Contemporary urban environments/Urban places

A question and marked answer (by commentary and AO breakdown)

[This post is in celebration of the demise of the Conservative politician Michael Gove, who, to quote the environmentalist Jonathon Porritt (who I once shared a stage with), is ‘the most slippery, most two-faced, most manipulative senior Tory’ who, in my opinion, has done significant damage to the British education system.

So, time for another exam question and sample marked answer (in two formats). This topic should fit most of the England/Wales specifications. Firstly, note the comment prompts at the end of each paragraph. I have also included a couple of relatively contemporary points [can you spot them?] – always a good thing to do. It shows you are ‘reading around the subject’ – a good discriminator.

Secondly, I also then provide an AO1/AO2 breakdown.]

In the context of urban areas, to what extent is the management of socio-economic issues more important than dealing with environmental challenges? (20 marks)

For many people, socio-economic issues that concern them, their incomes and wellbeing are very important. Issues such as deprivation in urban areas, segregation of ethnic groups, poverty and inequality have a direct impact on the day to day lives of people. Urban environmental issues such as air pollution and waste management are perhaps less important - but it does depend heavily on the type of urban area people live in. a

In London, environmental issues, especially air pollution, have moved up the political agenda. 95% of areas in London have breached WHO guidelines for PM_2.5 particles. The introduction of the Congestion Charge (2003) and the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) (2008) are both attempts to manage this issue. The ULEZ zone was expanded in 2023 to outer London boroughs but was stated to be the reason why an unpopular Conservative government at the time still managed to win a parliamentary by-election there. The ULEZ zone has been declared a success. A report stated that cleaner air in London brought about by the ULEZ contributed to a 4.5% reduction in long-term health problems and an 8% decrease in respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis. However, for many Londoners social issues such as the affordability of houses are much more important. In 2020, average London house prices were up to 16 times average London earnings, meaning many people will struggle to ever buy a house. b

In Middlesbrough, a de-industrialised town in the northeast of England, the key issue is deprivation. 48% of the population of Middlesbrough ranks in the bottom 10% of most deprived areas in England and unemployment is over 5%. Health and education outcomes tend to be worse than in London. While huge areas of the capital city such as Docklands and Stratford have been improved environmentally and economically by urban regeneration, this has not happened to the same extent in Middlesbrough, where many ex-industrial sites are derelict and contaminated. The recently announced freeport Teesworks is an attempt to solve these issues, but this too has been fraught with political issues of potential corruption. c

The place-context of a UK urban area has a large impact on which issues people perceive as the most important. It could be said that in wealthy urban areas people have the luxury of being concerned about the quality of green spaces and air quality, whereas in low-income cities, the quality of services, housing and job availability are more important. d

In developing world megacities such as Karachi (Pakistan), the challenges that many people face are environmental health issues. These include lack of access to sanitation (e.g. open sewers in the streets of Orangitown, Karachi’s largest slum with 2.4 million people) and a lack of access to affordable clean water. Water is often three or four times more expensive bought from a street vendor than from a piped supply, which slum dwellers do not have access to. These issues directly affect quality of life through ill-health, lost working days and high medical costs. e

The challenges in Karachi are very different from those in UK cities and, in addition, blur the boundary between socio-economic and environmental issues. Many areas of Orangitown have installed their own sewers, usually with the help of NGOs, like the Orangitown Pilot Project. This type of self-help scheme to overcome challenges is quite common in developing world cities but rare in developed ones where urban governments are expected to manage their issues. f

Overall, the importance of socio-economic issues versus environmental ones depends on the specific urban area. In low-income areas and cities, socio-economic needs and high levels of deprivation generally mean the most important focus is on basic needs: decent housing, basic services and incomes people can live on. In richer cities, environmental challenges are more significant because few people lack the basics. g

Commentary: This is a complex question that can be answered successfully in many ways. This answer is a very good one - its strength is in the use of place-based examples (London, Middlesbrough and Karachi) to support the overall argument that the most important urban management challenges vary depending on the context of the city being considered.

