Geography chapter 7

Geography chapter 7 Notes -What are cities? A city is a defined urban area within a country. Different countries have different guidelines to identify their cities. Factors that make a city: -A large population size compared to other locations in the country. - A high population density compared to other locations in the country A population density is a measurement of the number of people living in a unit area of land Population density formula: Number of people living in an area/ Land area - A built-up area which means that the land surface is mostly covered by buildings. This can include extensive infrastructure which is a system of buildings and equipment meant to provide basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, telecommunications and transport for its residents. A dense built-up with tall buildings closely-built. -Range of Functions which can be administrative, commercial or educational activities. Manufacturing industries produce and sell a variety of products including paper and cars and business also benefits from modern infrastructure such as: Telecommunications systems to communicate efficiently with suppliers, customers and across offices in other locations. Well connected transport systems to move goods around the city and country and even for export to other countries -Relationship between cities and rural areas Compared to cities(urban areas), rural areas have a lower population size and density. Also having fewer functions which are also less built-up . Despite these differences, cities and rural areas in many countries are connected by movement of people, goods and services. Some people(migrants) in cities may have originally come from another location in their country before settling down. This is common for people to move from rural areas to urban areas such as towns and cities, this process is called rural-urban migration . Migrants move due to many reasons, known as Push factors(negative reasons causing migrants to want to leave ) or Pull factors(positive reasons attracting migrants towards a destination) Pull reasons may include: 1)High pay 2) Safe and political stability 3)More opportunities

4)Better healthcare Push factors may include: 1)War or political instability making it unsafe for people to stay in rural areas hence prompting people to relocate to urban areas. 2)A lack of essential facilities such as education facilities. Education is important as it enables people to gain knowledge which can affect future employability of children and causes people to migrate to urban areas where there are a variety of education institutions. 3)Low income which causes people to migrate to seek a higher pay in urban areas to have a better livelihood 4)Natural disasters such as droughts destroyed large amount of crops which may result in starvation and prompts people to migrate to urban areas due to lack of food 5)Lack of job opportunities make people want to migrate to seek employment and earn money to support their families. Another relationship between cities and rural areas would be their interdependence in providing goods and services. 1)Cities rely on rural areas for food as they have limited space for agricultural activities, Rural farmers can rear animals and grow crops for their own needs or sell them at markets in the cities. This exchange of food for money becomes their income. (Cities depending on rural areas) 2)Rural inhabitants also benefit from amenities in cities such as expert medical help and advanced treatment which might not be available in where they live and also buy certain goods that are only available from malls in the cities. (Rural areas depending on cities) How do cities affect their inhabitants and the environment? -Opportunities there are for people in cities include: Education and employment are closely linked as education enables people to learn useful skills and knowledge which they can apply and have employment and they get paid which allows them to purchase food and other necessities to improve their well-being. Cities are centers of learning and allow large populations of people and children to learn. Businesses thrive in cities because of their developed infrastructure, availability of services and opportunities such as education. They also benefit from the concentration of educational institutions in cities and can hire a large pool of skilled employees. They may also offer work study arrangements for education institutes to train their employees.

Technological innovations are something that cities are known for and uses scientific knowledge to create new products or services. This is because there are many skilled people living in cities which receive funding from the government to experiment new ideas. Innovations in cities. 1)Shading Apart from trees, sheltered covered walkways are installed to provide shade and shield from rain 2)Transport Use of public transport, cycling and walking to help reduce heat production from the transport sector. 3)Vegetation Greenery on roofs and building facades prevents sunlight from heating up buildings. 4)Building facade Light-coloured surfaces on buildings help to reflect sunlight to reduce heat absorption. 5)Water bodies and features Ponds and pools help to prevent overheating. Challenges people face in the cities 1)Increased environmental pollution Cities are major polluters of air and water. Large amounts of fossil fuels are being consumed in the cities everyday due to high concentration of people, businesses and transportation networks. This also becomes a leading cause of environmental pollution where contaminants are produced and released to the physical environment which harms human health. 2)Water pollution Waste water not disposed of properly can result in water bodies such as rivers being polluted which increases the likelihood of people consuming contaminated water which can lead to water-borne illnesses such as cholera. 3)Air pollution Air can be polluted from vehicle exhaust or burning of fossil fuels in power plants which prolonged exposure to air pollution which can lead to respiratory infection,lung cancer, heart disease and even death. 4)Competition for natural resources In cities due to high population size creates competition for natural resources such as land and water and people may not have enough of such resources. 5)Land resources When cities need to accommodate large and growing populations for different purposes and when they have insufficient land they expand