AQA Geography - urban decline in Central Business Districts (CBDs)
This PowerPoint lesson explores urban decline in Central Business Districts (CBDs) and the strategies cities use to regenerate them. Pupils recap the causes of CBD decline—including loss of primary industry, changing retail habits, and suburbanisation—before analysing the social, environmental, and economic impacts of decline in UK cities. The lesson includes structured activities where students categorise and rank these impacts, justify their reasoning, and build chains of cause-and-effect thinking, helping them develop evaluative geographical skills.
The resource then moves toward solutions used by cities to regenerate CBDs, encouraging pupils to evaluate how urban areas “fight back” through redevelopment, regeneration strategies, and changes in urban planning. The activities mirror the analytical and evaluative skills required in GCSE Geography specifications (particularly AQA’s “Urban Issues and Challenges” topic), where students must explain causes of urban change, assess impacts on cities, and evaluate the effectiveness of regeneration strategies. This makes the lesson suitable for Key Stage 4 geography revision, urban studies units, or exam-skills practice focused on urban regeneration.
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