WalesGeographySyllabus dot point

How have population and urban areas changed in Wales and the UK, and how have retailing and city centres responded?

Key Idea 2.2: population and urban change in Wales and the UK, the causes and patterns of population change, the changing provision of retailing and services (decline of high streets, growth of out-of-town and online retail), and the regeneration of urban areas.

A focused answer on Key Idea 2.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1: the causes and patterns of population change in Wales and the UK, the changing provision of retailing and services, the decline of high streets and growth of out-of-town and online retail, and urban regeneration.

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Quick answer

Population in Wales and the UK is changing. Some areas grow through natural increase and migration, especially cities and accessible suburbs, while some inner-city and remote rural areas lose people. Causes include the search for jobs and housing, counter-urbanisation, an ageing population, and migration into and within the UK. Retailing has changed dramatically. Many traditional high-street shops have closed because shoppers moved to out-of-town retail parks and shopping centres with free parking and large stores, and because online shopping has grown rapidly. This has left some town centres with empty units and falling footfall. In response, urban areas are being regenerated: derelict industrial and dockland sites are redeveloped for housing, offices, leisure and retail, the environment is improved, and old buildings are reused. A well-known Welsh example is Cardiff Bay, where the old docks were transformed by a barrage, a freshwater lake, a waterfront of shops, restaurants and offices, new housing and the Wales Millennium Centre. Regeneration can bring jobs, investment and a better environment, but schemes are costly, some new homes and jobs are too expensive for original residents, and the benefits are not always shared evenly. WJEC studies real population and retail change and a named regeneration scheme.

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What this dot point is asking
Population change
Changing retailing and services
Urban regeneration
Case study: Cardiff Bay regeneration
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What this dot point is asking

This dot point covers Key Idea 2.2 of WJEC Unit 1: population and urban change in Wales and the UK. You need the causes and patterns of population change, the changing provision of retailing and services (the decline of high streets and the growth of out-of-town and online retail), and the regeneration of urban areas, using a named scheme.

Population change

Changing retailing and services

Urban regeneration

Case study: Cardiff Bay regeneration

Model answer: "Explain why many UK high streets have declined"

A worked structure for a 6-mark explain question.

step Out-of-town retailing

Explain that large out-of-town retail parks and shopping centres offer free parking, big stores and many shops in one place, drawing shoppers away from the town centre.

step Online shopping

Show that internet shopping lets people buy goods from home with home delivery, so they make fewer trips to physical shops.

step Costs and competition

Explain that high rents and business rates in town centres, plus competition from these alternatives, make it hard for small high-street shops to survive, so units close.

step Reach the outcome

Conclude that falling footfall and empty units make the high street less attractive, which can lead to further decline unless the area is regenerated.

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Q1. What is urban regeneration? [Knowledge recall]

Cue. The redevelopment of run-down urban areas, such as derelict docks or industrial sites, to give them new uses (housing, leisure, offices, retail) and improve the environment, bringing back jobs and investment.

Q2. Explain one reason town-centre shops have closed. [Short explanation]

Cue. The growth of out-of-town retail parks with free parking and large stores, and of online shopping, has drawn customers away, so footfall and sales in town-centre shops have fallen until many become unprofitable and close.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

WJEC Unit 1 (Theme 2)4 marksDescribe the changes in retailing in UK towns and cities.

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A short data-response describe question, often with a graph or map. Reward described changes, using the resource.

Out-of-town growth. Many shops have moved to out-of-town retail parks and shopping centres with free parking and large stores.

High street and online. Many traditional high-street shops have closed, and online shopping has grown rapidly, so fewer people shop in the town centre.

Top marks. Two or three clear changes, supported by figures from the resource if given.

WJEC Unit 1 (Theme 2)8 marksAssess the success of an urban regeneration scheme you have studied.

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An assess/extended question (levels marking). Reward a balanced judgement using a named scheme (for example Cardiff Bay).

Successes. Regeneration can create jobs, new housing, leisure and offices, improve the environment of a derelict area and attract tourists and investment, as at Cardiff Bay with its barrage, waterfront and Wales Millennium Centre.

Limitations. Schemes can be expensive, some new jobs and homes are too costly for original residents, and benefits may be uneven across the city.

Judgement. Conclude how successful it was overall and for whom, supporting your view with specific evidence.

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Sources & how we know this

WJEC GCSE Geography (Wales) specification (3110) — WJEC (2019)