Urbanisation

The Growth of Towns & Cities

What does Urbanisation Mean?

Until about 200 years ago, most people lived a rural life. They lived and worked

the land in the countryside.

However, during the Industrial Revolution many people moved off the land and

into growing towns and cities. Factories became important places of

employment, so people moved to cities in search of work.

This led to a huge growth in the size and number of towns and cities.

This growth in the size and number of cities is called Urbanisation.

Urbanisation is continuing throughout the world. New cities are growing all the

time as more and more people leave their rural lives behind and move into

cities in search of work.

In essence, a rural to urban shift is taking place.

The Growth of Dublin over time

Like all cities throughout the world, Dublin has grown over a long period of time.

The Growth of Dublin

Viking Dublin

Dublin began as a Viking settlement. Like many other Viking settlements,

Dublin was an ideal place at the mouth of a river. From here the Vikings could

trade.

The Anglo-Normans

The Normans occupied Dublin in 1169. They built stone walls around the city.

Dublin became a Medieval city with narrow streets. Poor sanitation caused

many deaths.

The 16th-18th Centuries

Dublin was extended and many new streets were added in a grid-iron pattern.

Parks like St. Stephen’s Green were made and Georgian Houses were built.

Georgian Houses

The Growth of Dublin

The 19th Century

After 1800 many of the wealthy people who lived in the Georgian houses left

Dublin. Landlords bought these tenements and rented rooms to families. There

was huge overcrowding in these tenement buildings and poverty and disease

were widespread. The Dublin docklands became an important source of work.

Dublin became a distribution centre. Goods were distributed throughout Ireland

along the canal and railway lines.

The 20th Century

Dublin has grown since gaining independence in 1922 for the following

reasons;

High birth rates

Inward migration from the rest of Ireland.

During the Celtic tiger years it became the most important economic

region in the country, with many MNCs locating there. For example

Microsoft and Google

Dublin grew rapidly in the 20th century. The inner city slums were cleared

And people moved out to new suburbs like Ballyfermot, Crumlin, and

Finglas. Newer suburbs were then developed around the villages of

Clondalkin, Lucan and Tallaght.

Functional Zones in Cities

If we look at the pattern of most cities in the world, we can see that

there are a number of different zones.

Each of these zones has a different function or use.

The following zones can be seen in most cities;

1. A Central Business District (CBD)

2. Some smaller shopping areas

3. A number of shopping centres

4. Industrial areas

5. Open space for recreation / leisure.

The Central Business District (CBD)

The centre of every city has a CBD.

This is where the big banks, office buildings, and department stores

are. These buildings are usually multi-storeyed buildings.

Q. Where is the CBD in Dublin?

Some Smaller Shopping Areas

Around the outskirts of the city there will be small little village centres

where people can do their day-to-day shopping.

These small areas allow people to access of all the services they need

without having to go into the city centre.

Q. Clondalkin village is an example of a small shopping area. Can you

think of any others?

Q. What services are available for people in Clondalkin village?

Shopping Centres

In most of the suburbs of Dublin city there are shopping centres.

Q. Can you name any?

Blanchardstown Shopping Centre – Blanchardstown

The Square – Tallaght

Dundrum Shopping Centre – Dundrum

Liffey Valley – Clondalkin/Lucan

Industrial Areas

Since the Industrial Revolution, cities have been important industrial areas.

Many goods are manufactured in the factories of these cities.

For e.g., Detroit, Michigan is nicknamed Motor City because it is where many

American car companies built their cars.

Port cities often have industries such as oil refining (Rotterdam), or chemical

factories (Cork).

There are many industrial estates in the suburbs around the cities. Footloose

industries are attracted to these areas.

Q. Can you name any industrial estates/technology parks around Dublin?

Space for Recreation/Leisure

All cities need space for children to play and for people to relax and

enjoy the outdoors.

Dublin has parks like the Phoenix Park and St Stephen’s Green. There

are also many parks in the suburban areas surrounding Dublin.

Q. Can you name any others?

Q. Can you think of any other areas/places that are used for leisure and

recreation?

Functional Zones in Cities

Fig.9.2 shows some of the main

zones which can be found in most

cities around the world.

Case study

Paris

Paris

Primate city 11million

(Lyon 2.5 million)

World ranking

(New York, Tokyo & London)

Functional zones

CBD

CBD has;

- Shopping

- Business HQ

- Stock exchange (Paris

Bourse)

- Government offices

- The Metro

Large shopping areas

Paris is a shoppers

paradise.

It’s a world fashion centre.

CBD has Galerie Lafayette

and Printemps.

The Champs Elysee is a

major shopping area.

Smaller shopping areas

As Paris grew it absorbed

smaller towns and villages.

These became suburbs,

which now has it’s own

smaller shopping areas.

Supermarkets such as

Carrefour and champion are

found in many districts

Industrial areas

Fashion industry – banks of

the Seine.

