A Presentation made for Junior Cert Geography on the topic of urbanisation in the developed and developing world. Contains some past Junior Cert exam questions.

1. The Growth of Towns and Cities

2. Economic – urban areas are market centres for the
buying and selling of Goods and Services
Administrative – urban areas are the places from which
the surrounding area is governed e.g. Carrickmacross
Town Council
Social Activities – Cinemas, pubs, theatres,
sportsgrounds etc.

4. Founded around 980 AD by Viking Traders
Originally a small settlement around a dark pool – Dubh Linn –
where Temple Bar is now
Very few traces exist today as buildings were made of wood

5. 1169 – arrival of Anglo Normans. Built stone buildings such as
Dublin Castle, Christchurch and St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Started period of English control of Ireland

6. 1500 to 1800 – English control grew, Trinity College and much
of Georgian (redbrick) city built

7. 1800 to 1900 – After losing its Parliament, Dublin declined in
importance. Slums called tenements grew.
Development of Canals and Railways connected Dublin to the
rest of Ireland

8. Rapid development after independence – development of
roads and railways increased ease of transport, high birth
rates and inward migration increased population

10. The Central Business District – banks, department stores and
shopping is found here. Very few people live in the CBD. Land
here is expensive – buildings are tall to maximise land use

11. Outlying shopping areas – to discourage unnecessary
travel and traffic congestion some shopping areas have
developed outside the CBD

12. Factories are located in Industrial Estates at the edge of
urban areas. There are several reasons for this:
◦ Land is cheaper on the outskirts
◦ Access and transport is easier outside towns
◦ There are less complaints from residents as factories are kept away
from houses
◦ Workers are available in nearby residential areas
◦ Often near ports or airports

13. Residential Areas – Most people today live in housing estates
which are quieter and safer than the CBD or industrial zones.
Types of housing can vary a great deal here.
Also Called suburbs (Sub-Urban)

14. Open Space – Urban areas require open public spaces where
people can relax and play in safety.

20. People travel from satellite towns to the city for work
Lower land values mean homes are often cheaper here
Irish Example: Leixlip.
French Example: Marne-La-Valee

24. Land Values are highest in the CBD and most businesses that
locate here need lots of customers buying services or small
goods.
Eg. Law Companies, Department Stores etc.
Outside the city, lower land values encourage companies
selling bulky products to set up
Eg. Car dealers, builder providers, etc.

31. Old Houses - Two Up, Two Down – Two bedrooms upstairs,
two rooms downstairs, toilet in back garden!
Modern Materials – today’s houses are better constructed
and better insulated
Central Heating has replaced open fires
More bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets

32. Rush Hour – when most commuters are either going to work
(before 9AM) or going home (after 5.30 PM approx)
In London people have to pay extra to drive into the city at
this time
In Dublin, cars are banned from certain streets at this time.
This is designed to stop Traffic Congestion

38. Decline of the Inner City: As cars become more common,
people move out of the inner city which then becomes run
down

40. As the population of the inner city moves to the suburbs, the
area goes into decline and becomes run down

41. Urban Sprawl – this refers to the rapid growth of a city
outward, usually as a result of housing growth

42. Unemployment – many factories have now moved out of the
CBD, leading to unemployment for inner city communities.
Also many Inner City residents drop out of school and have
few skills.

43. Crime – a major problem in inner cities is a high crime rate,
often fuelled by drug dealing

44. Community Disruption – when people move out of cities, it
breaks connections between families and neighbours
Ballymun in Dublin was a failed housing development
because it broke connections between families

45. Urban Renewal – tearing down old shops and housing and
putting up new shops AND housing in its place. Original
residents move into new homes in the same area. Example:
Ballymun
Urban Redevelopment – tearing down old shops and housing
and putting up new shops ONLY. Original residents move out
of the area. Example: Jervis Street, Dublin
In redevelopment, the function of the area changes.

51. Urban Sprawl – where residential areas spread far out from
the CBD
Housing ONLY – this makes it difficult to get jobs in the area –
v few shops/factories - leads to urban problems (crime, drugs
etc.)

52. Tallaght – once a small village it grew rapidly in the 1970s as
people moved to it from inner city Dublin and the rest of the
country

54. Very spread out town – hard to get around easily
Very few services – just like a gigantic housing estate with
little else
Few jobs – people left Tallaght to work in other parts of
Dublin
After falling into decline in the 1980s it was decided to
develop new jobs and services in Tallaght

55. LUAS provides easy access
New Developments – provides jobs and leisure opportunities
New educational facilities (Tallaght Institute of Technology)
Sporting Facilities (Shamrock Rovers)

62. Problems

63. Same city, different life….