Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Grey and I'm so excited that you've decided to join me to learn geography today.

Today's lesson is in our unit of Cities: what are they like to live in? And the title of today's lesson is Benefits of Living in Cities.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to identify the advantages of urban life.

There are some key words that we'll come across in today's lesson.

They are infrastructure, innovation, and culture.

Infrastructure are the systems like transport, water, and energy networks that support a city.

Innovation is the creation of new ideas, products, or methods of production, often driven by city life.

Culture are the customs, arts, and social life of different groups of people.

Today's lesson on Benefits of Living in Cities is split into two learning cycles.

The first, what makes cities good places to live and work? And the second, how do cities bring people and ideas together? So let's take a look at our first learning cycle.

What makes cities good places to live and work? Cities are good places to live and work.

You get better jobs, healthcare, and education, advanced infrastructure and services, more business opportunities, and innovation and economic growth.

So these are all some of the reasons why cities are good places to live and work, and we're gonna look at each one of those in a little bit more detail.

So let's take a look at better jobs, healthcare, and education.

Cities offer a wide variety of jobs.

More industries and businesses mean more career opportunities.

People move to cities looking for work and higher pay.

London has thousands of companies in finance, technology, and creative industries offering diverse job opportunities that aren't available in smaller towns.

These cities are offering this wide variety of jobs and lots and lots of jobs, which is why a lot of people move there looking for those jobs.

Cities with larger populations can support large hospitals with specially-trained staff, better access to schools, colleges, and universities.

This helps people stay healthy and get a good education.

In New York City, there are world-famous hospitals like Mount Sinai and universities such as NYU, giving people access to top healthcare and education.

So we've looked at better jobs, healthcare, and education, and now we're gonna move on to looking at advanced infrastructure and services.

Cities have more advanced infrastructure and services.

They have good transport systems like buses, trains, trams, and airports.

They also have water, electricity, and waste recycling services that are well developed.

Infrastructure supports daily life and helps cities run smoothly.

So all of these different systems, water, electricity, waste, recycling, transport systems, these are all really important to support the life of people who are living there and make sure that the cities run smoothly.

Tokyo's extensive subway system makes it possible for millions to travel quickly every day.

Tokyo also has extremely fast internet and reliable mobile signal.

This advanced technology keeps the city running smoothly.

So lots and lots of advanced technology there in Tokyo, which keeps it running really smoothly.

A quick check for us now then.

What is meant by infrastructure in a city? A, the number of people per square kilometre.

B, the design of shopping centres.

C, the systems like transport, power and communication networks.

So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What is meant by infrastructure in a city? And the answer is C.

There's systems like transport, power, and communication networks.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Okay, so next we're gonna go on to look at more business opportunities.

So business opportunities are good in cities.

Cities provide space for shops, markets, and offices.

Entrepreneurs can start new businesses more easily, more customers and supplies are found in one place.

Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay area is known for startups and tech businesses where entrepreneurs can find customers, investors, and skilled workers all nearby.

Some brilliant business opportunities there is cities.

Let me check for us now then.

How do cities help businesses grow? A, limiting customers.

B, providing more space and access to a larger pool of skilled workers.

C, avoiding competition.

What do you think? So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? How do cities help businesses grow? The answer is B, by providing more space and access to a larger pool of skilled workers.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Right, so now we're gonna go on to look at innovation and economic growth.

Cities drive innovation and growth.

Cities bring people together to share ideas and share them in museums for all.

New inventions and technology often come from cities.

This helps the economy grow and improves living standards.

Manchester is a UK hub for science and technology with universities and tech businesses driving new ideas and economic growth.

Manchester has a strong sense of community.

The bee is the symbol of Manchester because it stands for hard work.

In 1842, the city chose seven bees for its coat of arms to show it traded all over the world.

The worker bee shows that Manchester was built by its people, not by royalty or luck.

Another check for us now.

True or false? Cities can help drive innovation and economic growth.

Is that true or false? Well, pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

How did you get on? True or false? Cities can help drive innovation and economic growth.

That is true.

Cities bring people together to share ideas which can help drive innovation and economic growth.

Ideas developed by university researchers may eventually become a new technology, product, or service.

What's our first task of the lesson now then and it's a fill in the gaps.

So there are a few gaps here and you've got to fill them in.

Cities offer many what that make them attractive places to live and work.

They something better access to jobs, education, and healthcare, helping people improve their quality of life.

Cities also have something infrastructure like transport systems and public services which make daily life easier.

With more businesses and customers in one place, cities offer great what of work and starting new companies.

They're also centres of innovation where new ideas and technologies help drive economic something and improve the way we live.

So pause the video, write down your answer to fill in all of those gaps and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Cities offer many advantages that make them attractive places to live and work.

They provide better access to jobs, education, and healthcare, helping people improve their quality of life.

Cities also have advanced infrastructure like transport systems and public services, which make daily life easier.

With more businesses and customers in one place, cities offer great opportunities for work and starting new companies.

