Urban Flashcards
Site
exactly the piece of land that the building/town/village is built on
Situation
where the building/town/village is in relation to its other surroundings
WHY DID DUNDEE GROW?
- Dundee had a natural harbour where ships could shelter from the stormy North Sea. It was one of Scotlandโs most important towns and ports by the 14th century, being close to the Baltic and Northern Europe.
- The population grew rapidly in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the wool industry flourished
- The 18th century saw a period of growth for the city as linen began to be made, firstly using locally grown flax then imported flax from the Baltic countries
Dundee housing
Problems
Ardler and Witfield were newly built housing areas in the 1960โs and 70โs to cope with the population boom post WW2.
- they were built very quickly on the edge of the city to cope with demand.
- these helped ease the strain on overcrowding in inner cities, allowing many of these areas to be modernised or cleared altogether
- the land they are built on is often owned by 1/2 partner, which makes purchasing land easier
- legislation that was introduced also allowed local authorities to purchase the land cheaply, often with state assistance
Dundee housing
ARDLER
- it was seen as a desirable area to live among the working class
- majority of new residents coming from inner-city tenements with small numbers of rooms(archer seemed luxurious)
- the scheme was well provided with facilities(shopping precinct,community centre, clinic,schools and church)
- unlike many of the other peripheral developments then, it plugged into the network of the city, rather than being attached to the outer edge
Dundee housing
WHITFIELD
- developed on farmland between 1967 and 1972
- scheme consisted of 4400 dwellings in the form of SKARNE BLOCKS
- open plan building with open spaces to encourage pedestrians and social interaction, with cars exceeded from central areas. paths were also separate from roads
- plans for 43 shop units and 4 larger stores= 8 shops and 2 supermarkets were actually built
- unlike ARDLER, it was on the outer edges of the city, with neighbouring developments also having similar problems of poor facilities
- disconnected from the wider city network
Dundee housing
WHITFIELD
problems
- paths and walkways separate from roads= isolation( pedestrians felt unsafe)
- large car park areas and rows of garages= underuse(created an empty/dismal environment)
- covered walkways= high levels of noise(footsteps echoed through the building and anti-social behaviour arose)
- public open spaces= tenants felt no sense of ownership(little control over what happened there)
- became stigmatised/ associated with high crime and drug/ alcohol misuse= created undesirable place to live
- multi-storey flats= elderly residents lived in fear of vandalised lifts as then they had to climb the stairs
- poor quality buildings=damp/mould(refurbishment wasnโt a financially viable solution)
Dundee housing
BOTH
problems
-stigma attached to social housing= both suffered a dramatic fall in population(in 1981 the Ardler council ward had a population of 8012, by the end of 1997 this had fallen by almost 50% to just over 4500.
Dundee housing
ARDLER
problems
- ardler was included in one of the Scottish Executiveโs new Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPโs)=aims to strengthen the community/target barriers of social/economic exclusion
- ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY= led to the formation of the Ardler Steering Group. these worked alongside the council to identify potential PRIVATE DEVELOPERS AND SOCIAL LANDLORDS. (Wimpey homes were chosen to take things forward). In 1999 the ASG held 117 scheduled meetings and 10 public sessions
- WIDESPREAD APPROVAL=residents felt empowered and formed their own representative structures. The 2 17-storey towers and most of the housing was completely demolished and rebuilt, with the remainder being upgraded. Scheme consisted of 115 homes for subsidised sale,116 for private sale and 20 sheltered homes.= ensured a range of different socio-economic backgrounds=GENTRIFICATION
- CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF ARDLER=engage residents. Raise funds and deliver projects according to the needs of local residents
Dundee housing
ARDLER
success
since regeneration, archer has shown plenty of signs of becoming a desirable place to live again
- waiting lists for rented homes exceed 300 and relatively high prices for new homes are bing paid
SHOWS THE RESIDENTS ARE COMMITTED TO THE REGENERATION PROCESS
Dundee housing
ARDLER
what was done
- improved community life= residents enjoy their own garden and the layout encourages livelier street interaction, making people feel safer
- variety of places for the community to develop, adding to existing ones such as schools, churches, shops
- local firms were contracted in for demolition and construction, leading to job opportunities for local people
Dundee housing
WHITFIELD
problems
- New Life for Urban Scotland White Paper proposed a new approach to regeneration, as they realised that previous approaches did not benefit peripheral communities, as they relied on private investment, which are difficult to attract in such areas
- 4 areas were identifies(GLASGOW, EDINBURGH, PAISLEY,DUNDEE), which were to be used as test cases for the new approach. each area would be given 10 year timescale to implement its own programme for change = al;owed the changes to be specific to the area
- PHYSICAL APPEARANCE= radical change, over 50% of the original housing stock had gone, new houses were built to ensure they were more spread out. In total, ยฃ39.4 million was spent on house renewal between 1988 and 1998
- ENVIROMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS= work on footpaths, lighting, play and landscape areas, anti- vandalism features
WORKING WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS= aims to re-establish community ownership over the communal environment , and attempt to eradicate the idea that much of the environment was made up of โno goโ areas
also aimed to improve the quality of life for residents(included the whitfield health clinic, a multi-sports facility and the re- launch of the shopping centres)
Dundee housing
ARDLER
success
much was done to improve the physical appearance
-failed to make any real improvements for the residents, either socially or economically
the project was deemed unsuccessful and as such is not complete, as there is still lots of empty land that could be built on
Dundee transport
Car parking
majority of people who visit Dundee travel by car. there are 5000 spaces strategically placed around the inner ring road these are open 24/7
-not many โresidents onlyโ spaces+ they can buy a residents parking ticket
Dundee encourages people to car share on its website
Dundee transport
Park and ride
DUNDEE WEST RIVERSIDE
ADV
- close to the city
- near the airport
DISADV
- busy
- expensive