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| You are here: home > geotopics > settlements > what are urban landuse models in MEDCs like? | |
What are urban landuse models in LEDCs like? Find out more about this topic below: |
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What are land use models for LEDCs like?
Although every LEDC city has their own unique character and layout models attempt to show the characteristics of a 'typical city'.
Just like in an MEDC the CBD of a city in an LEDC is usually the oldest part of the city. In LEDCs the poorest housing is usually found on the edge of the city compared to around the edge of the CBD in the inner city in MEDCs.
The CBD in an LEDC will look very similar to the CBD of an MEDC. Multinational high street names will be common as will multistory buildings that we expect to see in CBDs in MEDCs. Within the CBD you can also expect to find schools, hospitals, offices, hotels and cinemas.
A shanty town (also called a slum or squatter settlement) is a settlement (sometimes illegal or unauthorized) of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal, and sheets of plastic. Shanty towns, which are usually built on the periphery of cities, often do not have proper sanitation, electricity, or telephone services. These areas are often susceptible to fire due to the high concentration of homes. Population density within shanty towns is amongst the highest in the world. The infrastructure is usually very poor with inadequate transport communications. As urbanisation has led to urban sprawl in LEDCs some shanty towns are over 30 miles away from CDBs.
What are shanty improvement schemes?
Over time shanty towns tend to improve as many local authorities are working in partnership with charities and local residents. There are three main schemes for shanty town improvement. These are:
Site and service schemes - these involve people being able to buy or rent a cheap piece of land on which they build their own home. They are provided with connections to services such as water and electricty and have good transport links
Self help schemes - these involve the residents being provided with building materials which they use to construct their own homes. People are given training and tools to do this. Low-interest loans may be provided to help people do this.
Rural investment - this involves improving the quality of life in rural areas to encourage people to stay instead of migrating to urban areas.