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Geography chapter 7 - Coggle Diagram
Geography chapter 7
Considering the needs of different groups
Many cities in the world have ageing populations, including Singapore
In such cities, there is a growing population of elderly aged 65 years or older
To ensure good quality of life, for the elderly and PWDs cities need to be designed with their needs in mind
Sigapore adopts a Universal Design concept for building public areas
The aim is to create a built environment that is safe and accessible for everyone, including children, elderly and PWDs
Pedestrian paths
Roads are cleared of any obstacles and at least 1.8 m wide
Furniture and fixtures are built in a space that is away from travel path
Traffic crossings
Tactile warnings on the ground on two sides of traffic crossings aid the visually handicapped and elderly pedestrian
Warning indicators are provided at road crossings to remind users to be careful when crossing roads
What challenges do people in cities face?
Increased environmental pollution
Cities are major polluters of air and water
Large amounts of fossil fuels are being consumed in cities every day due to a high concentration of people, businesses and transport networks
This is the leading cause of environmental pollution when contaminants are produced and released into the physical environment, eventually harming human health
Water pollution
Water is an essential part of human life
Unfortunately, water supplies in cities are often affected by inadequate management of household and industrial waste due to inadequate or broken sewage systems
When waste is disposed directly or leaked into water ways, water quality is ultimately reduced
Pollution threatens human health and aquatic life
Air pollution
Due to the use of coal to generate electricity / high volume of vehicular traffic and emission from factories
Prolonged exposure to air pollution can lead to respiratory infection, lung cancer, heart disease and even death
Poor health would subsequently lead to an increased demand for health care services
Competition for natural resources
As cities grow with an increasing number of people making their homes there, they will require large amounts of natural resources to built infrastructure and supply materials for industrial use
Competition for natural resources such as land and water rises when there is a high demand by cities for the limited amount of natural resources
Land resources
Cities need land to accommodate their large and growing population for different purposes
If land area is insufficient, they may expand towards rural areas, replacing forests and farmlands or levelling hills
Parts of the current city would be rebuilt to use land more intensively such as by replacing low lying buildings with taller ones
Competition for land also causes unhappiness when existing residents are relocated to make way for new buildings or other uses
Water resources
Cities need to ensure the continual supply of clean water to meet the needs of people and businesses
However this is compromised by competition for land, which limits the construction or expansion of reservoirs
Water catchment areas and groundwater are also affected as more natural vegetation is converted to concrete surfaces
Reducing air pollution through laws
Since 2013, cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei in China have adopted the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan
in this plan, laws such as Environmental protection and Air Pollution Prevention & Control have been enacted
This enables the city government to regulate people's actions and industrial activites
Each city has also set limit on air pollutants for industries and vehicles, which are 2 causes of heavy smog
The city governments have implemented a license plate lottery policy, which limits the number of new vehicles that can be registered and a vehicle restriction rule, which limits the use of private cars to selected days a way according to the last number on their license plate
In addition to lowering air pollution, this strategy also helps to less traffic congestion
Management of hazards
Hazards are events that have a negative impact on people, the physical and built environments and the economy
Human induced hazards arise from human action or inaction, such as ignoring safety regulations or warnings
Eg fires, oil spills and industrial accidents
Natural hazards arise from processes in the physical environment
Eg earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis
It is important and urgent to find sustainable ways to manage hazards in cities
This is because hazards can turn into disasters, where they can cause damage to people and their properties
The impact from hazards increases greatly through cities large population size, high population density and widespread built up area
If not managed properly, the human cost of injuries and deaths, as well as the economic costs of rebuilding as a result of hazards can be very high
Management of the physical environment
Cities have large environmental footprints
Through people's actions and activities such as transport and industry, large amounts of waste and pollutants are released into the physical environment, giving rise to environmental pollution
Pollution also reduces the quality of the physical environment and its sustainability
It can also spread beyond a cities boundaries to its surrounding areas and possibly other countries
Management strategies to regulate the use of natural resources and minimise the negative environmental impact from human activity is therefore necessary
Providing safe housing
Housing refers to structures or buildings constructed to shelter people from weather elements such as extremely high or low temperatures and rain
They are also places for rest and social gatherings
Housing is a basic human need
