Download - Settlement Change
Settlement Change
Unit 3 – June 6th 2014
Functions of a Settlement
A function simply means what a settlement is used for.
Historically most settlements where for defence or to control a piece of land, or for agriculture and trade.
However, most settlements now rely on the tertiary sector and provide services such as shops, schools, hospitals and entertainment
One function that is common to all settlements is to provide housing. Some settlements have become dormitory settlements where people commute to work but are only at home in the evenings and weekends.
Change to Benidorm’s Function1) Benidorm first developed as a
settlement due to its physical location; on a hill for defence
2) Then it became a fishing port as it was situated near the coast
3) When the settlement grew, water was transferred from inland to support a growing agriculture
function for citrus fruit and olives.
4) It became an important tourist destination after the the main road
between Benidorm and Alicante was built, linking it with the airport there
Causes of Depopulation in the Western Isles
Access on and off the island is by boat and plane. Any food for the shops has to come by boat
so you are very confined.
Remoteness – People feel isolated from things and want to
be connected with the rest of society
Jobs and Wages –There are not a lot of tertiary or secondary
jobs so most are limited to the primary sector
Weather – the harsh physical climate of the Western Isles
causes them to move away for more mild weather
Ambitions – There are no large universities on the
island and no tertiary jobs so people move for better jobs
Media – seeing adverts and programs on the TV shows
people the life they are missing out on
Counter-UrbanisationCase Study – St Ives, Cambridge
Counter-urbanisation – the movement of
people from the city to the countryside
St Ives, Cambridge
25% of people who live there are commuters
100km north of London
Close to the A1 motorway and 50 min train journey
from King’s CrossHalf of the village are young
commuters the other half are retired
Higher incomes and a better standard of
living than anywhere else in the UK
Modern housing estates, designer restaurants and
shops
Reasons for an increase in housing demand in the UK
• Increase in population – between 2001 and 2011 the population increased from 58.8 to 62.6 million people
• An increase in the number of households – more people are living alone, marrying later, divorce, and more people are living longer. In 2001 there were 21.6 million households. Of these 30% only had one person living in them.
• Increased personal wealth has resulted in more people being able to afford to buy their own home
Four possible locations for new housing in the UK
Commuter BeltNew housing estates built
around existing townsEco-towns built on
brownfield land
SuburbsIntensification by people
selling off their gardens for building (garden grabbing)
and infilling any green spaces with new housing
Inner CityBlocks of flats and gated
communities on Brownfield sites
Urban FringeNew housing estates built(1) On the outer edge of a
built up area(2) Around villages (use of
greenfield land
Commuter Belt
Compact estates on Greenfield sites
Long journey to work
Car freeMost proposed sites are on brownfield land
Not actually any jobs there so more like commuter dormitories
Within the urban fringe and commuter belt
Environmentally friendly – carbon emissions kept low.
30% are for less well off households
Compact estates on Greenfield sites
20,000 new homes in eco-
towns
Urban FringeOuter edge of the built
up area
Near to open countryside but still
close to the city
Built on Greenfield sites
Loss of countryside High dependency on the car to get around.
Lots of people of the same economic class
Vast areas of low density housing Still close to place of
work and best shops
Building of edge of town retail parks has brought shops and leisure facilities closer
Recently offices and factories have moved to the outer edge shortening
the journey times
SuburbsAlso involves ‘garden grabbing’ whereby people sell off some of
their garden as a building plot Gardens are brownfield not greenfield and government
policy prefers brownfield sites
Suburban intensification Occurs in the older suburbs
Involves building on playing fields and vacant areas of
land
What factors encourage suburban sprawl?
Good transport links
Wasteful use of greenfield sites
Greater wealth
Low density housing and lack of planning
Growth in numbers of households due to divorce
and people living longerShorter working hours
Unless there are very strict rules on house building it is very easy for the suburbs to grow outwards and ‘sprawl’ over large areas of countryside. Here are the reasons for this;
Inner City
Redevelopment of brownfield sites
Housing located in the inner parts of towns and cities that were once factories and slums
Concern about personal security is being fixed with gated communities
Gated communities are group of homes shut away with CCTV and
electronic gates
Designed to offer personal security and
protect property
Ideal for families
Redevelopment of brownfield sites
Separates well off from less well off people
Houses are expensive so can only be an option for the
wealthy.
