Volume 2, Issue 3—Summer 2012 In this issue: Olympic special—Legacy to London? The Harris Society JMS—‘Thoughts on Geography’ Lagos—Growth of a Megacity Geo Crossword and Quiz The 6.2 Leavers
Radley College Geography Magazine
Lagos—Rise of the Megacity
L
agos has more poten al in the 21st century than any other city in the world. With a popula on of 8 million and a popula on density of 8,000/KM2 the city’s popula on is a huge asset but massive challenge.
Areas of Lagos which were once swamps are being turned into floa ng shanty towns to accommodate the 600,000 newcomers arriving to the city every year. Raw sewage seeps into the water making it so putrid and disease ridden. Slums like these are home to two thirds of the city. With the popula on es mated to reach 15 million by 2025 the local government has come up with a series of plans to avoid the poten ally apocalyp c collapse as the sheer weight of numbers overwhelms the city’s capacity to support them. The solu ons put forward are audacious, but poten ally beneficial and could transform this city into the most influen al city in Africa. The largest privately funded infrastructure project in Africa is under way to reclaim tens of square KM to build Eko Atlan c City. As Africa’s Manha an it will contain everything that Lagos presently lacks and is intended to accommodate 400,000 residents and 250,000 daily commuters, with the help of the mul plier affect it stands to rejuvenate the city of Lagos into Africa’s financial Hub. However, Nigeria and Lagos are renowned for their crime ridden streets and corrupt government officials. The recently elected mayor is ambi ous and one of a number of new poli cians who want to leave behind Lagos’s tarnished image and make Lagos ‘Africa’s model megacity.’ Some think these infrastructural projects such as Eko Atlan c are too op mis c and too ambi ous for a country of Nigeria’s economic level. However, the confidence in these projects from the officials is admirable, yet slightly disconcer ng, Lagos is being piloted into unchartered waters, with projects that have never been undertaken by an African country, we can only hope that those driving Lagos will steer her through these bumpy waters and minimise the inevitable troubles. Will Treadwell (a) ‐ 6.1
Coffee Break—Geo Crossword / Quiz
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The straights of Otranto separate which countries? Which capital is situated on the river Tagus? Of the ten most populace islands in the world, which two are outside Asia? In which desert is Las Vegas? Which is the largest state in Mexico? What is the world’s smallest republic? Which sea does the Volga’s mouth enter? How many me zones are there in China? Minsk is the capital of which country? Where is Dogger Bank?
Answer in next issue!
Ed Townsend (a) ‐ 6.1
Olympics 2012 —What will be the Legacy?
W
ith the London 2012 Olympics only a few weeks away, we are all gearing ourselves up for the summer fes val of sport. However, the London Olympic bid was won on the strength of how the event would benefit the city of London in the years following the games. Most people are unaware of these plans. Tom Stables (d) casts a cri cal eye over them.
Why change was needed in East London
Economically: Financially separate to the West of London. A er WWII- Global economic depression led to a stagnant market which has struggled to rebound since then.
Socially: Highest rate of unemployment in London: 21% Low Income area, which was lacking capital investment Poor quality housing (especially in comparison to West London) Evident East vs. West divide.