In the past, Singapore faced the problem of inadequate and low quality housing due to high rates of migration and overpopulation
To address these challenges, the Singapore Improvement Trust and later the HDF were set up to build affordable public housing
Today, more than 80% of the population in good quality public housing surrounded by many amenites
When housing supply is insufficient or too expensive, people may resort to building their homes at locations without obtaining permission
These are referred to as squatter settlements and they can be found in unsafe locations such as steep slopes and along railway tracks
The quality of life among squatter settlements is poor compared to those who live in formal housing
Provision of goods and services
Cities rely on rural areas for much of their food supply since they have limited space for agricultural activities
Rural farmers can rear animals and grow crops for their own needs to sell them at markets in the cities
When this happens, they exchange these food products for money, which becomes their income
Rura inhabitants can also benefit from the amenities available in cities
eg they can travel to a hospital in the city for expert medical help and advanced treatment, which may not be available where they live
They can also buy goods that are only available from malls in cities
What are cities
Defined urban area within a country
According to the united nations, the percentage of the world's population living in cities could rise from 50% in 2007 to 60% in 2030
4 features that make a city unique
Large population size
Cities have many people who live and work in them
Large population size compared to other areas in the country
Countries around the world use different guidelines to identify their cities eg minimum population size
High population density
measurement of the number of people living in a unit area of land
cities typically have high population density as compared to other areas within their countries
Cities have a large population size living in a given area of land
Formula = number of people living in an area / land area (measured in ___ people/km2)
Built up area
Land surface mostly covered by buildings
Cities have extensive infrastructure which is a system of buildings and equipment to provide basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, telecommunication and transport for its residents
Range of functions
Cities perform a large range of secondary, tertiary and quatenary functions
Eg education, medical, housing, transport, recreation, industrial, commercial, tourism, technology etc
Eg Jakarta has important ad functions as it is the office of the president and highest court of order + plays an economic function to indonesia as it has many manufacturers that produce and sell a variety of products (eg iron, paper and cars)
Relationship between cities and rural areas
Compared to cities, rural areas have lower population size and density
There are fewer functions in rural areas, which are also less build up
Despite these differences, cities and rural areas in many countries are connected by movements of people, goods and services
Rural urban migration
Some people living in cities today may have originally come from another location in the country before settling down
These people are referred to as migrants
In many countries, it is common for people to move from rural areas to urban areas such as towns and cities (rural-urban migration)
Migrants move due to a combination of reasons
Push factors refer to reasons migrants want to leave their place of orgin
Pull factors refer to reasons that attract migrants towards a destination such as a city
Land use planning
Involves making decisions on how land resource will be used for various purposes such as housing, recreation and transport
Planning agencies may disallow some of these uses and construction in unsafe locations to prevent hazards from occuring
This information is then shared with land owners and property developers to ensure everyone's safety
Use of better quality building materials
Buildings need to be of good quality to withstand the threats of hazards
When a hazard occurs, some immediate effects include the collapse of buildings, infrastructure damage, injuries and deaths
Japan is recognised as a world leader in the design and building of earthquake resistant buildings
This is because the country has learnt from previous disasters brought about by earthquakes and has invested resources to build better structures
Providing a variety of transport modes
Transportation modes refer to the way in which people and goods move from one location to another
there are three main modes of transport
land
air
water
Benefits
Travelling around the city can be easieer because people have more transportation options such as buses, trams and trains which are more affordable than cars
Traffic congestion can be reduced when people have more options to travel, such as opting for bigger transport vehicles like buses and trains which can carry more passengers than cars
Environmental pollution in cities can be reduced as fewer cars on the road can lead to less fossil fuel consumption and carbon emssions
Reducing water pollution through water treatment ponds
Kranji reservoir is one of the 17 reservoirs in Singapore and is located in a agricultural area
When it rains, rainwater may mix with nutrients from nearby farms and flow into reservoirs, thus reducing water quality
To prevent this from happening, farms have set up drains around their farm plots and water treatment ponds to channel and collect rainwater and access nutrients
Plants such as cattails and fragrant pandan are grown in water treatment ponds to purify water. This strategy reduces water pollution in reservoirs
Improve quality of life
Refers to a person's well being, which is affected by several factors such as physical and mental health, level of independence and relationship with others