Contemporary Urban Enviroments - Section 2 Urban Form

Question 1

What is urban form?

Answer 1

Urban form is the physical characteristics that make up a city, including its size and shape, population density and how the city is arranged (e.g. land use patterns in different areas).

Question 2

What are the physical factors that affect urban form?

Answer 2

Topography
Water
Natural resources
Land type

Question 3

How does topography affect urban form?

Answer 3

Topography (physical features of land) often influence growth of cities
steep slopes are harder to build on and less accessible, so poorer housing (e.g. slums / favelas such as Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro) may be built on them.
Flat land is easier to build on so may attract a higher land value.
Large flat areas encourage low density developments because there’s lots of space to build. However, flat land near rivers may have a flood risk.

Question 4

How does water affect urban form?

Answer 4

The presence of lakes and seas limits urban growth in those areas.
Cities may grow along the course of a river.
City centre shops and businesses are usually located close to the waterfront, rather than at the geographical centre of the city.

Question 5

How do natural resources affect urban form?

Answer 5

Rich resources (e.g. coal, metal) encourage growth in size and population of cities.

Question 6

How does land type affect urban form?

Answer 6

Some ground surfaces are more difficult or expensive to build on than others, e.g. swamps and wetlands can limit urban growth

Question 7

What are the human factors that affect urban form?

Answer 7

Planning
Infrastructure
Land value

Question 8

How does planning affect urban form?

Answer 8

Urban expansion can be planned or unplanned.
For example, a lot of urban growth in developing countries is caused by the unplanned expansion of slums.
In contrast, planned developments often include open space, leisure facilities

Question 9

How does infrastructure affect urban form?

Answer 9

New developments are often built along transport links (e.g. motorways) leading to linear growth.

Question 10

How does land value affect urban form?

Answer 10

The highest land value is often found in the city centre, so profitable businesses (e.g. chain stores) normally locate there, while less profitable businesses (e.g. independent shops) may be found further from the centre.

Question 11

What is the theory of land value linked to spatial pattern?

Answer 11

Land value is traditionally higher in the centre of a city where accessibility is greatest. The Peak
Usually, only very profitable businesses such as large retailers can afford the high prices of city centre.
Other retailers and commercial land uses tend to occupy most of the Central Business District (CBD). But cannot pay the higher prices to be in the most accessible locations. As a result, smaller retailers and businesses are more likely to be found towards the edge of the CBD.
Houses generally increase in value with distance from city centre although land value tends to be highest in the city centre.

Question 12

What is the Peak Land Value Intersection (PLVI)?

Answer 12

The Peak Land Value Intersection (PLVI) is the point/site with the highest land value and from it, land prices decline in line with the theory of distance decay.

Question 13

Land value Inner city vs rural areas

Answer 13

Inner city areas have high land value, so housing is typically high density, e.g. skyscrapers.
Wages are often low, and many residents live in relative poverty. The porpoprtion of people from ethnic minorites tends to be high.

Land value is lower in rural and semi-rural areas, so resindential areas are less dense and have
more open space. Houses are usually larger and newer than those in inner city areas.
Residents are generally quite wealthy and earn relatively high wages.
The proportion of people from ethnic minorities tends to be low.

Question 14

What are the features of urban form?

Answer 14

Cultural and heritage quarters
Edge city
Fortress landscapes
Gentrification
Post-modern western city
Town centre mixed developments

Question 15

What is urban morphology?

Answer 15

The spatial structure/ form and organisation of an urban area. How it’s laid out - its pattern of land use

Question 16

What is a town centre mixed development?

Answer 16

Area where land use is mixed - eg) luxury flats, leisure facilities, shops, offices, entertainment are combined.
Planned by councils with private investment - attract people back to city centres by giving opportunities for them to live and work there.

Question 17

South bank Leeds case study - town centre mixed development

Answer 17

Leeds city centre has experienced decline in recent decades with competition from out of town shopping centres such as the nearby White Rose Centre in the city itself and Meadowhall in Sheffield. In March 2013 Trinity Leeds opened, evidence of multi-use:
It has over 120 shops - including main anchor stores eg) M&S, primark and the largest super dry outside of London.
30 food outlets
5% increase in footfall after opening whilst 5% decrease in footfall in streets further away.

Question 18

What is gentrification?

Answer 18

This is the buying and renovating of properties, often in the more run-down areas, by wealthier individuals.
Helped to regenerate a large part of British inner cities over last few decades.
Carried out by individuals or groups of individuals rather than large organisations like in regeneration.

