What is a site and service scheme?

providing plots with water, drains and roads for people to build on. People build their own homes on a serviced plot.

Why does giving residents legal ownership of their land help?

They are more willing to invest in improving their homes. They no longer fear being evicted.

What is brownfield land?

land that has been built on before. Re-using it saves the countryside.

Which strategy reduces air pollution from traffic?

improving public transport. Fewer cars are used.

What is the purpose of a green belt?

to limit urban sprawl. Building is restricted in it.

Managing urban growth · Cambridge IGCSE Geography (9

In plain words

A city cannot stop people coming. What it can do is decide how to grow: whether newcomers get pipes and legal rights or are left to fend for themselves, and whether people move around by car or by bus.

7 things to know

Self-help schemes: the city provides building materials and training, and residents improve or build their own homes.
Site and service schemes: the city provides plots of land with roads, water and drains already laid, and people build on them.
Upgrading existing settlements: adding water, sanitation and electricity, and giving residents legal ownership of their land, so they are willing to invest in their homes.
Transport: bus rapid transit, metros, cycle lanes and charges for driving in the centre reduce congestion and air pollution.
Limiting sprawl: green belts where building is restricted, and building on brownfield land that has been used before, in place of greenfield land.
Sustainable cities also recycle waste, save water and energy, and keep green space.
These strategies work best when residents are involved. Their limits are cost, the speed at which cities grow, and the need for strong city government.

Worked example

Evaluate a self-help scheme as a way of improving housing in an unplanned settlement.

For: it is cheap for the city, because residents provide the labour. People gain skills and take pride in homes they built.
For: the community stays where it is, close to work.
Against: it is slow, it depends on residents having time and some money, and it may not keep pace with new arrivals.
Judgement: it is a sustainable way to improve existing areas, but large cities need other strategies as well.

Tips and tricks

Self-help: residents improve existing homes with help. Site and service: new plots with services laid on. They are different schemes.
Brownfield land has been built on before. Greenfield land has not. Using brownfield land protects the countryside.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Managing urban growth: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What is a site and service scheme?
- demolishing unplanned settlements
- providing plots with water, drains and roads for people to build on (the answer)
- building luxury flats
- moving people to the countryside
People build their own homes on a serviced plot.
Why does giving residents legal ownership of their land help?
- They pay less tax.
- They are more willing to invest in improving their homes. (the answer)
- They move away.
- It reduces rainfall.
They no longer fear being evicted.
What is brownfield land?
- farmland
- land that has been built on before (the answer)
- forest
- a green belt
Re-using it saves the countryside.
Which strategy reduces air pollution from traffic?
- building more car parks
- improving public transport (the answer)
- widening every road
- removing cycle lanes
Fewer cars are used.
What is the purpose of a green belt?
- to grow food for the city
- to limit urban sprawl (the answer)
- to provide housing land
- to build motorways
Building is restricted in it.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Managing urban growth

Cambridge IGCSE Geography (9–1) 0976 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

Describe two ways of improving living conditions in unplanned settlements.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Self-help schemes: the authorities supply materials and residents build better homes. Upgrading: clean water, sanitation and electricity are provided and residents are given legal ownership of their land.
I got this one
Describe two strategies used to reduce traffic problems in cities.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Bus rapid transit: buses run in their own lanes, so they are fast and attract people out of cars. Congestion charging: drivers pay to enter the city centre, which reduces traffic.
I got this one
Explain what a green belt is and what it is for.[2]
Show answerHide answer
An area of countryside around a city where building is restricted. It stops the city sprawling outwards.
I got this one

Answers: Managing urban growth

1. Self-help schemes: the authorities supply materials and residents build better homes. Upgrading: clean water, sanitation and electricity are provided and residents are given legal ownership of their land.
2. Bus rapid transit: buses run in their own lanes, so they are fast and attract people out of cars. Congestion charging: drivers pay to enter the city centre, which reduces traffic.
3. An area of countryside around a city where building is restricted. It stops the city sprawling outwards.