Changing Urban Environments
The United Nations has a useful World Urbanisation Prospects page.
1. Global trends in urban populations.
Interactive FT page showing how the location of the world's major cities has changed since 1975.
A spreadsheet of data from the UN on the same theme.
2. Functions and land uses in urban areas.
Urban areas can be divided-up into different land use zones, that have distinctive characteristics. These land use zones, and their features, can be identified from maps and photographs. Poole is a local town that contains good examples of these land use zones and is a place that you will visit for your A-level fieldwork.
CBD (Central Business District)
Lower quality residential zone
Medium quality residential zone
High quality residential zone (suburb)
Suburbs (medium quality residential zone)
Zone of light industry (industrial estate)
Other key ideas:
Issues and management in richer parts of the world.
Squatter settlements and the informal economy.
Management of environmental problems in poorer parts of the world.
Sustainable urban living.