Jewellery & Perfume – city

Painting & publishing – in

the Latin quarter near the

Sorbonne.

Modern industries (eg

aerospace & defence) in

industrial parks

Open spaces

Tree lined banks of the

Seine.

City centre parks are open

to the public – Jardin de

Luxembourg & Champs de

Mars.

Residential

Many Parisians live in apartment blocks due

to high population densities.

The city has affluent, middle class and

working class areas.

Many also commute in from Satellite towns

which have great amenities.

Land values in Cities

Land gets less valuable as you move out from the CBD.

Buildings get smaller as you move out from the CBD.

Land values in Cities

Land is very valuable in the city centre. It is very expensive to buy a site

to build on. Therefore most buildings in the city centre are multi-

storey buildings. Rents are high for retailers in the city centre, but

they have many customers and so they can afford these rents.

Q. What type of retailers set up in city centre locations?

In the suburbs there is much more land available. Most buildings are

one or two storeys high.

Q. What type of retailers set up in suburban areas?

Residential Accommodation in our Cities

The quality age and type of residential accommodation vary significantly within

cities.

Q. Make a list of all the different types of buildings people live in.

Apartments

Flats

Semi-Detached Houses

Detached Houses

Terraced Houses

Bungalows

Georgian Houses

Q. Where are you most likely to find each type of house, the city or the suburbs?

Residential accommodation

Age

City centres expand

outwards therefore the

houses built closest to the

centre tend to be the oldest

with suburbs having the

newest accommodation.

City centre residences often

have housing styles which

belong to earlier centuries

for example Georgian style

Type

Council apartment blocks

Streets of terraced housing

Expensive town houses

Large housing estates of

semi-detached homes

Luxury homes (sea views)

High quality apartment

blocks.

Quality of residential accommodation

Home size

In the past two up two down

terraced houses were common in

cities.

Terraced houses have been

modernised.

With increased wealth in Ireland

has come increased house sizes.

Most people now live in at least 3

Bedroom homes.

Materials used

Due to increased fuel prices home

insulation has become

increasingly important.

Modern homes have double

glazing, attic and wall insulation

and efficient boilers.

Commuting to work in Cities

Many people work in shops and offices in the city centre.

However, many of these people live in the suburbs surrounding the city.

Many more people live further away in the counties surrounding Dublin.

These people must travel (commute) to work each day.

People who travel to work are called commuters.

Q. How do these people get to work?

Q. Can you think of any problems commuting can create?

Commuting to work

The table below shows the different methods of transport used by Dublin

commuters.

Mode of Transport Percentage %

Buses 29%

Cars/Vans/trucks 46%

Bikes 3%

Motorbikes 1%

Walking 9%

Train 12%

Q. Which method of transport do most people use?

Q. What problems could this cause?

Q. What could be done to encourage more people to commute on their bikes?

Urban Transport Use

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Bus

es

Cars/V

ans

Bikes

Motorbikes

Walking

Tra

in

Mode of Transport

Percen

tag

e o

f P

eo

ple

Series1

Rush-hour Traffic

Q. What does rush-hour traffic mean?

Q. At what times does rush-hour traffic occur?

Q. Why do you think it occurs at this time?

Q. Can you think of any ways to solve this problem?

Traffic Congestion

Q. Travel time to the city centre has increased in recent years. True or False?

Q. Why do you think this is?

Solutions to Traffic Congestion

It has been proved in cities all over the world that building more roads

does not solve the problem of traffic congestion in cities.

The best way to solve the problem is by encouraging people to use

public transport.

Many cities charge congestion charges to discourage motorists from

entering the city centre. For example in London cars entering the

congestion zone between 7am and 6pm are charged a fee.

Q. What is public transport?

Q. What types of public transport exist?

Q. What types of public transport do we have in Dublin?

Public transport in Dublin

Huge amounts of money have been spent in

recent years upgrading Dublin’s public

transport.

A metro is planned from the city centre north

to the airport and onward to Swords. This is

likely to be build in the next few years.

Buses

Buses can carry up to 80 people.

If more people used buses it would take many cars off the roads each

day.

They can get to the city centre much quicker than cars because they

can use Quality Bus Corridors (QBC’s).

There has been a big increase in the number of QBC’s in Dublin in

recent years.

Light Rail

The DART is an example of

a light rail system.

It is a very successful

network. Many people travel

to work each day using the

DART.

The DART line runs through

many areas along the

coastline of Dublin.

DART= Dublin Area Rapid Transport

The Luas

The Luas is a Tram system.

This type of public transport is

very popular in many European

cities.

It is a fast and efficient method

of transport.

Dublin’s Luas has been

extremely popular with

commuters.

Q. Looking at Fig.9.8, can you

identify any problem with the

current Luas network?

Urban Problems

Cities can be great places to live. There are lots of activities to do.

Q. List some things which can be done in the city and not in rural areas.

However, there are many problems to be found in cities.

