The Characteristics, Causes and Effects of Suburbanisation

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The Characteristics, Causes and Effects of
Suburbanisation
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Suburbanisation

• The movement of people from the city centre to
  lower density housing on the outskirts of a city.
  
• As urbanisation increases city centres become
  overcrowded and people want more space.
  Improvements to public transport mean people can
  live further away but still reach the city centre
  easily.

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• As megacities grow, more suburbs are added so
  older suburbs arent on the outskirts anymore.
• A complex pattern of wealth and poorer areas
  develops. Wealthy people live in suburbs on the
  outskirts of the city because they can afford
  larger houses with more space. Wealthy people
  also move into poorer suburbs closer to the
  centre and renovate the houses- this process is
  called gentrification

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Suburbanisation- the term has 2 meanings

1. The outward growth of the suburbs as they eat
   their way into the countryside on the urban
   fringes.
2. The range of changes that take place as people
   move into the outer suburbs, the market towns and
   the villages of the countryside around cities.
   These migrants change the countryside
   economically, socially, demographically and
   culturally.

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• Can you think of what these changes might be in a
  MEDC?

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Changes to the countryside of suburbanisation

• Ageing population through retirees settling in
  the countryside.
• Rising property values that cause problems for
  established local families on low incomes
  (especially young couples buying their first
  homes)
• Closure of services such as village school, shops
  and bus services, as they are less likely to be
  patronised by newcomers.
• Greater politicisation of green issues, as
  newcomers bring with them much more Nimbyist
  attitudes.

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The Processes Associated with suburbanisation.

• Use the sorting cards to categorise the
  demographic, economic, technological, social and
  cultural changes associated with suburbanisation.

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Demographic Changes

• Ageing population
• Rural depopulation
• Suburbanisation and second homes

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Economic Changes

• Primary sector changes- decline of traditional
  farming. Increase in hobby farming. More
  non-agricultural land use.
• Tertiary sector changes- increased influence of
  tourism and a decline in the number of services.

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Technological Changes

• Increased accessibility
• More work carried out at home

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Social Changes

• More professional middle classes
• Fewer farm workers
• More retired people
• Therefore rural gentrification and so a rise in
  rural house prices.

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Cultural Changes

• Media changing of peoples perceptions, therefore
  decline of rural traditions.
• Introduction of more middle class culture,
  therefore more environmental lobbying.

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• Can you think of some MEDC case study examples
  where you see suburbanisation taking place?

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Question

• Assess the effects of suburbanisation on cities
  within countries of different levels of economic
  development
• (10 marks).

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Mark scheme

• Level 1 simple statements of effects which could
  apply to a wide range of suburbanisation. There
  is limited use of case study material and no
  overall assessment is given.
• (1-4 marks)

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• Level 2 Statements of effects that are
  sophisticated and/or linked to specific areas of
  study. Good use is made of exemplification to
  support the answer. Marks in the upper range
  should be awarded for clear references to
  suburbanisation within urban areas at different
  levels of economic development. Assessment is
  tentative and implicit.
• (5-8 marks)

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• Level 3 A fully developed answer, with good
  elaboration and clear detail of the effects of
  suburbanisation with the chosen urban areas.
  Statements of assessment are explicit.
• (9-10 marks)
• Note the key word is assess therefore you must
  make some judgement of the effects of
  suburbanisation on the chosen areas referred to.
  You must refer to at least 2 different countries
  at different stages of economic development- good
  use of case study material is necessary. A
  wholly general or theoretical answer will have
  difficulty accessing the higher levels.