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Suburbanisation: GCSE Geography Definition

Jacque Cartwright

Written by: Jacque Cartwright

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

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2 minutes

Contents

  1. 1. What is suburbanisation in geography?
  2. 2. Suburbanisation Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

What is suburbanisation in geography?

In GCSE Geography, suburbanisation is about the outward movement of people and businesses from city centres. This leads to low-density neighbourhoods with detached family homes, a reliance on cars, and expansive land use patterns. This process turns once rural areas into sprawling peripheral communities.

Suburbanisation comes in various forms:

  • Residential suburbanisation: people move to the suburbs for housing.

  • Commercial suburbanisation: business districts and shopping centres pop up in the suburbs.

  • Industrial suburbanisation: factories and industrial zones pop up outside city centres.

Suburbanisation leads to:

  • Rising land prices as demand spikes at the city's edge.

  • More commuting means more congestion and pollution.

  • Suburbanisation can lead to urban decay, where low-income residents remain in the city and buildings are left empty to deteriorate.

Suburbanisation Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

You can learn more about urbanisation in our GCSE Geography revision note pages:

Meet all your GCSE Geography revision needs, improve your grades, and boost your confidence using revision resources from Save My Exams. This includes using our urbanisation flashcards and urban issues and challenges exam questions with student-friendly answers. 

Explore Our GCSE Geography Revision Resources

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Author
Reviewer
Jacque Cartwright

Author: Jacque Cartwright

Expertise: Geography Content Creator

Jacque graduated from the Open University with a BSc in Environmental Science and Geography before doing her PGCE with the University of St David’s, Swansea. Teaching is her passion and has taught across a wide range of specifications – GCSE/IGCSE and IB but particularly loves teaching the A-level Geography. For the past 5 years Jacque has been teaching online for international schools, and she knows what is needed to get the top scores on those pesky geography exams.

Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.

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