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This final lesson brings together everything you have studied in Topic 3: Challenges of an Urbanising World. It provides a comprehensive key terms glossary, comparison tables for quick revision, a revision checklist to identify any gaps in your knowledge, and detailed guidance on exam technique for the types of questions you will face in the Edexcel B Paper 1 exam. Use this lesson as your revision hub in the weeks before the exam.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Urbanisation | The increasing proportion of a country's population living in urban areas |
| Urban growth | The increase in the total number of people living in urban areas |
| Level of urbanisation | The percentage of a country's population currently living in urban areas |
| Rate of urbanisation | The speed at which the urban proportion is changing |
| Megacity | A city with a population of 10 million or more |
| World city | A city with major global economic, political and cultural influence |
| Rural-to-urban migration | Movement of people from the countryside to towns and cities |
| Push factors | Reasons that make people want to leave rural areas (poverty, lack of services, natural hazards) |
| Pull factors | Reasons that attract people to urban areas (jobs, education, healthcare, opportunities) |
| Natural increase | Population growth from births exceeding deaths (without migration) |
| Counter-urbanisation | Movement of people from urban areas to rural or semi-rural areas |
| Suburbanisation | The outward spread of the built-up area as population moves to the urban edge |
| Re-urbanisation | Movement of people back into city centres after a period of decline |
| Gentrification | Process where wealthier people move into poorer areas, renovating properties and changing the area's character |
| Deindustrialisation | The decline of manufacturing industry in a country or region |
| Regeneration | The physical, economic and social renewal of a run-down urban area |
| CBD | Central Business District — the commercial heart of a city |
| Rural-urban fringe | The transition zone where the city meets the countryside |
| Burgess model | Concentric zone model — city grows in rings outward from the CBD |
| Hoyt model | Sector model — land use develops in wedges along transport routes |
| Informal settlement (slum) | Housing built without planning permission, often from makeshift materials, lacking basic services |
| Informal economy | Economic activities that are unregistered, unregulated and untaxed |
| Formal economy | Officially registered economic activities where workers have legal protections |
| Sustainable urban living | Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations |
| Smart city | A city that uses digital technology and data to improve services and quality of life |
| Green infrastructure | Natural and semi-natural features integrated into urban areas (parks, green roofs, trees) |
| Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) | UK government measure of relative deprivation across seven domains |
| Quality of life | Overall wellbeing including economic, social, environmental and psychological factors |
| Environmental Quality Survey (EQS) | Fieldwork method assessing the visual and physical quality of an urban environment |
| Feature | HICs | LICs/NEEs |
|---|---|---|
| Level of urbanisation | High (75–90%+) | Low to medium (20–65%) |
| Rate of urbanisation | Slow or stable | Fast (1.5–5%/year) |
| Main driver | Historical industrialisation (now complete) | Current rural-to-urban migration + natural increase |
| Housing challenge | Affordability; homelessness | Informal settlements; lack of basic services |
| Transport | Well-developed but congested | Inadequate and overwhelmed |
| Key process | Counter-urbanisation; re-urbanisation | Rapid rural-to-urban migration |
| Waste management | Organised collection; recycling targets | Inadequate; informal recycling dominant |
| Planning | Established legal frameworks | Weak enforcement; unable to keep pace |
| Opportunities | Challenges |
|---|---|
| Diverse economy: finance, IT, Bollywood, textiles | Housing: 1.1m unit deficit; 60% in slums |
| BSE and NSE stock exchanges | Water: 750 MLD shortfall; 4–6 hrs/day supply |
| 6% of India's GDP | Sanitation: ~40% sewage untreated |
| IIT Bombay; 90% literacy | Transport: 7.5m rail users/day; 2,500 deaths/year |
| World-class hospitals; medical tourism | Air pollution: PM2.5 35–45 µg/m³ |
| Cultural diversity; social mobility | Inequality: extreme wealth alongside extreme poverty |
| Feature | Freiburg (Germany) | BedZED (London) | Curitiba (Brazil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country type | HIC | HIC | NEE |
| Key focus | Solar energy; car-free living; cycling | Zero-energy housing; water conservation | Sustainable transport (BRT); recycling |
| Scale | City-wide (230,000 people) + Vauban district | Small development (100 homes) | City-wide (1.9 million) |
| Transport | 30% cycling; extensive tram network | Car-sharing club; public transport | BRT: 2 million trips/day; cost 1/100th of metro |
| Energy | Passivhaus; plus-energy houses; rooftop solar | Super-insulation; CHP plant; solar panels | Focus on transport efficiency rather than energy |
| Waste | 69% recycling rate | Reduced waste generation | 70% recycling; Cambio Verde (green exchange) |
| Key statistic | 70% of Vauban households car-free | 71% less heating energy than UK average | BRT carries 2 million trips daily |
| Feature | Top-Down | Bottom-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Decision-making | Government or large organisations | Local communities and residents |
| Scale | Large; city-wide or national | Small; neighbourhood or community level |
| Cost | High (often billions) | Low (often thousands to millions) |
| Speed of impact | Slow (planning, construction, bureaucracy) | Faster at local level |
| Sustainability | Risk of white elephant projects; maintenance challenges | Often more sustainable because community owns the solution |
| Mumbai examples | DRP ($3–4bn); Metro (337 km); MTHL bridge | SPARC community toilets; waste picker cooperatives; Versova beach clean-up |
| UK examples | London Olympic Park; HS2; Northern Powerhouse | Neighbourhood Plans; community land trusts; local clean-up groups |
Use this checklist to identify any gaps in your knowledge:
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