Environmentally: Derelict buildings Poor infrastructure Unused, but poten al profitable, concentra on of ‘brownfield sites’ Olympic Site in 2002
Olympic Site in 2012
Key Olympic urban developments Media Centre— up to 5000 new jobs
Wes ield Centre—new retail investment
Olympic village—9000 new homes
Olympic stadium—public sports legacy
How London will benefit a er the Olympics
9000 new homes, 4500 which will be affordable, protected from developers’ interests. A clean up of urban waste land—construc on of the new largest London Park. Improvement to infrastructure, whilst providing more of an a rac ve link between East and West London. Providing long-term state of the art facili es. Speeding up the regenera on of the Thames gateway. Providing in total 12,000 permanent jobs. 150,000 meters squared media centre- new industry focus Induce tourism into a new part of London
GJAH & Tom Stables (d) ‐ 6.2
The Harris Society
W
ith Radley keen to foster a culture of independent learning and aca‐ demic excellence amongst the students, the Geography Department founded a ‘gi ed and able’ society this term. The Harris Society, open to the elite geographers of 6.1 and 6.2, is named a er one of the great HoDs in Radley history—Mr. John Harris (re red 2010). The aim of the society is to provide a forum for boys and dons to discuss contempo‐ rary geographical ideas and debate solu ons to some of our current global and local problems...over a beer. The society, comprising five 6.2s and six 6.1s (including the first president—Will Treadwell (a)) met a number of mes this term. A ending boys and dons were in agreement that the mee ngs were a roaring success. James Block (d) offers up some of the thoughts from these mee ngs. Our first mee ng addressed the issue that earlier in the term the UK was suffering with the problem of drought. Two dry winters have led to ground water supplies falling, thus areas are suffering from low produc on rates and large scale desicca on. Large amounts of rain in recent months have had li le effect on increasing the ground water levels as infrequent, high volume rain events result in large amounts of surface run-off; this means li le water is able to percolate through the ground and reestablishing previous levels. The society discussed what could be done to reduce the effects of drought. The idea of water being a finite source, which is over exploited ,was a central concept. Ideas such as water trading, similar to carbon trading, was suggested in order to reduce the consump on by trading water consump on allowances between coun es. The use of more sustainable appliances in households was also men oned; the idea of using more sustainable appliances which are less water hungry would lessen a households effect on the resource. The investment into GM crops could also reduce the effects of
drought on worldwide crop produc on; crea ng drought resistant strains would allow agriculture to con nue despite the low levels of water present in the soils. Ways of producing water by means of desalina on was also discussed. However, a conclusion was reached that the process was too energy demanding and ineffec ve to produce the large amount of water which is demanded.
Our second mee ng focused on the sensi ve subject of Arc c explora on and the exploita on of the natural resources that exist there. The USGS’s latest survey es mated that the Arc c could be home to thirty percent of the planets undiscovered gas reserves and thirteen percent of its undiscovered oil (160 billion barrels). This is a huge amount of oil. However, current es mates suggest that the world consump on of oil is around 30 billion barrels every year, therefore it is not a viable solu on for current fuel problems. Russia have claimed that they have the right to the resources a er plan ng a tanium flag at the bo om of the Arc c. This highlighted the problems with ownership of the Arc c sea bed. The alloca on of this area is the most crucial thing for the oil companies to establish as bad management could lead to building fric on between countries demanding their share. There are many who believe that the area should be le as it is and governments should aim to protect the vulnerable ecosystems and icecaps and try to maintain the current condi ons. The Harris Society suggested that the exploita on of the Arc c would push backwards years of work by environmentalists and conserva onists alike. The large input of oil into the market would mean that people would be less wary about their consump on, resul ng in increased emissions and increased levels of global warming. Furthermore, using the reserves would throw the Arc c into a nega ve cycle. Increased pollu on would lead to higher levels of ice melt, this would allow more routes to open which would in turn allow more areas to become accessible and exploitable by man. The idea of a central NGO controlling oil explora on and distribu on was suggested,. This however would have to be very well managed as it could easily become very corrupt due to the nature of the business. GJAH & James Block (d) ‐ 6.1
Thoughts on Geography from JMS
T
he Geo magazine managed to grab 10minutes of JMS's busy schedule to talk about how the department has changed in his 16 years teaching here, from leaky Portacabins to smart boards and iPads.
When did you start teaching Geography at Radley? I arrived September 1996, when the geo department was only Mr Harris as HOD, Mr Dean and Mr Wiley- just a er he moved out of being tutor of D social. This was when Geography was being taught in leaky portacabins, where some teachers had buckets on their desks to catch the leaks. We moved into the Queen's Court in 1997.
