From City Centre to Countryside

In the picture

1. 1Central business district: offices and shops packed into tall towers where land is most expensive
2. 2Inner residential ring: apartment blocks house many people close to the centre
3. 3Suburbs: detached houses with gardens spread over more space where land is cheaper
4. 4Urban fringe: new housing estates built on former farmland as the city expands

Examples

• Taking a train from a city’s tall office district out to a quiet suburb with houses and gardens
• A field near your town being turned into a new housing estate with fresh roads

Quiz: From City Centre to Countryside (Age 13)

1. 1

   Why are buildings usually taller and closer together near the centre of a big city?

   • Because land there costs the most, so builders make use of every bit of space
   • Because there is lots of farmland nearby that new towers can spread onto
   • Because land there is cheapest, so builders can afford to add more floors
2. 2

   What does "urban sprawl" mean?

   • A city growing outward onto the countryside around it
   • Old buildings in the city centre being replaced by taller ones
   • People moving out of the suburbs and back into the city centre
3. 3

   In which part of a city are you most likely to find detached houses with gardens?

   • In the suburbs, where land is cheaper
   • In the central business district
   • In the inner residential ring, close to the centre

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This quiz is free there while the lesson is in the free week.