CUE: New Urban Landscapes Flashcards
Why is new urban landscapes needed?
Many city centres are struggling to cope in the modern highly competitive business world:
- out of town retail parks and E-commerce have led to a decline in city centres
- Covid has changed shopping centres
- inflation reduces spending
- high parking costs, congestion and perception of the city as dirty and unsafe
What is the town centre mixed development strategy?
Many cities encourage the development of functions other than retailing
- Leisure – cinemas, theatres, cafes, wine bars, restaurants etc
- Space – gardens, squares, plazas – Public Space
- Street entertainment
- Nightlife – night clubs!
- Flagship attractions – national marine aquarium
- New offices, hotels and conference centres
- Residential development – 24 hour cities
How is Exeters Princess-hay shopping centre a good example of new urban landscapes?
- bombed in the war
- plans proposed for new shopping centre but the city couldn’t afford it
- first pedestrian only shopping street in UK
- Cribbs Causeway and rural fringe developments threatened Exeters CBD
Now:
- local outrage at losing city history
- increased land costs - kicked out local independent retailers
- yet increased economic activity due to more people travelling to shop here - nice atmosphere
What is the culture and heritage quarters strategy?
- culturally led development began in the 1980s
- the presence of cultural production e.g. making objects, goods, products or consumption e.g. galleries, shows, venues.
- Heritage quarters focus more on the history of the area e.g. jewellery quarter in Birmingham which has a national reputation.
- purpose is to attract visitors and tourists, however critics argue that although they are positive, these quarters have also just increased land prices
How is Gentrification a strategy?
The buying and renovating of properties in more run-down areas by wealthier individuals. Main causes include:
- The Rent Gap: when the price of the property has fallen below its real value, usually due to becoming run-down and this becomes an appealing investment to wealthier individuals.
- Commuting costs
- image: creative individuals drawn to ‘edgy’ neighbourhoods
- Support of gov and councils - keen to support inner city areas
- Changing composition of households - increase in 1/2 person households
How is Notting Hill, London, a good example of Gentrification?
Notting Hill is a bustling urban area but in the mid-18th century it was a country hamlet, known for its gravel pits and roadside inns frequented by travellers.
•The ‘tollgate’, which gave the main road its name(Notting Hill Gate), appeared at this time. Later, industrialisation brought workers from the countryside, with landlords building tiny terraced houses to rent to them.
- In Victorian times, Notting Hill was a rough, working class area and by the 1950s it was an area of slums and inner-city deprivation. In 1958, it was the scene of race riots following continuous harassment of the newly arrived Afro-Caribbean community by the ‘Teddy Boys’ of the British Union of Fascists. A second riot during the Notting Hill Carnival of 1976 inspired the punk anthem, White Riot by the Clash.
What is Notting Hill like today?
In the past 30years gentrification of previously working-class neighbourhoods has sent property prices rocketing. Houses can cost more here than in upmarket Mayfair.
- Notting Hill’s secluded communal gardens, sandwiched between the rows of houses and scarcely visible from the street, make it London’s most desirable area for families.
- Movie stars, rock singers, media types and fashion designers (such as Stella McCartney) have moved into the area, which has acquired the sort of atmosphere associated with the King’s Road, Chelsea in the 1960s. - The area received a great deal of publicity from the movie Notting Hill, though gentrification was taking place long before the film was released.
What makes Notting Hill trendy today?
Since 1837, people have been able to buy almost anything here. The market known locally as ‘The Lane’ has antiques and bric-a-brac to the south, fruit and vegetables in the middle, and second-hand clothing and bedding to the north.
- On august bank holiday, Notting Hill hosts the famous carnival. It is the largest outside Rio de Janeiro, attended by over 1 million people, and lasts for 3days.
- The large Afro-Caribbean pop, and others, have an all-day street party with loud music, dancing and colourful costumes.
What are some drawbacks to gentrification?
- people on low incomes cannot afford higher property prices and rent
- increased congestion due to car ownership
- loss of business for local independent shops (aimed at original locals)
- original locals may have tension with new ‘gentrifiers’ or may have been forced out if renting
What are some of the benefits of gentrification?
+ rise in prosperity and increasing numbers of services and businesses (which tender for the more affluent)
+ increased local tax for local authorities
+ improved physical environment
+ greater employment opportunities
What is the Fortress Landscape strategy?
Designed with the sole purpose of security, protection, surveillance and exclusion, with an increased need to promote urban centres, many companies and agencies want to ensure that the people visiting are protected and that the incorrect people are discouraged from coming into the area.
Some strategies for this are:
- Greater use of CCTV
- Railings and fencing
- Mosquito alarms - high pitched noise, only heard by young people
- Street lighting
- Speed bumps
What’s an example of a Fortress Landscape strategy?
Wythenshawe estate, Manchester, used:
- More windows to provide natural surveillance
- Front gardens with fences/hedges to provide clear boundaries
- Gated compounds for bins/cars etc rather than alleyways
They avoided using:
- Recessed doorways so people can hide
- Exposed drainpipes to prevent climbing
- Dark lanes, alleys, dead ends associated with mugging and drugs
What is the Edge Cities strategy?
Self contained settlements which have emerged beyond the original city boundaries – located close to transport links – most people commute
- Common in North America – a feature of postmodern urban living
- Linked to urban sprawl – good example is LA where the core of the city has a population of 4 million, but is surrounded by a metropolitan area with a population of 18 million. Often associated with extreme social segregation
What is a Post Modern Western City (PMWC)?
The post modern city is an urban form associated with changes in urban structure, architectural design and planning that reflects the changed social and economic conditions of the late 20th century in some western cities.
What are the characteristics of a postmodern city urban structure compared to a modern city?
- Modern city: dominant commercial centre and a society decline in land values away from centre
- post-modern city: a multi-nodal structure, containing hi-tech corridors and suburban developments