Quite a big difference to a current department which has almost doubled in size, what do you think are the main reasons for this? Partly because of the many 'hats' dons wear at Radley now, with JEG director of rowing and GRK director of hockey. However, the popularity of Geography has risen; my original A level set was only 3 people, now we are up to sets of 14-15. Also, at GCSES we used to have around 70 taking geography to GCSE and now over 100 are taking it at that level.
What do you think has caused this increased popularity? I think it is mainly due to its increased relevance with the world around you. the syllabus has changed to that effect as now it is a much more synop c syllabus. We now study new, broader topics, rather than the previous narrower topics such pedology. On the Geography syllabus today are topics such as globalisaon, conflicts, and climate change which have a much greater relevance today. There is a much greater focus on applica on, rather than just learning the processes.
Has the increased amount of departmental resources played a role?
The Department has always been at the front end of development, we were the first department to have internet in 1996, which was guarded my Mr Harris under lock a key. We were also the first to have our own networked suite of computers - also engineered by Mr Harris - and more recently we were the first department to get a Smart board, web-based revision packages, and every don with an iPad. I feel we have always been keen to embrace new technology.
What kind of resources did you have access to when you arrived? When I arrived we were moving out of using 35mm Cinefilm and using VHS, and the OHP was the number one piece of tech in the department. I s ll love my OHP and am one of the few in the college to s ll use one; it is part of my roots here! The big difference is that teachers had to physically go to places to bring it to the classrooms. I have hundreds of slides from my travels. Geography is now instantly accessible with YouTube, Google. We can instantly go to any place in the world, giving the students a broader view of the whole world as opposed to just where the teacher has been as a result, I feel you guys have a much wider grasp of global issues.
Where do you see it going?
Not sure. When I was first teaching I never saw how the world was going to go. Now, Dr Hughes is following in Mr Harris' mould with good leadership and prepared to look beyond current resources. So I can see interac ve lessons, maybe with other schools in other countries happening, also individual tablets being used for sharing work- sent to the projector for the whole class to see. I think Geography is becoming a subject that is constantly inves gated instead of being prescribed and pupils can now bring their own idea to the classroom.
Any other big changes since 1996 that have affected the department?
Big difference is back in 1996 the teacher was the font of knowledge, now we say something and you can check on wiki, the role has changed from a giver of knowledge to someone who helps you interpret the knowledge and use it effec vely. Much more educa onal in my opinion. The Geo department reflects that at the moment with the amount of interac on- lessons of old used to be more like a lecture, now they are much more conversa onal. Piers Hugh‐Smith (f) ‐ 6.1
The 6.2 Geography Leavers
Working with the current 6.2 leavers through the last two years has been both rewarding and entertaining. Their journey has taken them from the intellectual powerhouse of Queen’s Court, to the serenity of the Ock river, to the bustle of the London Olympic site, and to the countryside retreat of Ne lecombe Court in Devon... The first cohort to take advantage of Geography being offered in two A level blocks, many of these boys studied a different combina on of subjects to that usually seen in a Radley A level geographer. We had a number of Mathema cians in our ranks, which certainly made for some excellent inter-departmental banter with the number crunchers down the Queen’s Court hallway. So, as half of the Bigside cricket team, amongst the other Geo-men, head for the exit and their future careers, we wish them all the very best. Their absence will certainly be felt around the department from September onwards. GJAH Some thoughts from the boys
"Hughesy, Sparksy, Pearsy, Kingy and the Mexican Bandit will all be sorely missed."
"Nobody could have replaced the beards of Harris, Wiley and Dean but what the current Geography department lacks in facial hair, they have certainly made up for in wisdom, knowledge and wit." And a couple of memories from the dons
Worst excuse for being late to a JMS lesson ‐ fell asleep in the shower (Tom Symington) ‐ it turned out to be true!
Best quote from a GJAH class—’Be quiet and let me speak: I’m 25 mes more Geo than you.’ (L M-B)