/GEOGRAPHY/AL/URBAN/ 36
How does the physical environment of Shatin limit the further expansion of the new town?
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Suggest three ways government used to gain land for urban development. Give evidences to support
your answers.
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Shing Mun River channel had been greatly modified by human activities. Give evidences to support
your modifications.
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A
B
C
Housing found at 111783
Housing found at 108785
Housing found at 104788
Which location has the highest accessibility, A, B or C? Give evidence to support your answer.
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Compare and contrast the characteristics of housing A and C.
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Account for the locational pattern of the recreational land use in the area shown on the map.
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