The answer begins with an introduction that states at the outset socio-economic issues may tend to be more important than environmental issues – providing a sense of how the argument will be constructed a. Two detailed paragraphs then follow (b and c) that address both issues in the question, with some good comparative statements being made. These are followed by an excellent evaluative and summative (at this stage) paragraph d. The next two paragraphs examine a developing world city – Karachi e and f. Once again, these paragraphs are both detailed and evaluative with good comparative statements being made. The student also argues an interesting and sophisticated point that separating environmental from socio-economic issues may not be possible in cities such as Karachi as the problems are closely interlinked.

The conclusion states that, overall, socio-economic challenges are more significant in poorer places and environmental challenges are further up the management and political agendas in wealthier places g.

And now in terms of Assessment Objectives (AOs).

[A reminder: for A level Geography, there are two key Assessment Objectives (AOs):

AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of places, environments, concepts, processes, interactions, and change, at a variety of scales.

AO2: apply knowledge and understanding in different contexts to interpret, analyse, and evaluate geographical information and issues.

(a)     AO1 in italics

(b)     AO2 in bold.]

In the context of urban areas, to what extent is the management of socio-economic issues more important than dealing with environmental challenges? (20 marks)

For many people, socio-economic issues that concern them, their incomes and wellbeing are very important. Issues such as deprivation in urban areas, segregation of ethnic groups, poverty and inequality have a direct impact on the day to day lives of people. Urban environmental issues such as air pollution and waste management are perhaps less important - but it does depend heavily on the type of urban area people live in.

In London, environmental issues, especially air pollution, have moved up the political agenda. 95% of areas in London have breached WHO guidelines for PM_2.5 particles. The introduction of the Congestion Charge (2003) and the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) (2008) are both attempts to manage this issue. The ULEZ zone was expanded in 2023 to outer London boroughs but was stated to be the reason why an unpopular Conservative government at the time still managed to win a parliamentary by-election there. The ULEZ zone has been declared a success. A report stated that cleaner air in London brought about by the ULEZ contributed to a 4.5% reduction in long-term health problems and an 8% decrease in respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis. However, for many Londoners social issues such as the affordability of houses are much more important. In 2020, average London house prices were up to 16 times average London earnings, meaning many people will struggle to ever buy a house.

In Middlesbrough, a de-industrialised town in the northeast of England, the key issue is deprivation. 48% of the population of Middlesbrough ranks in the bottom 10% of most deprived areas in England and unemployment is over 5%. Health and education outcomes tend to be worse than in London. While huge areas of the capital city such as Docklands and Stratford have been improved environmentally and economically by urban regeneration, this has not happened to the same extent in Middlesbrough, where many ex-industrial sites are derelict and contaminated. The recently announced freeport Teesworks is an attempt to solve these issues, but this too has been fraught with political issues of potential corruption.

The place-context of a UK urban area has a large impact on which issues people perceive as the most important. It could be said that in wealthy urban areas people have the luxury of being concerned about the quality of green spaces and air quality, whereas in low-income cities, the quality of services, housing and job availability are more important.

In developing world megacities such as Karachi (Pakistan), the challenges that many people face are environmental health issues. These include lack of access to sanitation (e.g. open sewers in the streets of Orangitown, Karachi’s largest slum with 2.4 million people) and a lack of access to affordable clean water. Water is often three or four times more expensive bought from a street vendor than from a piped supply, which slum dwellers do not have access to. These issues directly affect quality of life through ill-health, lost working days and high medical costs.

The challenges in Karachi are very different from those in UK cities and, in addition, blur the boundary between socio-economic and environmental issues. Many areas of Orangitown have installed their own sewers, usually with the help of NGOs, like the Orangitown Pilot Project. This type of self-help scheme to overcome challenges is quite common in developing world cities but rare in developed ones where urban governments are expected to manage their issues.

Overall, the importance of socio-economic issues versus environmental ones depends on the specific urban area. In low-income areas and cities, socio-economic needs and high levels of deprivation generally mean the most important focus is on basic needs: decent housing, basic services and incomes people can live on. In richer cities, environmental challenges are more significant because few people lack the basics.