GCSE Geography Lecture Notes

Introduction

• The lecture is focused on covering content for GCSE Geography.
• Plan: First part will cover content, second part will cover case studies and examples.
• Main topic: Urbanization

Urbanization

Definition

• Urbanization: Growth in the proportion of people living in urban areas.
• Current statistic: 55% of the world's population lives in urban areas.
• Continually increasing.

Key Points

• High Income Countries (HICs): e.g., UK, Japan
  • Urbanization already experienced.
  • 80% of the population lives in urban areas.
  • Low rates of urbanization.
• Low Income Countries (LICs): e.g., Ethiopia
  • Majority live in rural areas.
  • 30% of the population lives in urban areas.
  • High rates of urbanization.
• Newly Emerging Economies (NEEs): e.g., Brazil, China
  • Rapid economic development.
  • 50% of the population lives in urban areas.
  • Urbanization rate is 2%.

Causes of Urbanization

• Rural to Urban Migration
  • Push factors: Poor healthcare, lack of facilities, poor education, natural disasters, mechanization.
  • Pull factors: More jobs, better healthcare, education, and benefit schemes in urban areas.
• Natural Increase
  • Younger populations migrate to cities for jobs.
  • Birth rate exceeds death rate.

Urban Areas and Zones

• UK cities are mainly in lowland areas, often in the south.
• Population distribution in the UK is uneven.
• Northern areas: Sparsely populated, southern areas: Densely populated.
• Largest city: London with 9 million people.

Sustainable Urban Living

• Definition: Living in a way that meets current needs without compromising future generations.
• Resource conservation: Water and energy.
  • Water: Collecting rainwater, reducing water use.
  • Energy: Promoting renewable energy, increasing efficiency, using public transport.
• Urban Green Spaces
  • Parks and green roofs improve mental health, reduce air pollution, and reduce flooding risk.
• Waste Management
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle to minimize landfill impact.

Traffic Management

• Issues: Environmental, economic, and social.
• Solutions: Public transport improvements, congestion charges, bus priority lanes.

Changing Economic World

Measuring Development

• Development: Economic growth, technology use, welfare improvement.
• Measures: GNI, birth/death rate, literacy rate, access to water, life expectancy.
• HDI: Human Development Index combining GNI, life expectancy, and education.

Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

• Stages of development from high birth/death rates to low rates, reflecting economic growth.

Causes of Uneven Development

• Physical factors: Poor climate, poor land, few resources, natural disasters.
• Economic factors: Trade links, economy based on primary products, debt.
• Historical factors: Colonialism, war.

Reducing the Development Gap

• Methods: Investment, Aid, Fair Trade, Intermediate Technology, Microfinance Loans, Industrial Development, Debt Relief.

Economic Development in the UK

Economic Change

• From manufacturing to tertiary and quaternary industries.
• Causes: De-industrialization, globalization, government policies.

Environmental Impact

• Industrial development impact on environment.
• Example: Unicorn Group using renewable energy.

Transport Network in the UK

• Methods: Road, railway (Crossrail, HS2), airports, ports.

UK Links to Other Countries

• Transport, trade, culture, electronic communications, EU, Commonwealth.

North-South Divide

• Economic and social differences between northern and southern UK.
• Example: South Lakeland Cumbria (population decline) vs. North Somerset (population growth).

Government Resolve

• Devolved powers, Enterprise zones, Northern Powerhouse.

Resource Management

Resources Overview

• Food, water, and energy as essential resources.
• Impact on economic and social well-being.

Supply and Consumption

• Inequality in global resource distribution.
• High income countries vs. low income countries vs. NEEs.

Food

Global Food Supply

• Uneven distribution of food production and consumption.
• Factors affecting food security: rising population, economic development.

Food Insecurity

• Causes: Physical and human factors (climate, water stress, poverty, technology).
• Impacts: Undernutrition, famine, soil erosion, price rises, social unrest.

Increasing Food Production

• Methods: Irrigation, hydroponics, biotechnology, appropriate technology.

Sustainable Food Supply

• Organic farming, permaculture, urban farming initiatives.

• The lecture concludes with a focus on understanding and reviewing case studies and examples in a separate session.