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 "Population in cities." By the end of the lesson, you will be able to explain who lives in cities and why.

There are some keywords that will come across in today's lesson.

They are "migration," "natural increase," and "population density." Migration is the movement of people from one place to another.

Natural increase is when birth rates are higher than death rates.

And population density is the number of people living in a defined area, for example, 300 people per square kilometre.

Today's lesson on population in cities is split into two learning cycles.

The first: why do so many people choose to live in cities? And the second: who are the people in city populations? So take a look at that first learning cycle.

Why do so many people choose to live in cities? There are a range of reasons why people choose to migrate to live in cities.

Let's have a look at what they might be.

Work, education, and the lifestyle.

They're some of the reasons why people choose to migrate, and we are gonna look at each one of those in a bit more detail now.

So let's take a look at work.

Many people move to cities to find employment.

Cities are centres of trade, industry, services, and business.

Urban areas usually provide more job opportunities than rural areas.

Alex says, "We moved to London because there were no jobs in our village for my mum." Aisha says, "We moved to Manchester because my dad got a new job there." So lots and lots of different people move to cities for jobs, because they've got a job in that new city or because there aren't any jobs in the place that they currently live.

Our first check of the lesson now, then: True or false: many people move to cities to find employment? Is that true or false? So pause the video, write down your answer, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

So, how did you get on? True or false: many people move to cities to find employment? That is true.

Urban areas usually provide more, and a wider variety of, job opportunities than rural areas.

Well done.

Okay, we've looked at work.

Now let's look at education as a reason why people migrate to cities.

Cities offer better education.

Cities often have more schools, colleges, and universities.

Young people move for higher education and training.

In some countries, students even move from abroad to study in major cities.

Jacob asks, "Which UK cities attract people looking for a good education?" That's a really, really good question, Jacob.

Can any of you think of any UK cities that attract people looking for a good education? Many students from rural parts of the UK move to cities like Manchester, Birmingham, or London for university.

There are more courses, a wider range of facilities, and better work experience opportunities.

Another check now, then.

People move to cities for: A, better schools; B, smaller schools; C, poor education; D, better education.

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? People move to cities for better schools and better education.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Okay, so now we've looked at work and education as reasons to why people move to cities.

Now let's have a look at lifestyle.

So, cities are exciting places to live.

Cities have cinemas and theatres, shopping centres, gyms, music venues, sports stadiums, and more, so so many different things that cities have that make them exciting places to live and will attract people to move there because of the good lifestyle that they can offer.

Cities also offer a wider variety of restaurants and nightlife.

As a result, cities are generally especially attractive to young adults aged 18 to 40.

You think about all the different things on there that we've talked about that cities offer that will attract a lot of people that emerged, particularly 18 to 40 population.

Population pyramids show the age spread of people living in an area.

These population pyramids here show that there is a high proportion of people of working age, 18 to 40, living in Hackney than in England as a whole.

So if cities attract people of working age, the age 18 to 40, that shows that these cities here have a larger proportion of those of that age group of people than in general in the UK.

And a lot of people of that age group are wanting to live in cities.

And you can see that from the population pyramid here, a large proportion aged 18 to 40.

Another check for us now, then: What age group are particularly attracted to cities? Is it A, 40 to 60; B, 60 to 80; C, 18 to 40; or D, two to 18? 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 age group are particularly attracted to cities? The answer is C, 18 to 40.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Okay, so we're at our first practise task of the lesson now, then.

There are six mistakes in this paragraph.

Find and correct them.

So we've got a paragraph here, and in that paragraph, six of these words are incorrect.

There are six mistakes.

So you need to find the mistakes, and then you also need to correct them and put the correct answer in.

"Many people move to cities because they offer fewer job opportunities and a poor education at universities and in industry.

Rural areas also attract older people with their wide range of government facilities, from cinemas and theatres to sports venues and farm shops.

These factors make cities exciting places to live, work, and study, drawing people from surrounding areas and further afield." So find the mistakes, correct them, and then come back, and let's see how you got on.

Pause the video for a little bit while you do all of that, and then come back.

Okay, how did you get on? Let's have a look at what the answers were.

"Many people move to cities because they offer more job opportunities and a better education at universities and industry.

Rural areas also attract younger people with their wide range of leisure facilities, from cinemas and theatres to sports venues and restaurants.

These factors make cities exciting places to live, work, and study, drawing people from surrounding areas and further afield." How did you get on? Did you find all of those mistakes and correct them? Well done.

So we've looked at our first learning cycle on why so many people choose to live in cities.

Now we're gonna go on to look at: who are the people in city populations? Urban populations often have a larger share of people aged 18 to 40.

Cities attract young people for work, education, and leisure.