Question 19

Case study gentrification - Hyde park, Leeds

Answer 19

Heart of student community in Leeds
Many low-income individuals and families from ethnic minorities
Significantly cheaper area to live than the suburbs
House prices have risen by 26% in last 5 years.
Increase in trendy coffee shops, independent bars and restaurants in recent years to cater for student population.

Question 20

Case study gentrification - Headingley, Leeds

Answer 20

Gentrification also due to students, and more recently young professionals
house prices in the area have risen by 28% since 2011

Question 21

Case study gentrification - Vidgal, Rio

Answer 21

Olympics caused a property boom in some favelas, e.g. Vidigal.
Previously dominated by drug gangs.
Value of the land rose in 3 years and land speculators bought up property.
Outsiders and real estate agents moved into the area.
Police made it safe (pacified)
Became one of the most fashionable places in Rio de Janeiro.
Many are migrants from the northeast of Brazil.
Some have been able to benefit from the World Cup and Olympic Games - rooms could be rented out for much higher prices and shops benefited from increased business. Some people sold their homes and were able to buy big properties back in the northeast of Brazil.
But worries that gentrification will change the community and concerns that people could be forced to relocate or be priced out of their homes.

Question 22

What are cultural and heritage quarters?

Answer 22

These areas focus on the history or character of a city eg) such areas are often home to theatres, art galleries and historical buildings.
Often developed by local councils to regenerate former industrial areas. They help areas to gain a unique sense of place, attract visitors, encouraging economic development and creating jobs.

Example: Birmingham jewellery quarter and Leeds Corn exchange

Question 23

What are fortress landscapes?

Answer 23

These are developments (e.g. for residential or retail use) with lots of security, such as CCTV, guards and high walls.
They are designed around security, protection, surveillance and exclusion.

They are often located in suburban areas of large cities, and only those with permission can enter them.
They are designed to give a safe environment for families, but they are very divisive – only rich people can afford to live in or use them.

Gated communities - becoming a feature of suburban landscapes
And use of guards and electronic control access

Question 24

Case study Fortress landscapes - Rio

Answer 24

South Zone - wealthiest postcode in South America, has security entrance with alarm systems and 24 hour security guards.

West Zone - Barra de Tijuca

Question 25

Case study Fortress Landscapes - Leeds

Answer 25

There are a few gated communities in the wealthy suburbs of Leeds for example in Harewood and Roundhay. Harewood Gate is a gated community where house prices are in excess of £625,000.

Question 26

What are edge cities?

Answer 26

Edge cities are new areas of offices, shops and leisure facilities that develop close to major transport links, e.g. motorway intersections outside city centres, where land is cheaper.
They often contain some housing, but most people travel to them for work or to use the services available.

They are largely the result of urban sprawl as a result of higher car ownership, greater willingness to travel long distances for work, shopping and entertainment, and limited planning restrictions in the suburbs.

Critics link edge cities to extreme social segregation where the wealthy have moved to the new suburban settlements leaving the poor and disadvantages sector of society in the original city boundary

Question 27

Case study Edge Cities - Rio

Answer 27

Barra da Tijuca in the West Zone is an edge city.
It was developed from the 1960s and has grown rapidly as the rich middle class population moved out of other parts of Rio de Janeiro.
It is an attractive area with 20 km of beaches.
There are luxury condominiums, shopping malls, restaurants, tourist attractions and office complexes.
There are gated communities (fortress developments)

Question 28

Case study Edge cities - LA

Answer 28

Los Angeles is the classic example of a sprawling settlement.
The core city is about 30 km wide with a population of under 4 million.
However this is surrounded by a metropolitan area of nearly 18 million people more than 100 km at its widest. Within this area there are more than 20 edge cities
They develop close to major roads or airports and in close proximity to shops, offices and other decentralised businesses.

Question 29

What are strategies to reduce crime in the uk in urban hotspots?

Answer 29

• Greater use of CCTV
• Railings and fencing around private spaces (“Gated” communities)
• Effective use of street lighting

Question 30

What are post-modern western cities?

Answer 30

Postmodernism = describes changes that took place in western society and culture in late 20th century
Mainly contained art and architecture and marked departure from uniformity of modernism
Characterised by the mixing of different artistic styles and architecture

Question 31

Case study Post modern Western cities - Leeds

Answer 31

Leeds is beginning to experience post-modern architecture in an attempt to modernise the city’s skyline and image eg) Trinity, Bridgwater place and Leeds university

Majority of the cities economy is generated through tertiary industry and there has been significant growth in the quaternary sector

12% of population born outside uk and 22% Leeds primary school pupils don’t speak English as their first language
Leeds has third highest levels of inequality

Question 32

What is the bid-rent model

Answer 32

A graph showing land values falling with increasing distance from the PLVI resulting in different land use zones.