Targets for crime
People attracted back to the centre by new
homes and better facilities
Other factors in building new houses
There are laws about how new housing estates should be build to make sure they are attractive to lots of different people. Here are some of the considerations;• Mix of housing types – houses, maisonettes, flats• Size of house – 1, 2, 3, or 4 bedrooms• A mix of owner occupied, rented and council housing• Availability of work in the area• Availability of utilities (water, gas, electricity)• Access to services (shops, schools, pub)• The environmental impact of new housing
Redevelopment of a deindustrialised area – Bristol Harbourside
Deindustrialisation occurred because;• Larger cargo ships that could not fit up the River Avon• Competition from new docks at Avonmouth and Portbury. • Closure of tobacco factories, a sand dredging industry and lead-shot works. Problems• Social and economic inequalities – a big divide between the very rich and very poor• Large areas of derelict land • High unemployment: in some areas it rose to almost 20%. Solutions• It was decided to redevelop the former dockland area.• Lloyds TSB relocated their headquarters to the docklands area. • Over the past thirty years, the area has undergone major changes finishing with the opening of the new IMAX
theatre, at-Bristol science museum and the Millennium Square. Successes include:• Over 3000 new jobs.• A mixed environment that includes cafe bars, restaurants, cinemas, shops.• New developments for the arts and sports facilities.• An industrial museum and maritime heritage museum.• The saving and usage of listed buildings. For example, the Watershed media centre that includes a cinema,
studios, art gallery and café bar was formerly two warehouses.
Advantages Disadvantages
Brownfield Site
• Reduces the loss of countryside that might otherwise have been taken for building
• Helps revive old disused urban areas
• Services such as water, electricity, sewers already in place
• Located new main areas of employment so commuting time reduced
• Often more expensive because old buildings have to be cleared and the land made free of pollution
• Often surrounded by rundown areas so does not appeal to more wealthy people
• Higher levels of pollution• May not have good access in terms
of modern roads.
Greenfield Site
• Relatively cheap and rates of house building are faster
• The layout is not restricted by other buildings around it
• Healthier environment
• Valuable farm land lost• Attractive scenery lost• Wildlife and habitats lost of disturbed• Development causes noise and light
pollution• Encourages suburban sprawl
Greenfield vs Brownfield
Reasons for rapid growth in LIC urban areas
Rapid Urban
Growth
Natural Increase – birth rate higher than death rate
Accounts for 60% of population growth
Urban pull factors (reasons why people are attracted to the city)
- Better jobs - Higher wages
- Better quality of life - Better education and health
care - Better utilities
Government support
Rural – Urban MigrationAccounts for 40% of population growth
Causes by rural push and urban pull factors
Rural push factors (reasons why people leave the countryside)
- Lack of jobs - Harsh lifestyle
- Mechanisation of farming - Government uninterested
Lack of moneyLittle entertainment
Limited education and health care
Case Study of an LIC urban area - Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh• One of the poorest countries in the world• Cities population is an estimated 12 million but forecast to increase to 21 million by 2050
• Dhaka is hemmed in by large river channels that thread their way through the city• It is these low-lying areas that suffer widespread flooding during the monsoon season• It is in these places that the ‘bostis’ are built; Illegal shanty towns and squatter settlements that have been built
by rural to urban migrants that have come to the city looking for work.• The authorities have not provided any other form of housing and they cannot afford to live elsewhere• Overcrowding and disease are major problems• Water pollution and rotting piles of waste are a real health hazard• So too is the smoke from domestic fires and air pollution from the factories and traffic• The most common diseases are diarrhoea, tuberculosis, measles, and malaria
• The growth of the population is outstripping the creation of jobs• Most people work in the informal economy e.g. working for themselves• Common jobs are; selling the street, shoe shining, rubbish collection, scavenging and recycling waste• Begging crime and prostitution are also less legal ways of making a living.• In Dhaka, the driving of rickshaws is the most common form of informal activity• No public transport means the rickshaws are an important factor in keeping the city moving
• Half a million children are also estimated to be involved in the informal economy• Most of them work from dawn til dusk and earn about 12p per day