Urban Degradation

Question 1

What are factors that cause urban degradation?

Answer 1

MIC
* Urbanisation - rapid growth of city size => unplanned and uncontrolled developments eg Rocinha.
* Industrial development - TNCs attracted to areas with weak environment laws.
* Inadequate waste management - waste disposal systems struggle to keep up with rapid urban growth, no proper sewage systems, especially in shanty towns. eg in Ethiopia 90% don’t have proper sanitation systems.
* Ageing and derelict buildings - many HICs experience growth in industrial period, then continue to grow outward, leads to inner zone being neglected. Structures start to crumble, roofs leak etc. Eventually abandoned.
* Inadequate infrastructure - donut effect, movement of urban activities away from centre, leaving centre inadequate, lack of space etc forcing businesses out to edge.
* Deindustrialisation - in HICs factories starting to shut down, factories abandoned, loss of jobs.
* Social segregation - rich move outwards, poor left in centre, no money to improve homes, leaves area degraded.
* Waste - rich people produce more rubbish. Landfills in cities get full and and leach chemicals into ground water, trucks transporting waste GHGEs.

Question 2

Why did Stratford change?

Answer 2

Developed for Olympics in London 2012, major changes.

Question 3

Where is Stratford?

Answer 3

East London, in Newham, one of the five host borough for the Olympics.

Question 4

What was Stratford like economically before the rejuvenation?

Answer 4

• The run-down of the London’s docks in 1980 led to a collapse in the local economy in Newham. As an industrial area, many companies left without local docks to support them.
• Many families lower-middle class, typical salary of Newham averaged 1/5th of those in West London boroughs.
• Housing unaffordable despite being some of the cheapest housing in Greater London, with many key workers not being able to afford housing.
• In 1981 census, 2/3 of adult males unemployed.
• Mostly factories.

Question 5

What was Stratford like socially before the rejuvenation?

Answer 5

• 1/4 houses in East London overcrowded.
• Low GCSE scores, less than 50% in Newham achieved five or more A*-C grades.
• For every stop on the jubilee line between Westminster and Stratford, an adult male loses one year of life expectancy.
• Smog from factories meant people sometimes couldn’t see infront of them.

Question 6

What was Stratford like environmentally before the rejuvenation?

Answer 6

• Contaminated land in Lea Valley, including dead animal bodies and waste in canal. Industrial waste dumped polluted land with chemicals including mercury and lead.
• Fridge Mountain, 20ft tall mound of fridges, biggest white goods dumping ground in Europe. Fly-tipping being tolerated and ignored.

Question 7

How successful was the Olympic rejuvenation?

Answer 7

• Decreased deprivation, but could just be due to out-migration of most deprived.
• All venues still in use after Olympics, such as for events or bands, employment opportunities and brought in more tourists, stimulating businesses. An estimated 100,000 jobs created by 2030.
• Social cohesion, as the games brought a shared pride among locals.
• Several hotel chains opened eg Premier Inn, facilitating tourists.
• Project was complete early, less disruption time.
• Stadiums made of 25% recycled materials.
• House prices increased rapidly, since 2014 only 22% of new housing units in East London have been affordable accommodation. Could be general house prices increases, not because of games.
• The houses meant for 4,000 was reduced to 3,000.

Question 8

How did they rejuvenate Stratford?

Answer 8

• Scheme to change Atheletes village into housing after the games, whose aim was 50% to be affordable. Wanted to be for 4,000 people.
• First Olympics to measure carbon footprint over entire project.
• First Olympic or Paralympic to commit to a zero landfill waste target. Recycled 98% demolition waste.
• Bat and bird boxes built along the Lea river.
• Used a biodiversity action plan to create habitats and ecological conservation for flora and fauna.
• River Lea cleaned, eg invasive species including Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and floating pennywort have been removed, along with concrete walls, to improve the river habitat for wildlife and users.
• 2,000 native trees planted and five miles of the river.