Geography - Urban Areas

Which year did the abandonment of pass laws, the group area act and the homelands act that ensured that rural people were free to move into towns and cities and that non-white people were no longer restricted to living in separate townships and locations?

1986

What are some examples of urban settlements?

A town, city, metropolis, conurbation and megalopolis

When it comes to trade and transport... where do the development of settlements often occur?

At a river crossing

When choosing a site for urban settlements, which factors are considered?

Availability of Water Soil Rock Structure Relief Transport and Trade Human factors

Durban is an example of which type of trade/transport town/cities.

Break of bulk

develops where one form of transportation replaces another. A port is an example of a break-of-bulk point as here goods are loaded off the ship onto a truck or train, for example Durban.

Break-of-bulk point

Why does density and height ususally decrease when looking at the city from the centre towards the outskirts?

Breason for the decrease in density and height is because land value decreases as you move away from the centre of the city.

develops where there is a bridge across a river, for example Vereeniging

Bridge town

:When it comes to relief as a factor in choosing urban settlements why are gentle gradients preferred?

Building costs are then cheaper.

Use the word CRIME to help you remember the different types of specialised towns:

C - commuter R - resort I - industrial M - mining E - education

What are the three types of towns, classified according to their function?

Central Place Town, Trade and transport towns and specialized towns

Who came up with the Central Place theory?

Christaller

Why do informal settlements occur?

Cities are expanding rapidly around the world and thus informal settlements grow. Rapid urbanization results in demand for housing (SA apartheid law lifted - rapid) Housing sector unable to keep up with the demand (SA govt did not build houses for Blacks for all Apartheid years 50s-90s)

More efficient use of space through multi-storey buildings and public transport/bicycles:

Densification (compact cities)

South Africa is a rural society. True or false

False Approximately 62% of people in South Africa live in urban areas

De Doorns is an example of which type of trade/transport town/cities?

Gap

A settlement (sometime illegal) of impoverished people who live in make-shift dwellings made of scrap materials such as corrugated metal and sheets of plastic.

Informal settlement

What limited urbanisation, because the law forces black people to settle in 'native reserves' and later and later 'homelands' during the apartheid era.

Lands Act

What are the disadvantages of informal trading?

No regular wages no formal work contract unsafe poor trading conditions lack of services long working hours small profit on goods as great competition no income tax collected by the govt. Vat not charged

How can the social and environmental problems in an urban area be solved?

RDP/GEAR/private sector providing low-cost housing introducing lead-free petrol and improving public transport burning between 9:00 and 3::00 when thermals will disperse smoke enforcing the use of filters on chimneys introducing legislation on the use of river frontage testing water regularly and fitting drains with filters densification

When it comes to choosing a site for a settlement what type of rock structure is better to build on?

Sites which are far from sinkholes, fault lines and volcanoes are better to build on.

When choosing the site of an urban settlement, which sites would attract people to live in the area?

Sites with historical, cultural or social value

The area served by a business selling a particular good or service. This is the area where people live who buy goods from a particular shop or use a particular service

Sphere of influence/ service area

Looking at the city from the centre towards the outskirts what generally happens to the density?

The density decreases the further you go from the city centre.

Looking at the city from the centre towards the outskirts what generally happens to the height? reason for the decrease in density and height is because land value decreases as you move away from the centre of the city.

The height of the buildings decreases the further away you go from the center of the city.

When we study an urban profile what do we take note of?

The height, the density of the buildings and the land value.

What led to the rapid expansion of villages and towns in the 1700s

The industrial revolution - more and more people moved to cities to be closer to the factories

What are Urban areas classified according to?

Their function (main reason why they are there)

Urban areas have which activities?

They have both secondary activities and tertiary activities.

What cause the urban decay in the urban areas of a city?

This occurs because there are social problems as a result of people being poor and having no motivation or resources to improve their properties the houses being rented in while their owners wait for rezoning building being invaded by people who have no where else to live

The number of people a function must serve in order to be profitable, or the number of people needed to support a function or town. Threshold population refers to how many customers a shop or service must have in order to be profitable.

Threshold population

Which type of town develops due to trade and some form of transport?

Trade and transport town

Is the increase of the actual physical size of an urban area. Urban sprawl is the unplanned spread of urban areas.

Urban Expansion

Refers to the increase in actual number of people living in cities due to urbanisation and natural increases. Thus, the increase of the number of people living in urban areas.

Urban Growth

Ever-increasing percentage of the total population is accommodated in urban rather than rural settlements.

Urbanisation

The process in which an increasing proportion of the country's population is concentrated in urban areas. It is caused by rural urban migration.

Urbanisation

Explain the term invasion and succession which involves the change in activity in land use zones?

When a new and successful land-use activity takes over the original function of a land-use zone - new dominant zone invades old, less dominant zone and eventually takes over it.

