Urban Flashcards
human environments P1
Glasgow housing issues
Growing student population puts pressure on renting market
More single people households (higher divorce rates) means less housing stock available
Landlords don’t always make necessary repairs to rented properties leaving them in disrepair
Tower blocks built quickly to house large numbers of people suffer from damp and antisocial conditions
Houses are being built on the green belt leading to urban sprawl
Homelessness is increasing due to the rising cost of living
Glasgow housing solutions
Sighthill
Garden bridge
This is a pedestrian/cycle bridge that crosses the M8
This was built to increase access to the CBD for jobs and education opportunities for Sighthill residents.
A negative is that residents think the bridge is an eyesore due to its deliberate rusty appearance.
Sighthill park
The park was rebuilt and included play parks, allotments and a leisure centre
The purpose of the pack was to improve the mental health of residents and overall prolong life expectancy.
One positive of this is that it will encourage families with children to move to the area who are more likely to buy and live there for longer.
New housing
A mixture of private homes (600) and mid-market rental homes (200) have been built.
A mixed tenure improves the socio-economic mix of the area.
One good thing about having a lot of private homes is because home-owners are more likely to improve their houses with extensions etc. which adds value to the area.
Another positive is Keepmoat Homes who built the new houses and invested in the area by offering jobs to local people.
A negative is that the amount of affordable housing in the area has decreased dramatically (from 5000 to 141).
People who no longer are able to afford to live in Sighthill had to move away, breaking up the community.
Dalmarnock
The Legacy Hub
The hub contained a community centre, a nursery, GP surgery, dental surgery and pharmacy
The hub provided essential services for local residents to improve the quality of life in the area
One negative is that the owners of the Legacy Hub went into administration in 2019 and the building closed.
The closing of these services forced residents to travel further to access them. Those unable to travel lost access to these services altogether.
Athletes Village
The Athletes Village was accommodation built for the Commonwealth Games
It was later turned into housing, 400 of which were social housing.
One benefit is that houses were fully insulated resulting in lower energy bills for residents.
Another benefit is that all the houses were sold which increased home ownership in the area.
A negative is that during the construction of the Athletes Village, some residents were forced to move homes.
Those that owned their homes were offered compensation which was not enough to buy another house.
Gorbals
Housing Regeneration
New houses were designed to be a modern take on tenement flats
The design was to reflect the traditional heritage of the area while modernising them and making them fit for purpose.
One advantage of this is that it includes shared gardens which creates more opportunities for socialising.
Glasgow traffic issues
Streets in the CBD are narrow as this part of the city was developed before cars/roads existed.
Increased wealth has resulted in more cars on the roads
Due to more extreme weather, roads are needing repaired more frequently (e.g. potholes)
Repairs require roadworks which prevent the flow of traffic
The majority of people that work in the city centre live in the surrounding suburbs, creating rush hours in the morning and evening.
There are not many bridging points for motorists to cross the River Clyde which results in bottlenecks on existing bridges.
Glasgow traffic solutions
The M74 extension
Motorways allow cars to bypass the narrow streets of the CBD
Motorways have multiple lanes allowing traffic to flow more easily
One positive is that it saves around 15 minutes on journey times.
Another positive is that it has removed around 20,000 vehicles from the M8 between Ballieson and Charing Cross.
A negative is that people in the surrounding areas were required to leave their homes/close their businesses to make way for the road’s construction.
The LEZ
Only low emitting vehicles can drive in the CBD
This improves the air quality in the area making it more appealing
One positive is that it encourages the uptake of low emitting vehicles which reduce N20 emissions.
Another positive is this benefits people’s health, particularly the very old and very young.
Pedestrianising streets
Cars have been removed from CBD streets such Buchanan Street and Argyle Street
This is to improve safety for shoppers to make the area more appealing.
One positive of this is that the lack of cars improves the quality of the air in the CBD.
Bus lanes
These are lanes which only buses and taxis can use during operational hours (morning and evening rush hour)
Bus lanes reduce journey times for buses
Other traffic also flows more easily without having to stop behind buses at every bus stop.
One negative is that buses are not used for this strategy to be effective. More needs to be done to encourage the use of buses.
Another negative is that bus lanes mean there’s less space on the road for other road users which may result in more congestion.
A positive is that the fine motorists receive (£30) for using the bus lane during operational hours acts as a deterrent.
Another positive is that money from the fines can be used to reinvest in local transport strategies.
Upgrading public transport
Improving seats, adding plug sockets and including complimentary WiFi have been introduced on public transport
This is to encourage more people to use public transport.
For example, free WiFi will encourage commuters to use public transport as they could do work while travelling.