They are also centres of innovation where new ideas and technologies help drive economic growth and improve the way we live.

How did you get on? Did you get all of those? Well done.

Okay, so we've looked at our first learning cycle, what makes cities good places to live and work? And now we're gonna go on to look at our second learning cycle.

How do cities bring people and ideas together? Urban areas are meeting places reflecting diverse cultures.

People from different backgrounds live and work together.

Cities are home to festivals, events, restaurants, and places of worship that reflect many cultures.

This diversity makes cities lively and interesting.

In Birmingham, many communities celebrate different festivals like Diwali, Eid, and Christmas, bringing people together to share traditions.

Birmingham's St.

Patrick's Day parade is the largest out in Europe outside Dublin.

It is the city's largest single day event and shows how traditions are shared.

Even the landmark Selfridges building is lit in green to mark the occasion.

You see the image there? So lots and lots of diversity there in cities and in our example of Birmingham.

A little check for us now then.

Why are cities often called cultural meeting places? A, everyone in cities speaks the same language.

B, cities bring together people from many different backgrounds.

C, cities only celebrate one type of culture.

What do you think the answer is? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Why are cities often called cultural meeting places? It's B, cities bring together people from many different backgrounds.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Urban areas reflect cultural richness.

Cultural richness means having many different traditions, foods, languages, music and other arts.

In Liverpool's Chinatown, you can enjoy authentic Chinese food, experience cultural events, and learn about Chinese art and history.

You can see an image there of Liverpool's Chinatown.

So Liverpool has a real cultural richness.

Urban areas reflect cultural richness.

Cities allow people to experience new cultures every day.

Now Laura asks, "Why is it good to experience new cultures?" Great question there, Laura.

Experiencing new cultures leads to greater understanding and tolerance.

A little check for us now then, what does the phrase "cultural richness of a city" mean? Is it A, the way different festivals, foods, and customs make city life more lively and interesting? Is it B, living in a place with no cultural diversity? Or is it C, only celebrating traditional local customs? What do you think? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? What does the phrase, the "cultural richness of a city" mean? The answer is A, the way different festivals, foods, and customs make city life more lively and interesting.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Cities drive innovation and economic growth.

Cities bring creative people together.

Ideas spread quickly where people meet in offices, schools, cafes, and in universities.

This leads to inventions, new businesses and problem-solving.

So lots of real good benefits there about people coming together in cities driving innovation and economic growth.

In Glasgow, the University of Glasgow collaborates with creative hubs like the CCA, which stands for Centre for Contemporary Arts, to develop innovative music technology such as immersive sound installations and digital composition tools, creating fresh opportunities for students and local artists.

So really good here that centres collaborate together.

We've got a university collaborating with creative hubs to bring in lots and lots of innovation, which then leads to more economic growth in the area.

Another check for us now then.

How does cities help spread new ideas? Is it A, bringing creative people together in schools, cafes, and workplaces? Is it B, discouraging communication between different groups? Or is it C, isolating people in different neighbourhoods? So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? How do cities help spread new ideas? The answer is A, bringing creative people together in schools, cafes, and workplaces.

Did you get that right? Well done.

London is a city rich in culture, diversity, and innovation.

London hosts the Notting Hill Carnival every year.

It's a vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture.

So true or false? There are more challenges than benefits of living in cities.

Do you think that's true or false? Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? True or false? There are more challenges than benefits of living in cities.

It's false.

While cities can have challenges like traffic jams and high rents, they offer residents so many benefits, such as better jobs, healthcare, education, cultural events, and opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds.

Did you get that right? Well done.

So on to our final task of the lesson now then, and it's fill in the gaps in the table.

So we've got three different things to write about, cities and meeting places, cities reflect cultural richness, and cities encourage the sharing of ideas and innovation.

You need to give an explanation for each of those and an example for each of those.

Some of them are already written in there, so there's only a few that you need to fill in.

So take a good look, have a good read, and then write down the bits that are missing in the explanation and example sections.

Pause the video while you do that and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how have you got on? So cities are meeting places.

The explanation for that is cities bring together people from many different backgrounds.

Cities reflect cultural richness.

But the explanation there is cities have many traditions, foods, languages, music, arts, and the example, Manchester's Chinatown, offers cultural events and authentic food.

Cities encourage the sharing of ideas and innovation, and it was the example that was missing there.

The example is Glasgow's universities and creative industries develop new music technology.

Did you manage to fill in all those gaps with explanations and examples? Well done.

We're at the end of today's lesson now on benefits of living in cities.

Let's have a look at what we've learned today.

Cities provide better jobs, healthcare, and education.

Urban areas are meeting places, reflecting diverse cultures, cultural richness.

Cities have advanced infrastructure and services.

Cities drive innovation and economic growth.

Cities provide more business opportunities.

Thank you for joining me for today's geography lesson.

I've really enjoyed it and I hope you have too.

I'll see you next time.