Population and urbanisation, Year 11: a major UK city

Jobs in the factories, mills and docks of the Industrial Revolution

HintThink about the big change in how goods were made at that time.

The whyThis was national migration: people moving within the UK. Rural workers left farms for paid work in mills, factories, mines and docks. The terraced streets and old industrial districts of many UK cities date from this period of growth.

A shortage of workers after the Second World War

HintThe country was rebuilding and many posts stood empty.

The whyBritain needed staff for transport, factories and the new National Health Service. Migrants from Commonwealth countries filled many of these posts and settled mostly in the large cities where the work was. Their families and communities are a lasting part of the character of those cities.

An established community can support them with family, familiar shops, places of worship and help finding work

HintImagine arriving somewhere new, and what would make the first weeks easier.

The whyThis is how districts with a distinct character develop: shops, restaurants, places of worship and festivals reflect the people who settled there. It is a normal pattern of migration everywhere, including British people who move abroad. Over time many families move on to other parts of the city.

They rise, because demand for homes grows faster than new homes are built

HintThink of what happens to the cost of anything when lots of buyers chase too little of it.

The whyMigration brings workers, skills and spending, but homes take years to plan and build. In the short term more households compete for the same housing, so costs go up. This is one reason housing inequality is a challenge in growing UK cities.

National migration (also called internal migration)

HintIt is the same word used for the scale of a whole country.

The whyNational migration is movement within one country, for example students and graduates moving to a big city. Many textbooks call it internal migration. International migration is movement from one country to another. Your case study should show the effect of both on the city.

An integrated transport system

HintThe first word of the answer means "joined into one whole".

The whyWhen services connect, a journey by public transport can compete with a car journey door to door. Passengers change easily between bus, tram and train and pay once. More people then leave the car at home, which cuts congestion and air pollution.

Urban greening

HintThe second word is a colour turned into an action.

The whyThis is the environmental opportunity AQA lists for a changing UK city. Plants give shade, soak up rain, take in some air pollution and make streets more pleasant. Old industrial land, railway lines and riversides are often turned into green space.

They catch rain and let it soak into soil, so less runs straight off hard surfaces into the drains

HintCompare what a raindrop does on tarmac with what it does on a lawn.

The whyConcrete and tarmac are impermeable, so rain runs off them at once and can overwhelm the drains. Leaves catch some rain, and soil lets water soak in slowly. Planted areas therefore slow the flow of water into drains and rivers.

cultural

HintThe missing word describes a people's shared way of life.

The whyAQA lists cultural mix as a social and economic opportunity of urban change. It widens what residents can eat, hear and take part in. It also supports restaurants, shops and events that create jobs and attract visitors.

It creates jobs and brings in visitors who spend money

HintCount the people needed to run such places, and those who travel in to use them.

The whyRecreation and entertainment is both a social and an economic opportunity. Venues need staff, and visitors also pay for hotels, food and transport nearby. In the exam, say which effects are social and which are economic.

A brownfield site

HintThe name uses the colour of bare earth and rubble.

The whyPlanning law in England calls this "previously developed land". Reusing it brings derelict land back into use and saves countryside. It can cost more, because old buildings must be cleared and polluted ground cleaned first.

There is nothing to demolish or clean up before building starts

HintThink about what has to happen on an old factory plot ahead of laying the first brick.

The whyA greenfield site has never been built on, so it is usually farmland at the edge of a city. Builders can start straight away and lay out the estate as they wish. The costs fall elsewhere: farmland and habitats are lost, and new roads and services are needed.

Factories, docks and warehouses had closed and been abandoned

HintThink about where people in those districts used to work.

The whyAs manufacturing declined and ports moved to deeper water, the buildings and land they had used were left empty. Derelict land attracts vandalism and puts off new investment. It is one of the main reasons inner-city areas later needed regeneration.

Multiple

HintThe missing word means "more than one".

The whyThe index ranks every small neighbourhood in England from most to least deprived. Its seven parts include income, employment, education, health, crime, housing and the living environment. Geographers use it to map inequality within a city, district by district. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions.

That district is more deprived: lower incomes bring poorer housing, diet and health

HintLook beyond the doctors, at the conditions of everyday life.

The whyHealth depends on much more than health care. Damp or crowded housing, insecure work, stress, diet and air quality all affect how long people live. This is why inequalities in health, housing, education and employment tend to appear in the same districts.

methane

HintIt is also the main gas in the natural gas burnt in cookers.

The whyLandfill takes up land that cities are short of, and rotting waste releases this gas, which adds to climate change. Councils therefore collect food waste and recycling separately and burn some of the rest to generate electricity. Waste disposal is one of the environmental challenges AQA lists for a UK city.