Queen Street station has been upgraded to include longer platforms to accommodate larger trains
This upgrade allows for more passengers and electrified lines increase the speed of the trains to reduce journey times.
One negative is that the upgrade cost £120 million and took three years to complete.
Another negative is that during the upgrade, the station was closed for 20 weeks, causing disruption for commuters.
Multi-story car parks
Multi-story car parks such as Buchanan Galleries charge for parking in the city centre.
These have been built to reduce the number of cars parking on the surrounding streets.
One negative is that as we move towards electric cars in the future, they will no longer be fit for purpose as electric cars are significantly heavier than fuel powered cars.
rio housing issues
There is a lack of basic facilities such as running water or electricity
Houses are built from scrap materials such as wood and corrugated iron
Houses are built on a hill and are prone to landslides due to Brazil’s high precipitation
Overcrowded houses results in a lack of privacy
An informal settlement which means they are often built without legal permission and do not own the land.
Lack of public utilities such as sewerage leading to high levels of disease
rio housing solutions
Self-Help schemes
This uses the skills of local people and materials provided by the Government
Much of the housing has been upgraded with concrete and bricks
One positive is that self-help schemes give residents a sense of ownership
Another positive is it improves community spirit through working together.
Another positive is that it is a cheaper alternative to brand new housing areas.
A negative is that the project relies on the willingness and motivation of the local people to complete the upgrades.
Site and service
This uses the skills of local people and materials provided by the government
Much of the housing has been upgraded with concrete and bricks
One positive is that self-help schemes give residents a sense of ownership
Another positive is it improves community spirit through working together.
Another positive is that it is a cheaper alternative to brand new housing areas.
The Favela Bairro project has been successful as money from rents has allowed other favelas to be developed
A negative is that it does not help families without jobs who cannot afford to pay rent
It is only the smaller favelas (500-2500) that have been a focus for this investment
Pacification
The aim was for police to take back control of the favelas from drug gangs
This was to make the favelas safer and to improve the quality of life in the area.
Once the favelas had been pacified - improvements to the area could be made.
One negative of this was that the police were accused of overtly violent behaviour.
Another negative was that once one gang had been abolished by pacification, another would take its place.
rio traffic issues
The city is surrounded by mountains making traffic management difficult.
There are few main roads which receive a high level of traffic resulting in congestion
High numbers of accidents, noise and air pollution
Car ownership is increasing (eight out of ten households in Brazil owned a car in 2020).
Most journeys in Rio are made by private cars
Rio hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics meant traffic management was a priority to ensure tourists could navigate the city.
rio traffic solutions
The Rio-Niteroi Bridge
Connects Rio to the commuter area of Niteroi
This bridge was built to save commuters an 80km drive around Guanabara Bay.
One positive is that it manages transport by reducing pressure on ferry services.
One negative is that due to the rise in car ownership, the bridge still has bottle necks during rush hours.
The Yellow Line Expressway
This bypasses the busy city centre
The road connects Barra di Tijuca to the international airport which was vital in the run up for Rio’s hosting of the Olympic Games
One negative is that the government made this a toll road as they did not have enough money to cover the building of it.
A positive is that this road cut journey times from the CBD to the suburbs by 45 minutes.
Another positive is that it has removed around 40% of traffic from the local roads in the area.
BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) Systems
The Transcarioca connects Barra da Tijuca with the International Airport which was important for the spectators at the 2016 Olympics.
Bendy buses are bigger and allow for more passengers.
One negative is that public transport has been criticised by residents and has led to protests due to fare increases and low quality of service.
However, a positive is that buses are reasonably cheap and some are air conditioned.
The major has announced a 15 year plan to develop a light rail network to replace the BRT
The light rail network manages transport by increasing the capacity of the public transport network
A positive is the light rail network will not emit any greenhouse gases
Metro Rio
The underground rail is one of Rio’s most used public transport
It has been extended by adding Line 4 which added an extra six stations.
This manages transport by relieving pressure on already congested routes towards the CBD
One positive about the metro is that it is relatively cheap, costing the equivalent of 60p for a single.
Another positive is that it is the safest, fastest and cleanest mode of transport in Rio.
Cable cars
The cable cars connect the favelas to the rest of the city
The ride reduces a two hour journey by foot to a 15 minute skyride on a cable car.
One negative is that the cable cars were expensive ($110 million) and therefore other scheduled improvements for the favelas (repairing sewage systems etc.) were delayed or abandoned.
Another negative is that many residents of the favelas thought the project had more to do with improving the appearance of Rio for the Olympics rather than improving the living conditions for residents.