EXAM TIP

YOU KNOWLEDGE OF URBAN ISSUES IS OFTEN TESTED USING A PHOTOGRAPH AS A RESOURCE. THIS SECTION IS EASILY ANSWERED. MANY OF YOUR OWN OPNIONS MAY BE PRESENTED BUT ALWAYS ENSURE THAT YOU JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS

In a specialized town or cities if the main function were to stop what would most likely happen in the town or what would you most be at risk of becoming?

a ghost town (a deserted town)

In 1986 the abandonment of pass laws, the groups areas act and homelands act led to... what?

a rapid increase in the rate of urbanisation

What are some important location factors in the establishment of an urban area? Name some physical factors

availability of water flat land geology climate trading routes specialized factors needed for the function of a town (mining, sea harbor) historical factors.

Why do people prefer to build on soil which allows water to drain through it when choosing a site for an urban settlement?

because it is difficult to build on clay because water collects on top of this type of soil.

Why is there traffic congestion in the city?

because there are too many cars in the suburbs which were not designed to carry heavy traffic there are road closures to protect suburbs gridiron street plan with stop-start traffic everyone is using their own car

CBD stands for

central business District

Provides goods and services to the surrounding rural area which is called sphere of influence

central place town

What type of urban settlement is a small town that supplies urban goods and services to surrounding rural areas?

central places

forces that drive people away from the city center

centrifugal forces

Central business District

commercial/administrative center mainly shops and offices Few people live here high land values most accessible area congested and busy

What are some solutions to the urban decay of a city?

community involvement, for example work teams to paint and lay out gardens urban renewal projects, sponsored by big business for example affordable housing such as Brickfields in Newtown upgrading or demolishing of decaying buildings

How can traffic congestion be solved?

decentralizing offices and shops introducing flextime allowing free access with more policing of streets introducing one-way streets and synchronising traffic lights improving public transport, for example Gautrain, car pools, park-and-rides

Why did urbanisation initially occur in South Africa?

diamonds (1867) and gold (1874)

Town A densely populated urban area, e.g. Harrismith or Beaufort West City A large town where many people live and work, e.g. East London, Bloemfontein Metropolis A main city in a region which is surrounded by dependent towns, e.g. Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth Conurbation A large urban area formed by the growth and coalescence of a number of cities and towns, e.g. Witwatersrand Megalopolis A gigantic urban complex formed when a number of conurbations join, e.g. Boston, New York and Washington (Bonywash)

differences in size and complexity in urban settlements

What are some examples of secondary activities?

factories and manufacturing

develops where there is a 'gap' in the mountains at a mountain pass and traffic routes converge on this 'gap', for example Worcester in the Western Cape

gateway town or gap town

Welkom is a specialised town for what dominant function?

gold mining

What are some reason for counter urbanization- this reverse trend is caused by what?

increased car ownership - more flexible moving from place to place cheap country property urban push factors (pollution, crime) electronic media (work anywhere)

area adjacent to the CBD

inner city

develops where two railway lines intersect, for example, De Aar in the Northern cape.

junction town

What is the difference between level of urbanization and rate of urbanization?

level of urbanization - percentage of the total population living in urban settlements rate of urbanization - measures the amount by which this percentage increases from year to year

Trade and transport towns are usually often ... in shape as they have developed along a road.

linear

How can the administrative problems in an urban area be solved?

muicipalities sub-dividing and allowing smaller areas to be more efficiently controlled problems being reported to Metro-Watch to seed delivery of services

Urban settlements are multifunctional or unifunctional?

multifunctional

the development of urban areas in such a way that people live in areas that promote a higher quality of life although living close to the city centre

new urbanisation

How many dominant functions do specialised towns have?

one dominant function

As a result of the rapid urbanisation in 1986 people could not afford high land prices in towns for renting or to buy property what happened?

people built shacks on and available land, close to water and job oppirtunities people started moving into the inner city but buildings where old and water and sewage needs were not catered for urban blight and other urban problems then occured

The distance a person will travel to obtain a particular good or service. Range refers to how far someone will travel to buy a particular product or access a particular service.

range

Plettenberg Bay is a specialised town for what dominant function?

recreation (seaside resort)

What do eco-cities practice?

recycling, roof gardens, rain water harvesting, grey water usage

What are the advantages of informal trading?

self-employed make own decisions employ family no rent and rates, income tax no formal training needed

What are some examples of tertiary activities?

services

Why is the factor water no longer considered as relevant in choosing a site for urban settlements?

since water can be piped over long distances.

What type of urban settlement develop because of one main function in the area?

specialized towns or cities

The inner city area is the area...

surrounding the CBD

What are some of the causes of social and environmental problems in an urban area?

the development of informal settlements lack of housing air pollution (carbon monoxide from cars, sulphur from industires) water pollution from informal settlements, industrial effluent land and noise pollution, and solid waste and dumping urban sprawl.

Eco-cities are designed with what in mind?

the environment

What does it mean if urban settlements are multifunctional?

they have many functions

The minimum amount of people that the town serves to remain profitable =

threshold population

What causes the administrative problems in an urban area?

too many people migrating to the city, and insufficient infrastructure that cannot cope, for example potholes develop sewage leaks excessive garbage production power failures

What are some problems associated with urbanisation?

traffic congestion Administrative problems urban decay Social and environmental problems

the problems of decay and dilapidation of buildings and urban services is called?

urban blight

growth in the physical size of urban areas

urban expansion

an increasing number of people living in urban areas

urban growth

What has led to the rapid growth of informal settlements?

urbanisation