1. Counter-urbanisation

2. Counter-urbanisation
Counter-urbanisation is the movement of people from urban to rural areas.
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Fotolia
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3. Why do people move from urban to rural areas?
Urban areas
Rural areas
Urban areas are densely populated. This means there is:
More congestion because of lots of traffic
More air and noise pollution from traffic so poorer health
Few green spaces
These are push factors because they push people away from rural areas.
Rural areas are sparsely populated. This means there is:
Less traffic, so less congestion and fewer accidents
Less air and noise pollution, so a peaceful lifestyle
Lots of green spaces
These are pull factors because they pull people to the urban areas
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4. Moving from urban to rural areas
Complete the table below to show why some people want to move from urban to rural areas in MEDCs.
City has too much air/noise pollution
so…
City has high crime rates
City has high levels of congestion
Countryside is quieter
Countryside has more open space and good scenery
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5. Moving from urban to rural areas
City has too much air/noise pollution
City has high crime rates
City has high levels of congestion
Countryside is quieter
Countryside has more open space and good scenery
so health is poor
so people feel unsafe
so people get stuck in traffic jams and it is stressful
so people would like a more relaxing environment
so people find the view appealing and relaxing
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6. Changes to rural areas
When people move into rural areas, a number of changes may affect residents already there:
There are more people to socialise with.
There are more people using local services like doctors and schools.
There are more people who can use local shops and pubs.
There are more people driving in the area.
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7. Changes to rural areas
If the population of a rural village increases, what effects could this have on different groups of people? Complete the table.
More children for the local school So
However,
More people using local services like healthcare
More customers for local shops and pubs
More people driving in the area
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8. Changes to rural areas More children for the local school
More people using local services like healthcare
More customers for local shops and pubs
More people driving in the area
So the school will stay open
However, there will be larger class sizes so less attention from the teacher
So they will be less likely to close
However, it will be more difficult to make an appointment because there will be more people using the service
So they will make more money and can improve their business
However, they may become too busy for locals to use
So more air and noise pollution and more congestion
However, there are likely to be more accidents
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9. Urbanisation in MEDCs
Complete the table below suggesting reasons why different groups of people may want to, or have to, move away from rural areas in MEDCs.
Young adults might be bored so
Families might find it expensive travelling to the city for leisure or shopping
Young adults might not have the money to buy a house in rural areas
The elderly might not be able to live in rural areas
because
Newcomers might be disappointed by rural areas
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10. Urbanisation in MEDCs Young adults might be bored
Families might find it expensive travelling to the city for leisure or shopping
Young adults might not have the money to buy a house in rural areas
The elderly might not be able to live in rural areas
Newcomers might be disappointed by rural areas
so they move to urban areas where there is more leisure and entertainment
so they move to cut down on petrol costs and this also saves them time
so they move to urban areas where there is cheaper property
because there are not enough healthcare services and they can’t access important services if they can’t drive
because there are not many people to socialise with or places for entertainment
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