Population and urbanisation, Year 11: urban sprawl, regeneration and sustainable cities

sprawl

HintThe missing word also describes someone lying with arms and legs spread out.

The whyIt happens when a growing city needs more homes and land at the edge is cheaper and easier to build on. Farmland and wildlife habitats are lost, and journeys by car get longer. England's planning policy for protected land around cities aims to check it.

The rural-urban fringe

HintThe last word of the answer also means the edge of a rug or a haircut.

The whyHere you find farmland, golf courses and garden centres beside new housing, retail parks, business parks and ring roads. It is where sprawl happens, so land use changes quickly. Farmers, residents, developers and conservation groups often disagree about what should be built.

A commuter settlement (also called a dormitory settlement)

HintIt is named after the people who make the daily journey to work.

The whyIt is also called a dormitory settlement, because many residents are only there to sleep. Such places grow when a city's housing is expensive and road or rail links are good. New estates are added to what was once a farming village.

The newcomers are away all day and do their spending in the city

HintAsk where these residents are at lunchtime.

The whyResidents who work in the city tend to shop, eat and use services there too. The village can be almost empty in the daytime, so local businesses lose trade. Meanwhile demand from better-paid newcomers pushes house prices up, which can price out local young people.

A green belt

HintThe second word is something worn around the waist.

The whyEngland's planning policy says its basic aim is to prevent sprawl by keeping land permanently open. It also stops neighbouring towns merging. A side effect is that some new housing "leapfrogs" it into commuter settlements further out.

Homes, workplaces, shops and leisure are built together on the same site

HintThink about how many different reasons people would have for being there.

The whyMixing uses keeps an area busy through the day and evening, which helps businesses and makes streets feel safer. People can live close to work, so some journeys are shorter. It contrasts with old industrial districts that had a single use and emptied when the industry closed.

environmental

HintIt is the third heading geographers use, about surroundings.

The whySorting reasons into social, economic and environmental gives an answer a clear structure. The same three headings then let you match each feature of the project to the problem it was meant to solve.

They can be priced out and have to move away

HintThink about what happens to a tenant when the monthly bill goes up.

The whyThis process is often called gentrification. The area improves, but the people it was meant to help may no longer be able to afford to live there. Many projects therefore include a share of affordable homes.

Firms need their workers and customers to be able to reach the site easily

HintAsk how staff and shoppers would get there each morning.

The whyRun-down industrial areas were often cut off by old docks, railway yards or main roads. A new station, tram stop or bridge connects the area to the rest of the city. Investors are far more willing to build offices, shops and homes once that access exists.

Whether local residents actually got the jobs

HintAsk where the new employees travel in from.

The whyNew offices may need skills that long-term residents were never trained in, so the posts go to people commuting in. A project that adds training and apprenticeships for local people does more to solve the original problem of unemployment.

Rainwater harvesting

HintThe second word of the answer is what a farmer does when the crop is ripe.

The whyFlushing toilets and watering plants do not need water clean enough to drink. Using stored rain for these jobs cuts the demand on the mains supply. It also keeps some rain out of the drains during storms.

To let the Sun heat and light the homes, so they use less energy

HintThink about where warmth comes from on a clear winter day when the boiler is off.

The whyIn the UK the Sun is in the southern half of the sky, so south-facing glass gains the most warmth and daylight. With thick insulation to keep that warmth in, far less gas or electricity is needed. This is energy conservation by design.

Recycling still uses energy to crush, melt and remake the glass

HintCompare what a furnace needs with what a sink needs.

The whyThis is why reuse sits above recycling in the waste hierarchy that UK waste policy follows: prevent waste first, then reuse, then recycle, then recover energy, with disposal last. Recycling is still much better than landfill, because it saves raw materials.

They shade the ground, and water evaporating from their leaves cools the air

HintOne part of the answer is like a parasol; the other is like sweating.

The whyBuildings and roads absorb the Sun's heat and give it out again, which makes built-up areas warmer than their surroundings. Green space works against this. It also gives residents somewhere to exercise and relax, which is why creating it is a feature of sustainable urban living.

charge; bus; cycle

HintOne gap is a kind of fee. The others are two ways to travel that take up less road than cars.

The whyA fee to enter the centre makes some drivers switch or travel at quieter times. Reserved lanes let buses pass queues and make cycling safer, so more people choose them. Most cities combine both kinds of measure.

Drivers leave their cars at the edge of the city and finish the journey by bus, so fewer cars enter the centre

HintThe name of the scheme describes its two steps in order.

The whyLarge car parks are built beside main roads on the outskirts, with frequent buses or trams into the centre. One bus replaces dozens of cars on the busiest streets. The scheme works best when parking in the centre is scarce or costly.