The Pull of the Big City

In the picture

1. 1Cluster of glass towers at the core: where company headquarters, banks and administration are concentrated
2. 2Motorway interchange and rail lines meeting beside the towers: the links that pull people and goods towards the centre
3. 3Gantry crane on the port quay: the trade gateway that ties the city to the world economy
4. 4Aircraft on the airport apron at the edge: the long-distance links that keep the city inside global networks
5. 5Apartment block in the outer ring: the spreading built-up area that follows the city’s growth

Examples

• A graduate moving to the capital city for work, and a shipping firm choosing one port hub instead of another.
• A family from a small town travelling to the nearest big city for hospital care or university.

Quiz: The Pull of the Big City (Age 16)

1. 1

   According to the card, what does metropolisation concentrate in a few very large cities?

   • Small shops and local services only
   • People, jobs and command functions
   • Factories, farms and rural villages
2. 2

   According to the card, how do these large cities affect the space around them?

   • They compete with each other but leave the space around them unchanged
   • They reshape transport, housing and the space around them
   • They only change the area inside their own city centre
3. 3

   According to the card, what do motorways and rail lines do?

   • They connect the city only to nearby rural areas
   • They mainly move people and goods away from the city centre
   • They pull people and goods towards the city centre

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.