Q. Can you list some problems which may exist in cities?

A number of important problems exist. These are;

1. Zones of Decline

2. Unemployment

3. Crime

4. Community disruption

Urban Problems

Zones of Decline

Many places in the city centre are derelict sites. While many have been

redeveloped in recent years, there are still many run down buildings. These

buildings may be occupied by homeless people and drug addicts.

Unemployment

In the past there were many jobs available in city centres in small factories.

However, most of these factories have moved out to industrial estates in the

suburbs. Most jobs in the city centre are now skilled jobs requiring university

level education. In 2002, only 62% of children in Dublin city sat the Leaving

Certificate. Therefore many of them cannot find work in the city.

Urban Problems

Crime

Crime is a big problem in many

inner city areas. A lot of crime is

drug related.

People steal money and goods

from shops and people to pay for

their drugs.

The highest crime figures in Ireland

are in Dublin city centre.

Q. Why do you think this is?

Q. What could be done to try to

solve this problem?

Urban Problems

Community Disruption

Since the 1960’s many people born in the city centre have had to move

to the new growing suburbs such as Ballymun, Tallaght, and Clondalkin.

This has left some young people disconnected from their families who

remain in the city centre. This can leave people feeling isolated.

Urban sprawl

Sprawl is the uncontrolled spread of the city into the surrounding

countryside.

While it allows for families to have back and front gardens it has problems.

It invades the countryside and disrupts and diminishes habitats.

It leads to long daily commuter journeys.

It causes spread of the concrete jungle over large areas.

Improving Urban Areas

In many countries, governments have attempted to improve urban

areas.

There are two main ways to do this. They are;

1. Inner-city renewal and redevelopment.

2. The planning of new towns.

Urban Renewal and Redevelopment

Urban Renewal

This means knocking down old houses/flats and building new places for

people to live.

Urban Redevelopment

This means knocking down old houses/flats and buildings shops,

offices, restaurants or car parks.

Q. Can you name any place in Dublin where urban renewal has occurred?

Q. Can you name any place in Dublin where urban redevelopment has

occurred?

The Planning of New Towns

Tallaght Town

Tallaght was chosen as a location for a new town in the 1960’s.

It has developed into an important residential, commercial and

industrial area.

It now has many facilities including a hospital, shopping centre, the

county library, Tallaght IT, and many industrial estates.

It is connected to the city centre by the Luas.

Tallaght is continuously growing and it will soon become a city in its

own right.

The Planning of New Towns

The Planning of New Towns

Adamstown

Adamstown is the latest new town to be built in Ireland.

It is the result of a completely new way of planning in Ireland.

The 10,000 houses/apartments are high-density developments.

There is a railway station giving direct access to the city centre.

Schools, shops, and leisure facilities have been built for the people.

Urbanisation in the Developing World

Urbanisation is happening rapidly in many parts of the developing world.

People are being ‘pushed’ from rural areas and ‘pulled’ toward the cities.

Every year more and more people arrive to these growing cities in search of a

better life for themselves and their children.

However, this rapid urbanisation is causing many problems.

Q. Can you think of any problems that are occurring in cities in the developing

world?

Urban renewal

Fatima mansions in Dolphin’s Barn

Problems

Lone parents = 44% of households

38% of population under 15.

Educational disadvantage – 61% of adults had no formal

education.

Unemployment was at 39% in 2005 (8xnat. Average.

High levels of ill health, school drop out and drug abuse

Renewal of the area

Fatima regeneration

board and the local

community planned the

future development.

In 2005 demolition began, by 2006 600

households were living in new socially

mixed homes.

Cities in the Developing World

Cities in the developing world are

different to cities in rich countries.

In the CBD there are expensive

shops, restaurants, and high-quality

houses and apartments. The rich

people live here.

As you move away from the CBD

the quality of the houses

decreases.

At the edge of the city are the

shanty towns. This is where the

poorest people live.

Life in the Shanty Towns

The houses in the shanty towns are built by the people themselves. They are

usually made with pieces of wood, plastic, and metal sheeting.

The people are extremely poor. They have poor sanitation and little access to

medical care.

Revision Questions - Urbanisation

Define the term Urbanisation.

Define the term ‘rural to urban shift’.

List 5 functional zones found in most cities.

What is the CBD? Explain what type of buildings are in a CBD and why.

Explain how land is used as you move from the CBD to the edge of a city.

What is a commuter?

Explain in detail why commuting in the Greater Dublin Region is a problem.

What does the term ‘rush hour’ mean?

Explain what traffic congestion is. Why is traffic congestion a problem?

Explain 3 ways that the government have tried to reduce traffic congestion in Dublin.

Define the terms ‘Urban Renewal’ and ‘Urban Redevelopment’.

Make a list of push and pull factors for urbanisation in the developing world.

What is a Shanty Town?

Describe in detail what is meant by the term ‘Social Capital’.