2.2.

4- Urbanisation
The impact on outdoor environments of urbanisation and
changing human lifestyles
 The Facts………..
Definition:
Urbanisation is the development and physical growth of
towns and cities, including residential areas, as people
move to these locations.

In Australia:
• Approximately only 2% of Australian land mass is
urbanised
• Over 80% of the population live in urban
environments and within 100km of the coast
• Within Victoria, 75% of the 5 million+ inhabitants live
in the greater Melbourne area
 Images of Australia
• Urbanisation really started to grow around the industrial
revolution- people moved to towns and cities for work.

• Many familiar images of Australia depict it as a rural country,

however we have always preferred to be town and city based.

What might have led to the European settlement

of Australia being urbanised from very early on?
 Characteristics of urbanisation
The process of urbanisation typically includes:
• Construction of housing estates, roads, railways and other transport corridors
• Provision of amenities- running water, sewage disposal and treatment systems,
waste collection and transfer, energy supply
• Increase in hard surfaces- sealed roads, concrete footpaths and roofing

Can you think of a different possible

impact from each of these?
 Impacts of urbanisation-

We can split these impacts into two categories: Waterways and Land
*Read about these on pg.135

Land
One of the most obvious impacts
of urbanisation was, and still is,
habitat loss through the clearing
of vegetation.
Waterways
Urbanisation is one of the key causes
of the alteration of flow patterns- the
way water moves into and through
creeks and streams.

Go to the link below and compare the difference

between Melbourne and its surrounds, from 1945 to
today.
http://1945.melbourne/
Learning Task: Consequences of urban impacts
Consider the images from http://1945.melbourne/ and the
typical impacts of urbanisation listed on pg.135
Waterways vs. Land
- What similarities do you notice?
- Can you identify any overlap? (ie: where a land impact
could further a waterway impact)

Investigate one of the impacts to land or waterways and

explain the consequence of this impact on the environment
 Consequences on wildlife
Predation on native fauna by cats and dogs is an impact on the environment that is hard
to measure, but cats in particular are believed to be one of the biggest threats to any
native species surviving the other impacts of urbanisation.
Small marsupials, lizards, insects and birds are the most at risk.
As urban development continues to spread into bushland areas, cats and dogs continue
to be a major nuisance and exterminator of native species.
http://www.theguardian.com.au/story/4967787/feral-cats-kill-more-than-one-million-
birds-per-day/
Some native fauna has adapted to the
urban environment and is able to deal
with possible threats so well that they are
now considered pests in many areas....
What animal is an example of this?
 Positive Consequences
 Many large cities have parklands throughout them in an effort to preserve
natural areas.
 Some of these ‘green belts’ have retained native remnant vegetation- small
patches of the original native plants that remain after the landscape is
converted for agriculture or other uses.
 Remnant vegetation primarily exists along creeks, beach hinterlands, road
verges and scarce underdeveloped land. These provide examples of what was
once widespread native flora and help connect vegetation areas to each other-
providing a corridor for wildlife to move along.
Impact of changing human lifestyles
Changing human lifestyles have been
influenced by:
• Advancements in technology
• Occupational conditions
• Media and lifestyle programs
• Composition of families

Read about these influences on pg.136 and

summarise each.