This then leads to young adults are most likely to have children.

This then leads to natural increase, which results in further increased population growth.

So if younger people are attracted to those cities, and those people that are attracted are the people that are most likely to have children, that then means that there's a higher natural increase.

That means that there's people being born in cities, which increases the population of those cities even further.

And natural increase is when there are more births than deaths.

Cities with more births than deaths grow, even if no one moves in.

This is common in cities with younger populations.

You can see here a little diagram that shows when the birth rate is higher than the death rate and then that means that there's a natural increase, and the population of a place increases.

Another check for us now.

True or false: cities only grow because of migration? Is that true or false? 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? True or false: cities only grow because of migration? That's false.

But why? While migration is a key factor, natural increase, which is more births than deaths, is often just as important, especially in cities with young populations.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Population density is the number of people living in a defined area.

For example, 300 people per square kilometre.

Cities usually have a high population density.

Lots of people live and work in a small area.

Sam says, "I like living in a city as there are more people around.

There's more of a community theme." And Laura asks, "Does a high population density cause problems?" Great question there, Laura.

Areas with a high population density can put pressure on infrastructure and services.

High population densities in cities put increased pressure on services.

Traffic jams and congestion cause pollution and delays.

You've got a lot more people, you're gonna have a lot more cars, and that's gonna lead to traffic jams and congestion.

Hospitals and schools may become overstretched if there are too many people.

Not enough housing causes high rents and overcrowding.

So a lot of people wanting to live in that city, and there's not enough housing, that's gonna mean that their rents are gonna be even higher and result in overcrowding.

Lots of people living in small spaces.

Rubbish collection and public transport can also be put under pressure because there are so many people.

Another check for us now, then.

Which services are put under pressure in cities due to high population density? A, roads; B, internet search engines; C, new museums and art galleries; D, waste collection.

What do you think? Which services are put under pressure in cities due to high population density? 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? Which services are put under pressure in cities due to high population density? The answers are roads and waste collection.

Did you get those right? Well done.

Now, public services in London are under pressure due to a high population density.

So London is the capital of England.

It's got a high population density.

Lots and lots of people live there.

So the services in London are under pressure because of that.

London has over nine million people.

Public transport, NHS services, and housing are often under strain.

There is a shortage of affordable housing, especially for young families.

This can be a real problem, can't it? If a lot of people move to a city, then all of these different services that people need can be put under pressure because there are so many people, and that can be a real problem.

The Queen Elizabeth line was introduced to address pressure on London's public services.

You can see an image of that here.

The Queen Elizabeth line reached over 200 million trips in its second year of operation.

It carries 1/7th of all trips by rail in the United Kingdom.

So, because London was under so much pressure, then they've introduced a new rail line to ease that pressure on most public services and allow people to travel.

Obviously, with over 200 million trips in its second year, it's been very, very, very highly used, and it's been a really good way to try and reduce the pressure.

Okay, so on now to the final task of the lesson.

Now, here are some possible ways cities can manage growth.

Number one: build more housing.

Number two: improve public transport.

Number three: invest in schools and hospitals.

Number four: encourage green spaces.

So four different ways that cities could manage growth.

If you were the mayor of London, what would you choose to spend your money on? Explain why.

So if you are the mayor of London and the population of London is increasing, there's lots and lots of pressure on services.

You've got four different ways that you could spend your money.

Four different things that you could choose to do to manage that growth.

You need to decide which one you're gonna spend your money on.

What are you gonna choose to spend your money on? And then you've got to explain why.

So have a look at those four different options: build more housing, improve public transport, invest in schools and hospitals, and encourage green spaces.

What are you gonna choose to spend your money on? And make sure you explain why.

So pause it, have a really good think about it, write down your answer, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on with that task then? Let's have a look at some things that you might have written.

So if you chose "build more housing," you could've said, "This would help to reduce overcrowding and keep rent prices affordable for people moving to the city." And maybe you chose "improve public transport." You could have written, "Better buses, trains, and cycle routes would reduce traffic and make it easier for people to get around.

Perhaps you chose "invest in schools and hospitals." You could have written, "More schools and medical centres means services won't be overwhelmed as the population grows." Or you could have chosen "encourage green spaces." "Parks and green areas improve mental health, provide space for exercise, and reduce air pollution." How did you get on? Did you write any of those? Which one did you choose, and what was your reason? Well done.

Okay, so we're at the end of today's lesson now on population in cities.

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

Urban populations often have a larger share of people aged 18 to 40.

Migration to cities is driven by employment and educational opportunities.

Cities provide a wide range of leisure facilities, which are also a draw for younger people.

Natural increase is a key factor in the growth of urban populations.

High population density can put pressure on infrastructure and services.

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.