Key Terms
What is the term for the movement of people from one place to another to live?
Migration
What type of settlement has buildings and homes spread far apart?
Dispersed
What is the term for a community in the countryside with a relatively low population density?
Rural settlement
What is land use?
The way people use land for activities such as housing, farming, industry, business, and recreation.
What gas is released when fossil fuels are burned and contributes to climate change?
Carbon Dioxide
What does sustainability mean?
Meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs.
What is the term for the number of people living in a specific area, usually per square kilometre?
Population Density
What settlement pattern develops when homes and businesses are arranged along a road, river, or coastline?
Linear
What is a push factor in migration? Give one example.
A condition that encourages people to leave a place, such as conflict, unemployment, drought, or a lack of services.
What type of land use includes homes, apartments, and condominiums?
Residential
What is deforestation?
The clearing or removal of forests, often to make land available for other uses.
Name two renewable energy sources that a sustainable city could use
Solar, wind, hydroelectric, or geothermal energy
What is the difference between population distribution and population density?
Population distribution describes where people live and how they are spread out. Population density measures how many people live per unit of area.
What settlement pattern has buildings grouped closely together around a central location?
Clustered
What is a pull factor in migration? Give one example.
A condition that attracts people to a place, such as employment, education, safety, or healthcare.
What type of land use includes shops, offices, restaurants, and shopping centres?
Commercial
What is a carbon footprint?
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced directly and indirectly by a person, activity, organization, or community, usually measured in carbon dioxide equivalents
What is green infrastructure? Give one example.
Natural or designed systems that provide environmental benefits, such as rain gardens, green roofs, urban forests, or permeable surfaces.
What is urbanization?
The process in which an increasing proportion of a population lives in urban areas.
Name two physical factors that influence where people settle.
Water availability, climate, fertile soil, flat land, natural resources, or elevation.
Why do cities often develop near rivers, coastlines, or harbours? Give two reasons.
Access to water, transportation, trade routes, fishing, or fertile land.
What is urban sprawl?
The outward spread of low-density urban development into surrounding rural or undeveloped land.
How can urban development increase the risk of flooding?
Pavement and buildings reduce the amount of water absorbed into the ground, increasing surface runoff.
Explain two ways public transit can make a city more sustainable.
Public transit can reduce reliance on private vehicles, decrease traffic congestion, lower emissions, and reduce the amount of land needed for parking.
What is desertification and how does it affect the amount of arable land available for human settlement?
Explain why Egypt's population is concentrated along the Nile River despite its large land area.
Most of Egypt is arid desert. The Nile River provides water, fertile land, transportation, and conditions suitable for agriculture and settlement.
Explain two possible challenges caused by rapid urbanization in a megacity.
Housing shortages, traffic congestion, overcrowding, air pollution, waste management problems, or pressure on infrastructure.
A city wants to build housing on farmland. Explain one benefit and one drawback of this decision.
A benefit is providing additional housing for a growing population. A drawback is the loss of productive farmland, wildlife habitat, or green space.
Explain two ways rising sea levels could affect coastal settlements.
Increased flooding, coastal erosion, saltwater entering freshwater supplies, property damage, or displacement of residents.
A rapidly growing city has heavy traffic, frequent flooding, and few parks. Propose three sustainable solutions and explain how each would help.
Expand public transit to reduce traffic and emissions; create rain gardens or permeable pavement to reduce flooding; and plant trees and develop parks to provide shade, manage stormwater, and improve biodiversity.