§-Module

Focus Area: Rural and urban places (2022 syllabus)

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How are economic activities spatially distributed between rural and urban places, and how does this distribution shape places over time?

Investigate economic activities in rural and urban places: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors; agglomeration economies; mining boom-and-bust cycles; food production and rural Australia's economic role

Spatial distribution of economic activities. Covers primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors; agglomeration economies in cities; mining boom-and-bust cycles in regional Australia (Hunter Valley, Mount Isa, Karratha); and food production from rural Australia.

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How is liveability measured, and how does it vary between and within cities?

Investigate liveability and urban quality of life: liveability metrics and indices, named liveable cities, intra-city inequalities, the 15-minute city concept, and the challenge of maintaining liveability as cities grow

Liveability and urban quality of life. Covers liveability metrics (EIU index components), named liveable cities (Melbourne, Sydney, Vienna, Vancouver), intra-city inequality, the 15-minute city concept, and the challenges of maintaining liveability as cities grow.

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How are rural and urban places planned and managed, and how do stakeholders at different scales shape outcomes?

Investigate planning and management of rural and urban places: planning instruments (LEPs, planning schemes), transport infrastructure, housing policy, sustainable urban planning, regional development programs, and the stakeholders involved

Planning and management of rural and urban places. Covers planning instruments (NSW LEPs, Victorian planning schemes), transport infrastructure (Sydney Metro West, Cross River Rail), housing affordability responses, sustainable urban planning, regional programs, and the stakeholders shaping outcomes.

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How are urban places spatially organised, and how do land-use patterns change with scale and over time?

Investigate urban morphology and land use: CBD, inner, middle and outer suburbs; land-use models (Burgess, Hoyt, multiple nuclei); spatial inequality, gentrification, and urban consolidation versus sprawl

Urban morphology and land use. Explains CBD-to-fringe zones, classical land-use models (Burgess, Hoyt, multiple nuclei), spatial inequality within cities, gentrification, and the urban consolidation versus sprawl debate. Uses Sydney and Melbourne case studies.

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How do the spatial characteristics, processes and challenges of urban places change with scale and over time?

Investigate urbanisation as a global process: spatial patterns, mega-cities (10 million+ population), drivers, and challenges including informal settlements, infrastructure, liveability and inequity

Urbanisation and mega-cities. Defines mega-city; identifies global spatial pattern; analyses drivers (rural-urban migration, natural increase, economic restructuring); evaluates challenges and responses. Includes Lagos and Sydney case studies.

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How do spatial characteristics, processes and challenges of rural places change with scale and over time?

Investigate the spatial patterns of rural places: settlement patterns (dispersed, nucleated, linear), the rural-urban continuum, drivers of rural change, and the decline of small Australian country towns

Rural settlement patterns and rural change. Defines dispersed, nucleated and linear patterns; explains the rural-urban continuum; analyses drivers including commodity prices, technology and demographic ageing; uses a named NSW Wheatbelt-equivalent case study.

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