Urban Areas & Ecosystems
What is an urban area?
A built-up area with high population density and infrastructure.
What is urbanisation?
The increase in the proportion of people living in cities.
What is an urban system?
Interconnected components that support life in a city.
What is suburbanisation?
Movement from city centre to suburbs.
What is urban planning?
Designing and managing how cities develop.
What is an urban ecosystem?
An ecosystem where human and natural components interact in cities.
What is rural–urban migration?
Movement from countryside to cities.
Name three components of an urban system.
Buildings, transport, water supply, energy, sewage.
Name one environmental impact on urban expansion.
Habitat loss / deforestation / pollution.
Name one goal of sustainable urban planning.
Reduce pollution / improve transport / green spaces.
Name two biotic components of urban ecosystems.
Plants, animals, humans, microorganisms.
What are push factors?
Negative factors forcing people to leave an area.
What is the urban heat island effect?
Cities being warmer than surrounding rural areas.
Name one cause of suburbanisation.
Desire for space / better living conditions / cheaper housing.
What is circular metabolism in cities?
Recycling and reusing resources to reduce waste.
Name two abiotic components in urban ecosystems.
Soil, water, air, climate, infrastructure.
What are pull factors?
Positive attractions drawing people to cities.
What are inputs in an urban system?
Resources entering the city (energy, water, food, labour).
What is urban sprawl?
Uncontrolled expansion of cities into rural land.
Why do planners add parks and green roofs?
To reduce heat and improve ecosystem services.
What is the Urban Heat Island effect?
Cities becoming hotter than surrounding rural areas because of buildings, roads, and human activity.
What is deurbanisation?
Movement of people from cities back to rural or suburban areas.
What are outputs of urban systems?
Waste, pollution, sewage.
Why can urban expansion reduce biodiversity?
It destroys natural habitats.
What is biophilic design?
Integrating nature into buildings and urban design.