Urban Environments, Structure and Land Use

What this unit covers

The resources look at how cities grow, how land is used inside them and how places change over time. Core ideas include urbanisation, suburbanisation, counter-urbanisation, urban sprawl and brownfield sites. The mind map Urban Environments pulls many of these terms together in one place.

Case studies to know

Case studies are a big part of the page. The The London Docklands slides trace how the docks were built and later changed. Regeneration in Plymouth looks at a dockyard city after demand for ships fell. There are also maps on Birmingham, Dublin, Lagos, Kibera, Chicago and New York City.

For cities in lower-income countries, the notes on the Favela Bairro Project describe the squatter settlement project in Brazil. The Curitiba resources look at a sustainable city, and the GCSE AQA Geography Sustainable City Case Study- Curitiba, Brazil quiz tests the facts.

Where to start

1. Begin with the Megacities notes to get the key definitions and characteristics.
2. Open the Urban Environments mind map to see how the terms connect.
3. Move to the mind map What are the issues being faced in the CBD? for bid rent, retail, offices and land use.
4. Choose one or two case studies that match your course.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a mind map first, then take a quiz on the same case study. Note the questions you miss and go back to the branch that covers them. Flashcard decks such as Key Terms- Changing Urban Environments are handy for short bursts of vocabulary practice. Teachers can set a case study map or slide set as ready-made material for a lesson.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the Population, Settlement and Cities strand of Geography. Choose a case study, try a quiz, then make a mind map of your own to fill any gaps.