The Suburbs Flashcards
what are the suburbs
The Suburbs are areas of more modern housing. The first suburbs were built between the 1920’s and 1930’s. Most of those houses were semi-detached (two houses joined to each other).
where are the suburbs located
The suburbs were built on what was countryside, surrounding the inner city. They were built on farmland and areas where forestry had been removed.
why did a lot of people want to live in the suburbs
As land values were cheaper here and there was plenty of room, the housing is bigger. Houses also have gardens. The suburbs further expanded in the 1950’s and 1960’s due to an increasing population of couples looking for family homes. They were the post-war baby boom generation
what is the street pattern in the suburbs
The roads form curvilinear street patterns. This slows traffic down in areas where there are many children.
name some features of the suburbs
The land they are built on is cheap (it has a low land value). This means that the buildings do not need to be packed in (there is a low building density). The cheaper land also allows for housing with garages and garages. The houses also have more space between them.
There are modern council and private housing estates. Often with rows of low and medium order services such as corner shops and hairdressers.
The cheaper land values and large areas of space means that there are usually parks and recreation grounds.
There are modern industrial estates (places with factories and warehouses) and business parks (places with many offices). Those have attractive landscaped grounds and parking for the workforce. An example of an industrial estate, in Aberdeen, would be Bridge of Don Industrial estate. An example of a business park in Aberdeen’s suburbs, is Prime Four in Kingswells.
Most of the houses are detached (with no other houses joined to them) and semi-detached (where two houses are joined).
The suburbs have curvilinear street patterns (curvy street patterns of crescents and cul-de-sacs).
Ring roads and bypasses connect housing and industry to the CBD and other settlements.
what is the rural urban fringe
This is where the countryside and the city meet.
what are greenfield sites
Areas in the rural-urban fringe that have not been built on
what are greenbelts
Greenbelts are areas of land around the rural-urban fringe that have been designated no development zones, to protect the countryside for farming and recreation.
why do people want to develop in the rural urban fringe
Land is usually cheaper on the outskirts of urban areas.
As the land is usually farmland or recreation land, there are usually few if any buildings that need demolished. This keeps costs down.
There is plenty of room for parking and future expansion of developments.
Location in relation to bypasses and ring roads (often found in the rural-urban fringe) allows easy access.
The environment is usually attractive and the air is cleaner, providing a healthier environment.
Traffic congestion is usually not a problem as you are away from the narrow streets and increased traffic of the inner city and CBD.
Why are developments such as housing and industry usually not allowed to take place on the greenbelt?
Developments are severely restricted to try and prevent urban sprawl. However, sometimes if a development is deemed necessary, e.g. a new road, planning permission may be granted. This can then open the area up to further development.
what is a brownfield site
This land is found in urban areas and has already been developed in the past, e.g. for old industry or housing.
asvantages of brownfield sites
Building developments on brownfield sites can reduce vandalism in those areas. The developments increase footfall, which can reduce crime.
New developments usually make the place look more attractive as well.
advantage of greenfield sites
Those have never been developed. They usually consist of farmland on the edge of urban areas.
As they have never been built on, they do not need cleared and building can usually commence quickly, once planning permission has been granted.
There is room for parking and expansion, as there is lots of open space.
As the sites are on the edge of the urban area, traffic congestion should not be an issue.
disadvantaged of brownfield sites
It can be costly to clear, depending on what was there before.
Brownfield sites are often found in inner city areas. Those can be difficult to access, due to traffic congestion.
The sites are usually in built up areas and so there may not be adequate room for parking or future expansion.
The developments could increase traffic congestion,
disadvantages of greenfield sites
They can take up valuable farmland, reducing farmers profits.
They can take up valuable recreation land, which is becoming scarce in areas of the UK.
Construction can destroy wildlife habitats.
It can lead to increased air and noise pollution as vehicle numbers will increase.
