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 They built stone walls around the city. Dublin became a Medieval city with narrow streets. Poor sanitation caused many deaths. The 16 th -18 th 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 19 th 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 20 th 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 20 th 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

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 TransportPercentage % 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?

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

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 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’.