Geography+Scholarship

Format of the assessment
The examination will be resource-based. In 2014, the examination questions and resource booklet will focus on urbanization, urban settlements, and urban growth. Some resource materials (such as maps, text, photographs, models, graphs, tables and cartoons) related to this theme will be provided, to assist candidates within this geographic context. Candidates will be required to complete questions that involve selecting, extracting, analysing, processing, predicting, justifying, and presenting information. Candidates will be required to include relevant original visuals that will enhance their answers. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate understanding of a range of geographic perspectives and to use their geographic knowledge, skills, ideas, and understanding to support their answers. Candidates should use coloured pencils in their diagrams / maps. Annotations on these diagrams / maps must be in pen. Any work done in pencil will not be eligible for reconsideration.


 * Urbanization ** is the increasing number of people that migrate from rural to urban areas. It predominantly results in the physical growth of [|urban areas] , be it horizontal or vertical. The [|United Nations]  projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. By 2050 it is predicted that 64.1% and 85.9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.

Overviews: [|The Age of Megacities]

[|Megacities - sustaining the city]
 * this documentary is comprehensive in coverage - provides lots to see and think about

Resources:

[|Urbanization in China]

[|Urbanisation - World Bank strategy]

[|Megacities]

[|Land use]

[|Urban Rural fringe]

[|Global Migration]

[|AN INTERACTIVE SITE - MEGACITIES]

Topics to think about:
 * “Zombie Towns”

[|and why some prefer zombie towns......]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The challenges of climate change to urban planning
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Historic Heritage
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Urban Infrastructure provision
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Auckland as a Global City
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Place Making” – gentrification, revitalisation and place promotion
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Housing provision and affordability

[|What number are you - of the 7 billion?]

[|Do cities affect climate?]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">A recent New Zealand Institute of Economic Research report written by principal economist Shamubeel Eaqub warned that different parts of the country had different economies and the gap between the prosperous and the struggling was widening.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaking on TV3's The Nation, he said some parts of regional New Zealand were falling behind the rest of the country in many economic factors and suggested some might be near their end.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">"It's horrible to say but, yes, we have zombie towns and some of them do have to close, and you know it's going to be devastating for those communities, but it will be better for New Zealand if we target our resources in places that have some hope of growing and creating prosperity," Mr Eaqub told The Nation.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">He would not name which towns he thought were on death's door, but hinted at parts of Wanganui and Rangitikei. "I think about some of those small towns in the central North Island where populations are declining and they've got this massive infrastructure deficit that they're going to have to replace and you're like, 'Would you really invest hundreds of millions of dollars for a declining population?' The answer might be no."