Changing Urban Areas Flashcards
What are land use zones?
Areas with specialised land uses in a larger settlement, e.g commercial, residential, industrial, etc.
What are the difference land use zones in a city?
Central business district (CBD)
Inner city
Suburbs
Rural-urban fringe
What are the characteristics of the central business district (CBD)?
Shops, offices, entertainment.
Easy access by bus, train or car.
Land is expensive because space is limited, so people build skyscrapers.
What are the characteristics of the inner city?
Some buildings are old, dilapidated and boarded up, awaiting redevelopment.
Some former houses are converted into small offices.
Larger houses are divided up to make smaller flats, often for students.
Some high-rise blocks of flats.
Some areas are rebuilt or converted into large expensive apartments - gentrification.
What are the characteristics of the suburbs?
Mainly housing, with some light industry and shopping.
Often detached houses.
What are the characteristics of the rural-urban fringe?
Zone of mixed urban and rural land uses.
Space available for golf course, waste recycling centre, hospital or airport.
Sometimes urban sprawl means that town or city can gradually take over countryside.
What are the housing issues facing inner-city areas in MEDC’s?
Poor-quality housing
Urban regeneration
What are the issues for poor-quality housing?
Terraced houses built originally for factory workers, small and close together so limited space for children to play.
Older buildings are not very efficient - their roofs are not well insulated and do not have cavity walls so may be damp and draughty.
Many houses were run down and became slums which were demolished in 1960’s. We’re built back to back, with no back door, no garden and a shared toilet. Birmingham had lots of these.
Some houses were well built but needed to be renovated, with added kitchens and bathrooms. Includes many areas in Belfast , e.g. lower Newtownards Road.
When these houses were first built there were no cars. Now streets are busy, narrow and dangerous for children.
Strong communities which built up in these areas have declined in many areas as people move out. Unemployment often high as factories closed.
What is urban regeneration?
Governments spend money to improve an area in inner-city, and attract new businesses, creating jobs, in hope of bringing new life to area.
Renovated houses often for people on high incomes, e.g. creating expensive apartments.
What are the advantages of urban regeneration?
Area looks better, more likely to attract businesses into the area, creating jobs.
New shops, cafes and other services more likely to locate in regenerated areas.
Maintain old architecture.
What are the disadvantages of urban regeneration?
Original communities pushed out as cannot afford the new housing (gentrification).
New cafes useful to richer residents but not so useful to original residents.
Jobs created in the area often do not suit skills of older original residents.
What is gentrification?
Process where people with higher incomes buy properties and renovate the, to live in or sell on.
What are the advantages of gentrification?
Area can be improved in appearance with more wealthy residents improving properties.
Smart shops, cafes and bars often open with new influx of wealth.
Old buildings preserved and maintained.
Street scape may be improved with planting of trees and provision of new facilities.
New businesses, often multinational chains, move in.
What are the disadvantages of gentrification?
Sense of community can be undermined for original residents.
Original residents would prefer smaller corner shop and do not value, or cannot afford, services like coffee bars.
Price of renting or buying properties increases as area becomes gentrified, pricing local people out of area.
Differences between wealthy newcomers and relatively poor original residents may lead to resentment.
Small businesses and low-income families move out.
What are the reasons for congestion in inner-city areas?
Streets are narrow, as were built when most people walked.
Inner-city residents often have no garage or driveways so park their cars on road.
People driving into CBD may may try to park in inner-city streets to avoid parking charges.
What are the impacts that congestion has on air quality?
Nitrogen dioxide affects people’s lungs, causing 23,500 premature deaths in UK each year.
Diesel engines produce tiny particles called particulates. These are absorbed by lungs and are responsible for deaths.
Cities have tired to improve air quality - Mexico City and others are banning diesel vehicles. London is introducing Ultra Low Emission zone, charging vehicles which cause pollution, to discourage them from driving through zone.
What are the impacts that congestion has on journey time?
In London, congestion adds about 1.4 minutes for every kilometre travelled.
Congestion in London costs about £4 billion a year as business vehicles are delayed and working time spent in traffic jams.
Increased journey times create more pollution and reduce quality of life as more time spent commuting.
Chances of accidents increase.
What forms of public transport are inner-city residents often dependent on?
Buses, trams and trains.
What are the two main issues with public transport in inner-cities?
Cost and efficiency.
What are the cost issues of public transport in inner-cities?
Can be expensive, taking significant proportion of someone’s wages to travel to and from work.
Cheaper housing found at edge of city - may increase cost of travel to work in CBD.
