City Characteristics

• Cities are characterized by a large population size, high population density, a built-up area, and a range of functions.
• Large population refers to the total number of people in a city.
• High population density specifies the number of people squeezed into a particular area.

Built-Up Area

• Cities are built-up areas, with most of the land surface covered by buildings and extensive infrastructure.
• Infrastructure includes systems providing basic services like water, electricity, sanitation, telecommunications, and transportation.
• Built-up area is essentially buildings plus infrastructure.

Case Example: Tokyo

• Tokyo has a population of 37.4 million people.
• A minimum of 50,000 people is required for a place to be considered a city.
• Tokyo is so large that it is divided into smaller cities.

Range of Functions

• Cities serve a range of functions or activities, including administrative, commercial, and educational roles.
• Cities provide a range of amenities, which are facilities that allow people to live comfortably.
• Amenities are not basic services like infrastructure, but they increase the quality of life.

Urban vs. Rural Areas

• Urban areas have larger populations, and higher population densities.
• Urban areas are highly built-up with extensive infrastructure, and have a large range of functions available.
• Rural areas have smaller populations, and lower population densities.
• Rural areas are less built-up with limited infrastructure and have a limited range of functions that are mostly agricultural.

Relationship Between Cities and Rural Areas

• Cities depend on rural areas for crops and natural goods.
• Rural areas depend on cities for healthcare services, university education, and specific goods.
• Rural farmers bring their goods to markets in the cities to sell.
• Rural residents go to the city for medical care, university education, and goods not available in the countryside.

Rural-Urban Migration

• Rural-urban migration is when many people move from rural areas to urban areas.
• Push factors are reasons that make migrants want to leave their area.
• Pull factors are good things that make migrants want to migrate somewhere else.

Push Factors in Rural Areas

• Lacking job opportunities
• Limited amenities
• Limited education
• Lower wages
• Crop failure leading to a lack of food

Pull Factors in Urban Areas

• Lots of job opportunities
• Various amenities
• Available education (university)
• Higher wages
• Food is available even if crops fail in the rural areas

Spatial Distribution of Cities

• To describe the spatial distribution of cities, you can use two methods:
• Distribution pattern (more populated cities near lines such as the tropics or equator)
• Data regarding which are the highest/lowest by continent, country, region, direction, lines of latitude, and hemisphere.
• Largest city is New Delhi, India, with 38.9 million inhabitants.
• Most of the biggest cities in the world are found in Asia.
• Six out of ten of the world's biggest cities are found in Asia; two in China, and two in India.
• Two of the world's biggest cities are found in Africa: Cairo, Egypt, and Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• One in North America: Mexico City, Mexico
• One in South America: Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• Only one of the world's biggest cities is in a developed country: Tokyo.

Sustainable Cities

• A sustainable city is built and managed to meet the needs of its current residents, while ensuring that future generations can thrive.
• A sustainable city focuses on environmental management, improving quality of life for its residents, and maintaining economic viability.

Main Important Areas in Sustainable City

• Economic (anything to do with money)
• Social (people)
• Environmental (the environment)
• All three areas are necessary for a good neighborhood.

Components of A Good Neighborhood

• Low crime rates (social)
• Friendly neighbors (social)
• Coffee shops/hawkers (social, economic)
• Public transport (social, economic)
• Shopping areas (economic)
• Education (social)
• Cats (environment)
• Fresh air (environment)
• Cleanliness (environment)
• Parks (environment)
• All three needs are met, working toward sustainable city.

Quality of Life

• A person’s wellbeing, affected by physical and mental health, level of independence, and relationships with others.

Impact of Cities on Inhabitants and the Environment

• Challenges in environmental management include water pollution, air pollution, and land pollution.
• Water pollution may result from the improper management of household and industrial waste leading to waterborne diseases.
• Air pollution may result from emissions from industries and vehicular traffic, and prolonged exposure to air pollution can lead to respiratory infections.
• Land pollution may result from people throwing rubbish.
• Light pollution is too much light from buildings or neon signs.
• Noise pollution is excessive noise and can cause hearing problems.
• Competition for resources may result in a depletion of natural resources such as water, driving up the prices of the resources.
• Cities may expand towards the rural areas, replacing forests and farmlands.

Hazards

• Events that have a negative impact on people, the physical (natural) and built environments, and the economy.
• Human-induced hazards include oil spills and the collapse of poorly built buildings.
• Natural hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and floods.
• Hazards in cities can quickly turn into disasters because of the high density of people and buildings in cities.

Desirable Land

• Access to basic needs (e.g., water)
• Next to factories
• Next to very heavy traffic

Factors that Affect the Location of Housing

• Land use planning
• Property developers
• Land prices
• Availability of housing financial support
• Access to amenities

Land Use Planning

• Planning authorities use zoning as a planning control tool.
• Zoning restricts the type of activities and land-use permitted on specific sites.
• E.g., the URA masterplan, which determines what type of activity can take place in different spaces.

Effectiveness of Land-Use Planning

• In cities where land use planning is effectively enforced, formal housing occupies zones and areas that are designated for housing development.
• In cities where land use zoning is not strictly enforced, informal housing may occur in areas not zoned for housing.

Formal Type of Developers

• Housing can be built by public or private developers.
• Government e.g. HDB
• Private developers
• Private developers tend to pick sites that are profitable.
• Private developers may also cater more to specific inhabitants.

Informal Type of Developers

• Unlike public and private developers, informal developers can not bid for expensive plots of land in good locations.
• Informal settlements tend to locate in areas considered to be locally unwanted land use (LULUs)
• Some examples of LULUs include places near sewage plants, landfills, and polluting industries.
• Informal settlements may occupy locations near large housing developments to benefit from the infrastructure such as piped water, electricity, or roads.