A primate city is a city that is at least twice as big as the second biggest city in the same country. Dublin is a primate city because it is about five times as big as Cork. Paris is also an example of a primate city as it is twice as big as Marseilles, the second biggest city in France.
: Figure 12.39 Leinster House, the home of the Oireachtas
Why did Dublin become a primate city? 1. It is where the government of Ireland sits.
2. It is Ireland’s main port. 3. It is Ireland’s main transport focus (air, sea, rail, roads). 4. It is Ireland’s most important educational, cultural and commercial centre.
Dublin’s primacy has heavily affected the distribution of settlements in Ireland. Many settlements have circled Dublin and surrounded it. The major routeways leading out of Dublin tend to have linear settlement along them. As a result of Dublin’s rapid growth, the city has endured many urban problems such as crime, urban decay, traffic congestion and urban sprawl. It has, however, tried to solve these problems.
(i) List the five different zones in an urban area. (ii) Explain why buildings are taller in the CBD than in the suburbs. (iii) Explain the term primate city.
/ I know what the different functional zones in cities are. / I can explain how land value is linked to land use. / I can recognise different types of housing in urban areas. / I understand what a primate city is.
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Settlement and Urbanisation: Where we live and why
