Urban environments

Small towns, slum settlements and uranium mining environments

Sharon JonesDistance Education Centre

Victoriasjones@distance.vic.edu.au

Timetable

Weeks 1-3 Small towns

Weeks 5-7 Slum settlements

Weeks 9-11, 13-15 Uranium mining environments

Weeks 4, 8 & 12 Fieldwork on a small town or section of a large town/city

Small towns Small towns in eastern Victoria

Distribution Spatial change over time

Small towns in eastern Victoria, 2006

0 20 40 60 kms

small townboundary of eastern VictoriacoastlineMetropolitan Melbourne

N

Source of data for map: Australian Bureau of Statistics, www.censusdata.abs.gov.au

Poowong – geographic characteristics

Natural characteristics or features Human characteristics or features Factors influencing geographic

characteristics Spatial interaction between

Poowong and surrounding region

How and why have rural settlements in Victoria changed over time?

How and why has Poowong changed over time?

What factors have influenced change in Victoria’s towns?

Slum settlements

Geographic characteristics what are

they? living

conditions? where?

How and why do slum settlements develop and change?

Cairo and Rio de Janeiro types – what, where, living conditions change over time factors influencing development and

change most important factors

What is and can be done to manage change in slum settlements?

Predicted change to number and distribution of slum populations

What is being done – Millenium Goals & Targets

Improving slum settlements in Thailand strategies, advantages and disadvantages process predicted achievement of aims

Discussion - are slums inevitable?

‘…slums are no more inevitable than they are acceptable. While it may be difficult to overcome relative poverty, it is perfectly possible to ensure that the poor are provided with adequate shelter and basic services.’

Tibaijuka, A. Cities without slums, http://www.citiesalliance.org/activities-output/topics/slum-upgrading/action-plan.html

‘Just as slums and slum dwellers need cities to survive, so do cities need slums to thrive. With large numbers competing for work in cities, it is easier to pay low wages. However, a worker still needs to live, and without the informal settlements, the minimal acceptable salary would really hit the pockets and the profits of the rich. In over 150 years of trying, we have yet to come up with a viable alternative.’

Mumtaz, B. Why cities need slums http://ww2.unhabitat.org/mdg/documents/global/Vol7_No3_why_cities_need_slums.doc

Fieldwork Geographic characteristics – natural and

human Processes and factors contributing to /

influencing geographic characteristics Change in geographic characteristics Processes and factors influencing change Use of data collection / spatial concepts /

geographic techniques

Mii babies

Mii Baby Mining Information Institute, Colorado, USA, www.mii.org

2007 2008

Uranium mining environments

Where is uranium mined? – global scale How is uranium mined? How has uranium production changed

over time?

Uranium mining in Australia

Where is uranium currently mined? Past and present uranium mining Geographic characteristics of

current mines – Ranger, Olympic Dam and Beverley

Factors influencing geographic characteristics of uranium mining environments

Changes in uranium production 1945 - 2004

Figure 9.8 Western World uranium production, 1945-2004

Source: World Uranium Mining, Nuclear Issues Briefing Paper 41, UIC, Melbourne, July 2007 www.uic.com.au/nip41.htm

How and why have uranium mining environments in Australia changed?

Distribution 1960 – 2007 Changes to natural and human

environments when a new mine established Change due to mine rehabilitation Who influences change? – mining

companies, political parties and policies, environmental groups, community groups, indigenous groups

Rehabilitation – Mary Kathleen Evaporation Ponds Tailings Dam

Source: Environmental Rehabilitation of the Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine, Uranium Information Centre, Mines paper #6, September, 1996, www.uic.com.au/mku.htm

Are uranium mining environments sustainable?

What do we mean by sustainability?

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

(World Commission on Environment and Development’s (the Brundtland Commission) report Our Common Future, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987)

How do uranium mining companies view sustainability?

Are uranium mining environments sustainable?

Sustainability involves balancing Social, Economic and Environmental needs

Development Education Project, World Bank Institute, www.worldbank.org/depweb/english/sd.html

SocialEquity

ParticipationEmpowermentSocial Mobility

Cultural Preservation

EconomicServicesHousehold NeedsIndustrial GrowthAgricultural GrowthEfficient Use of Labour

EnvironmentBiodiversity

Natural ResourcesCarrying Capacity

Ecosystem IntegrityClean Air and Water