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