GCSE-Geography.

Managing the coastal environment.

Managing the urban environment.

Managing the coastal environment.

Why are coastal areas a valuable economic and environmental resource?

How have physical processes created the coastal landforms that exist today?

Why are decisions made to manage coastal areas?

How can the management of coastal areas be increasingly sustainable?

Why are coastal areas a valuable economic and environmental resource?

Type of land Sea Palling Happisburgh

Agricultural 95% 67%

Residential 2% 22%

Public 1% 6%

Tourism 1% 4%

Commercial 1% 1%

How have physical processes created the coastal landforms that exist today?

It is likely that the Norfolk cliffs have been eroding at the present rate for about the last 5000 years when sea level rose to within a metre or two of its present position. Therefore, the future predictions of sea level rise and storm frequency due to climate change are likely to have a profound impact on coastal erosion and serious consequences for the effectiveness of coastal protection and sea defence schemes in East Anglia in the near future.

Why are decisions made to manage coastal areas?

Beach managementThis replaces beach or cliff material that has been removed by erosion or longshore drift.The main advantage is that beaches are a natural defence against erosion and coastal flooding. Beaches also attract tourists.It is a relatively inexpensive option but requires constant maintenance to replace the beach material as it is washed away.

Managed retreatAreas of the coast are allowed to erode and flood naturally. Usually this will be areas considered to be of low value - e.g. places not being used for housing or farmland.The advantages are that it encourages the development of beaches(a natural defence) and salt marshes (important for the environment) and cost is low.Managed retreat is a cheap option, but people will need to be compensated for loss of buildings and farmland.

How can the management of coastal areas be increasingly sustainable?

This video explains what coastal management is, and shows some examples.

Managing The Urban Environment

How can urban growth create challenges?

How are inequalities being reduced in urban areas in developed countries?

What are the opportunities and challenges created by urbanisation in developing countries?

How can urban living be increasingly sustainable in our future?

How can urban growth create challenges?

Urbanisation means an increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas. An urban area is a built-up area such as a town or city. A rural area is an area of countryside.As a country industrialises, the number of people living in urban areas tends to increase. The UK and many other MEDCs urbanised during the 18th and 19th centuries. People migrated from rural areas (due to the mechanisation in farming) to urban areas where there was employment in the new factories. The area of cities known as the inner city developed during this time as rows of terraced housing were built for workers.Santiago, ChileToday the UK is a mostly urban society, with 90 per cent of the population living in towns or cities.On a global scale, urbanisation is taking place rapidly, particularly in LEDCs.Although the UK is an urban society, more and more people are choosing to live on the edge of urban areas - with many relocating to the countryside. This is called counter-urbanisation.

What are the problems with Urbanisation?

As more people move to the edge of towns and cities, traffic congestion may get worse. Many people will drive their cars into the city centre to get to work.It is compounded by people being brought into city on large roads or motorways. These roads then link up with smaller, older, narrower roads in the city centre. This causes a bottleneck and congestion.Some cities have tried to manage this problem by introducing traffic management schemes. These schemes may include:• park and ride schemes• cycle lanes• congestion charging schemes, such as those in Durham and London• car-pooling, as used in the USA, to encourage people to share cars• Low Emission Zones, as in London

Local councils have also tried to make the roads in urban areas safer by introducing traffic calming, pedestrian zones, vehicle-exclusion zones and permit-only parking schemes.

What are the opportunities and challenges created by urbanisation in developing countries?

To achieve a proper development of agglomerations and megacities a comprehensive plan is indispensable, that provides guidelines and principle goals for the urban development as well as for the development of the and that also provides the basis for construction immediate plans for economic and social development, area plans, district plans, detailed plans etc. In accordance with the sustainability, the integration and coordination of urban and rural areas with the central city should be a main principle. This requires a “multi-centre”, “multi-axis” and “multi-level” urban spatial structure. For example the comprehensive plan of Shanghai (1999 – 2020) lines out five levels that refers to five scales. The urban system is composed of the Central City, New Cities, Central Towns and the Ordinary Towns and Central Villages.In case of the urban development of megacities a shift of urban policy and also of planning strategies is fundamental. This includes a legalisation and registration of informal settlements slums and squatters. Furthermore considerable social improvements and an access to schools and other educational institutions are necessary. Self-help housing improvements must be strengthened combined with the access to land to enhance the living condition, the identification with the quarter and at least the engagement for the (local) community.The final declaration of the Heads of State and Government and the official delegations from the countries attending the 2nd United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, Habitat 11, held in June 1996 in Istanbul, proclaimed the “right to adequate shelter for all” as one of the key themes of the conference. A billion people are today without a decent home and a hundred million are completely homeless. This gives a measure of the needs and the singular importance of the housing problem. Access to housing is now recognized as being central to social cohesion and a key factor for development.

How can urban living be increasingly sustainable in our future?

Given the increase in total urban population, it is not surprising to discover that the world isexperiencing both an increase in the absolute number of large cities and seeing cities reachunprecedented sizes. For example, the average size of the world’s one hundred largest cities hasgrown from under 200,000 in 1800 to over 5 million in 1990 [14]. In 1950, there were only eightcities in the world that had a population of over 5 million. New York, Tokyo, and London werethe three largest, containing 12.3, 11.3, and 8.4 million residents, respectively. In 1950,Shanghai and Buenos Aires were the only cities in a developing country that contained morethan 5 million residents while cities such as Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Mexico City, and Riode Janeiro were still relatively small cities: each contained just under 3 million residents. By2000, there were forty-two 5 million plus cities, thirty of which were in the developing world. Offorty-two cities, eighteen had surpassed the 10 million mark. In 1950, New York was thelargest urban agglomeration in the world with a population of 12.3 million. Today, the record forthe world’s largest agglomeration is held by Tokyo at over 34 million and an urbanagglomeration the size of New York in 1950 would barely make it on a list of the world’s top tencities. Nevertheless, it is always important to remember that although the number of very largeurban agglomerations is expected to continue to rise, they still account for a relatively smallfraction of the world’s total population or even the world’s total urban population.

Geography Quiz.

1) At what rate does the Holderness coast retreat annually?

10cm/a year

10m/a year

1km/a year

Click your chosen answer

2) What is the correct definition of a coast?

Where the land meets the sea

Where people go on holiday

Where destructive waves are common

3) Which of the following is typical of a constructive wave?

10-14 waves per minute

Strong swash

Steep shape

4) Which of the following factors affect the strength of waves?

The length of the fetch

The amount of water

The distance of the swash

5) Which is the correct order for the formation of a stump?

Stack, arch, cave, stump

Arch, cave, stack, stump

Cave, arch, stack, stump

6) What is cliff retreat?

When cliffs move further forward towards the sea over time

When cliffs move further away from the sea over time

When cliffs turn into beaches

7) What is longshore drift?

Swash usually approaches the beach at right angles

Backwash usually leaves the beach at right angles

Swash and backwash always approach the beach at the same angle

8) Which of the following types of coastal management is a form of soft engineering?

Beach nourishment

Sea wall

Groynes

9) Which form of coastal management is best at reducing longshore drift?

Sea wall

Beach nourishment

Groynes

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

CORRECT!

Next question

INCORRECT

Try again

Well done! You completed the quiz!