At KS1 children can learn about houses and homes as part of place study (PoS 3 a-e, 6 a-b). At KS2 settlement is a major theme (PoS 6 d), addressing different types of settlement and issues arising from changes in land use. At KS3 and beyond urban geography can range from a unit (PoS 6 g), to a major theme of a GCSE or A-level specification.

lChoose a large town or city and locate its centre on a route-planner website such a www.multimap.com. Describe key characteristics such as built-up areas, road layout and open space as you move away from the centre, kilometre by kilometre.

lCompare four or five town centre webcams, such as the BBC webcams site www.bbc.co.ukwebcamsukcams.shtml What are the similarities and differences in the images?

*Pupils’ experience of cities is also a rich resource. What do they like and dislike about cities? Would they prefer to live in the town or the country? Which cities would they like to visit and why?