CE Geography-A Summary
Section C-Issues arising from man-land interaction
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PART 8 - Urban settlements
A.
Urban settlements: processes and land uses
1. Urban settlements started 8000 years ago as a result of the agricultural revolution which allowed people to produce a surplus of food, to trade and to develop industry. This allowed people to live in permanent settlements.
2. Rural and urban settlements are classified by size and function.
3. In 1984, there were 220 cities with a population of more than one million.
4. Conurbation and megalopolis are large urban area where major neighbouring cities have grown together.
5. As a city grows in population, the area of the city also increases, often absorbing surrounding settlements into the urban area.
6. The growth of urban areas in the developed countries has slowed down. In some countries, the number of people living in large urban areas is falling - this process is called counter-urbanization.
7. The rapid growth of cities in the developing countries is mainly resulted from large scale rural-urban migration and also high rates of natural increase.
8. Rapid urbanization causes problems of unemployment and poverty in the cities as the number of jobs available for the population is not increasing at the same rate as the urban population.
9. Rapid urbanization in Hong Kong has been caused by the high rates of immigration from China and the high rates of natural increase, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.
10. In order to cope with urban expansion in Hong Kong, land has to be reclaimed from the sea and high-rise buildings have to be built.
B.
Land uses in the city: patterns of urban structure
1. Hong Kong’s urban area can be divided into four main zones: the Central Business District (CBD), commercial-residential, residential and industrial. Smaller institutional, recreational and transport zones can also be identified.
2. The CBD is characterized by high-class shops and services, high rents, busy streets, tall buildings and good accessibility.
3. Vertical and horizontal zoning will take place in larger CBDs.
4. The characteristics of Hong Kong’s industrial areas depend on the types of industry found. The main types are port industries, large-scale industries, cottage industries and flatted factories.
5. Low-income housing includes squatter areas, slums and low-income housing estates.
6. Low-income housing is found in inner city areas or in newly planned housing estates on the outskirts of the urban areas.
7. High-income areas such as the Peak are found away from industrial and low-income areas. People in these areas can afford to pay the high rents.
8. Economic factors affecting land use patterns can be explained by the ideas of locational requirement and the rent that users are willing to pay.
9. Social factors influence the way the residential zones are divided into high, medium and low-income areas. Race and religion also cause divisions in cities.
10. Governments can change land use patterns through urban planning such as redeveloping inner city area and building housing estates.
C.
Functions of urban centres
1. The type and number of functions found in a settlement will depend upon the population size. In general, the larger the population, the greater is the number of functions.
2. Most settlements have a number of different functions. Some can be classified according to their dominant function.
3. Urban centres may be classified as capital cities, ports, industrial cities, commercial and financial centres, residential, cultural and tourist centres.
4. Canberra is an example of a city with a dominant function. It is a planned national capital city.
5. Although Canberra has a dominant government function, it also has commercial, industrial and cultural functions.
6. Shanghai is located on the Chang Jiang. It was created as a Treaty Port under the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842.
7. Shanghai is the largest city in China, containing 12.6 million people in 1988. It is also the largest port and industrial city in the country.
8. Because of its location and dominance in the Chinese economy, Shanghai has grown rapidly, and has developed other important functions. Shanghai is an example of a multi-function city.
PART 9 - Issues arising from man-land interaction
D.
Urban problems
1. The advantages of living in a city result from the employment opportunities, the services, the cultural and education facilities, the shops and transport services the settlements has to offer.
2. The growth of cities has resulted in problems of urban sprawl as the urban area spreads outwards and uses up more and more countryside.
3. The problem of housing is common to all cities. In Hong Kong, the government is concerned with squatters, slums and urban decay.
4. The Hong Kong Government first became involved with urban planning after the large squatter fire at Shek Kip Mei on 25th December 1953.
5. The main emphasis of early urban planning was to provide shelter for the people alternative accommodation to squatter huts.
6. Three stages of public housing development can be identified in Hong Kong. Each atages had a different approach to the housing problem.
7. The idea of building new towns was accepted in 1973 and involves the development of eight new towns all located in the New Territories.
8. The new towns will house 3.5 millions people by 2000.
9. Hong Kong’s traffic problem is the result of a number of conditions. These include the high population density, the narrow streets, the large number of motor vehicles and the need for people to travel to works at particular times.
10. The main emphasis of transport planning has been towards the improvement of public transport, particularly the mass transport systems of the MTR and the KCR.
11. The policy for more economic use of road systems involves two approaches:
a. Attempting to reduce the number of private cars.
b. Improving to flow of vehicles by improving the road system.
E.
Environmental pollution
1. Pollution occurs in various forms - water, air and noise.
2. The levels of pollution have increased with growing population and growing industry.
3. Pollution is harmful in the way it damages the natural environment, upsets the ecosystems and creates problems for human societies.
4. Along the food chain, harmful pollutants are often passed and concentrated in the highest levels.
5. The use of DDT at Clear Lake, California is an example of man upsetting the ecosystem.
6. The major source of air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels in power stations, gas works and from petrol and diesel engines in motor vehicles.
7. Water pollution is caused by dumping industrial, agricultural and domestic wastes into rivers and sea.
8. Coastal pollution in Hong Kong is so serious in some beaches that the government has to close them.
9. The build up of chemicals, metals and bacteria in marine life results from water pollution. This poses health hazard to humans who eat fish and other animals from these polluted waters.
10. Noise pollution results from road transport, aircraft, industry and construction sites.
11. The government is taking more interest in the environment and the problem of pollution. In the past few years a number of ordinances have been passed to control water, air and noise pollution.
F.
Recreation
1. Recreation is an increasingly important aspect of the modern way of life.
2. Urban dwellers need to be provided with recreational facilities because of the problems of living in a city.
3. Recreational land uses often conflict with other uses. In particular it is a land use which cannot compete economically with other land uses. Therefore its provision is often planned and controlled by government.
4. Hong Kong has both urban and country parks, each of which has different functions.
5. 23 country parks cover almost 40% of the area of Hong Kong.
6. Country parks cover most of Hong Kong’s upland, leaving the lowland area for settlement, industry and agriculture.
7. The countryside is an important recreational resource.
8. There are conflicts in country parks and these must be planned for. The two main conflicts are the country park-resident and the country park-country park user conflicts.
The two great problems facing country parks are litter