Urban & Rural
What are some quantitative measures used to classify a city?
Number of inhabitants
Population density
What are some characteristics of city centres?
Historic centre or old town
Government institutions
Central Business District
Fewer people live in the centre
What is an urban plan?
A representation of a locality or part of a locality to scale
Plans show the shape and structure of a city (the way buildings, streets and squares, green areas, etc. are arranged)
What is a metropolitan area?
An urban region consisting of a large city and various nearby population centers, forming a functional unit
What are some characteristics of urban areas?
High population density
Predominance of artificial land use
Dense network of streets and buildings
Mainly based on the service sector
Strong interrelationships with surrounding rural and urban areas
What are suburbs?
Outskirts of the city (outer area of city and its current growth zone)
Newest residential areas, large shopping centers, industrial estates, and greenfield sites are located here
What are some characteristics of a diffuse city model?
City grows around the main transport routes and later occupies the areas between them
Large rural or undeveloped areas interspersed with urbanized areas
Polycentric city model
What is a conurbation?
A large urban area formed by the growth of several metropolitan areas that have developed from different cities
What are some characteristics of rural areas?
Low population density
Artificial land use occupies much smaller surface area
Fewer and lower buildings
Occupy a large, continuous surface area
Primary sector activities occupy large part of rural space
In today’s suburbs, what are the two distinctions we see? (Think types of homes that correspond to income level)
Poor shanty towns (where housing is self-built)
High-end housing estates (high-quality detached homes)
Why are diffuse cities considered less sustainable than compact cities?
Require/imply greater use of private transport, more land use, higher energy consumption, less efficient use of services, etc.
What is a megalopolis?
The largest urban area, comprised of various cities with their metropolitan areas, conurbations, and other smaller cities within their area of influence
Describe what a Central Business District (CBD).
Most modern part of the city
Can be identified by skyscrapers and contemporary building designs
Intense commercial, financial, and cultural activity
High concentration of shops, offices, and cultural venues
How did suburbs come about? (How did they start?)
Suburbs initially homed low-income residents who weren’t able to afford life within the city.
What are some characteristics of an irregular layout?
Streets are not arranged in any particular order and vary in width and length
Streets are often narrow and windings
Buildings are very different from one another
What are some characteristics of an orthogonal, or grid, layout?
Streets are arranged geometrically, usually straight and meet at right angles
Buildings are grouped in blocks and have similar shapes and sizes
What are city extensions?
Neighborhoods with avenues (wide, straight roads) that are perpendicular to each other
Some neighborhoods have deteriorated (age of buildings and decline of industries previously there)
Why and how have suburbs changed over time?
Why: growth of cities, traffic, noise, pollution, etc. led to many middle and high-income residents moving to suburbs
How: creation of good-quality residential neighborhoods
What are some characteristics of a radio-concentric layout?
Main streets or avenues radiate from a central point, usually a square, towards the outskirts
Other major concentric avenues encircle this central area
What is the difference between a megalopolis and conurbation?
Megalopolis does not form a continuous urban area (rural areas are interspersed between urbanized areas) unlike conurbations