New
New
Year 11
Edexcel B

Strategies for achieving sustainability: 'top-down' strategies

I can assess the advantages and disadvantages of 'top-down' strategies for making Jakarta more sustainable.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel B

Strategies for achieving sustainability: 'top-down' strategies

I can assess the advantages and disadvantages of 'top-down' strategies for making Jakarta more sustainable.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are advantages and disadvantages of 'top-down' strategies for managing water supply.
  2. There are advantages and disadvantages of 'top-down' strategies for managing waste disposal.
  3. There are advantages and disadvantages of 'top-down' strategies for managing transport and air pollution in Jakarta.

Keywords

  • Top-down development - development led by governments or large organisations, often with large-scale funding and limited community input

  • Infrastructure - services and facilities in a city, like transport systems, clean water supply, sewage networks and waste disposal, that help support people’s everyday needs

  • Sustainable - managing resources or services in a way that meets needs now without damaging the future

Common misconception

Top-down strategies always benefit everyone equally.

Top-down strategies often improve infrastructure at a large scale, but they do not always reach all areas fairly. Wealthier areas tend to benefit first, while poorer communities may lack reliable water, waste collection, or transport access.


To help you plan your year 11 geography lesson on: Strategies for achieving sustainability: 'top-down' strategies, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

GIS could be used to visualise inequality in Jakarta by mapping areas with and without access to piped water, waste collection, or public transport (e.g. MRT coverage).
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Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is Jakarta the capital city of?

Thailand
Malaysia
Correct answer: Indonesia
Vietnam

Q2.
What type of country is Indonesia classified as?

Low-income country
Correct answer: Newly emerging economy (NEE)
High-income country
Landlocked developing country

Q3.
Why is Jakarta important to Indonesia?

It is a small village
Correct answer: It is the capital and economic centre
It is a coastal desert
It has no international links

Q4.
Palm is a key export for Indonesia.

Correct Answer: oil

Q5.
Which belief about Indonesia’s population is not accurate?

It is culturally diverse
It is the fourth most populous country
Correct answer: Everyone has equal access to services
It includes many ethnic groups

Q6.
What does it mean that Indonesia is an archipelago?

It is mountainous
It is very dry
It has no coastline
Correct answer: It is made up of many islands

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.

Correct Answer:infrastructure,services like transport, clean water, waste systems

services like transport, clean water, waste systems

Correct Answer:top-down development,large-scale projects led by governments or big organisations

large-scale projects led by governments or big organisations

Correct Answer:sustainable,using resources in a way that doesn't harm the future

using resources in a way that doesn't harm the future

Q2.
Which sector is most likely to lead a top-down strategy?

Correct answer: Government ministries or international organisations
Local neighbourhood watch groups
Small community councils
Volunteer-led charities

Q3.
Top-down strategies often result in improved , like clean water and transport.

Correct Answer: infrastructure

Q4.
Which statement best reflects the limits of top-down strategies?

They never work in any country
Correct answer: They may not address the needs of poorer communities
They always lead to complete equality
They are quicker to set up in villages

Additional material

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