Challenges of Urban Growth | Geography Lessons, Slides & Workbook

Help students explain how rapid urban growth puts pressure on services, infrastructure and the environment, and why the effects are felt differently across a city.

The City Under Strain explores urban challenges through clear explanations, data interpretation and an investigation of everyday experiences. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, provides the main examples within the wider Towns and Cities unit, including congestion, waste management and flooding. Background information is included, so no prior knowledge of the city is needed.

What students will learn

• How rapid urban growth can increase pressure on housing, employment and essential services.
• The difference between poverty and inequality, and how to interpret a Lorenz curve.
• Why congestion and air pollution affect urban life.
• The challenges of collecting and managing a city’s waste.
• How built-up surfaces and drainage contribute to urban flooding.
• How to explain connections between urban problems using evidence.

What’s included

Choose between a Full Lesson presentation for more detailed teaching and a shorter Essentials presentation focused on the core ideas.

The student workbook follows the Full Lesson presentation and comes in full colour, black and white, and an online-ready version for typed answers. The Essentials presentation has a matching booklet in student notes and completed versions, including a Knowledge Organiser.

Exam-style questions, model answers, a separate exam practice pack with a mark scheme and a short assessment are included. A full answer key supports marking and feedback. Access to the module’s interactive activities on Geography Oasis is included as a bonus.

In The Strain Files, teams investigate incident reports, explain their causes and use evidence to show how different urban problems are connected. They present their findings and reconsider their explanations when further information is revealed. A separate presentation and printable materials are supplied for the activity.

Curriculum and format

Designed for students aged 14-16, this module covers Cambridge IGCSE Geography 0460 (2027), statement 7.2.2. It is also suitable for AP Human Geography, World Geography, and other units on urbanisation and settlement.

Supplied as two ZIP downloads: Essentials and Full Lesson. Together, these contain the complete module as PowerPoint (.pptx) and Word (.docx) files with a START HERE guide. Written content is editable; diagrams and illustrations are supplied as images.

This is Module 3a of the Geography Oasis Towns and Cities unit. Use it to teach the challenges of urban growth or alongside the other modules in the full unit bundle, which also includes the complete Kuala Lumpur case-study module.

If you find this resource useful, a review helps other teachers discover it and supports the creation of future resources.