Characteristics of Urban Areas

Objective: explore urban expansion and land use patterns.

Outcomes:

1. Look at a selection of settlements on this map and try to identify common characteristics of their site and situation that might indicate why they developed in the first place.

You need to make sure you are clear on the definitions of the words in bold.

2. Why did the first cities develop?

3. Are the original location factors for settlements still relevant today? After having a think, look at this.

4. Modern cities are often they are represented in Land Use Models. Define what this means in your own mind before looking it up. What does this help us understand about settlement function?

5. Looking at the article below, identify the different types of land use you see in the different models.

7. What change is Tashkent making to its urban land use? Why might it be making this change? Link this to settlement function.

8. To what extent is Tashkent a planned city? Look for evidence of planning or spontaneity in the satellite view of the city.

9. Draw your own settlement hierarchy before looking at this. Why is hierarchy of settlements important?