16 - Sustainable development of urban areas

• Greenfield site


  Area of land that has not previously been built on - usually farmland on the rural-urban fringe
• Brownfield site


  Previously developed land which is often derelict now and has potential for redevelopment, often land that was previously used for industry where the ground may be contaminated
• London's population is growing

  Only about 20,000 new homes a year are being built
• This has led to a severe housing shortage in London and the rest of South East England
• Housing shortage in London

  House prices are rising faster in London than the rest of the country
• Reasons for building on greenfield sites

  • Public transport is worse in rural areas, so more need for cars
  • Increases urban sprawl
  • Once land is built on, it is unlikely to be turned back to countryside
  • Land is cheaper in rural areas
  • No demolition or decontamination is needed
• Reasons for building on brownfield sites

  • Sites are available since industry declined
  • Reduces the need for urban sprawl
  • Public transport is better in urban areas, so less need for cars
  • Old buildings may need to be demolished first
  • Ground may need to be decontaminated
  • New development can improve the urban environment
  • Land is more expensive in urban areas
• There are 170,000 homeless people in London, about half of the total homeless in the UK
• Each borough is responsible for housing homeless people
• Sometimes people are moved to other, less crowded parts of the country instead of within London
• Around many cities in the UK, including London, is a green belt - land on which there are strict planning controls
• The green belt was established in 1947 to prevent further urban sprawl
• As the population of London grows and house prices rise


  More people move to commuter settlements around London
• More people moving to commuter settlements around London


  Forces population and house prices in the rest of South East England to rise too
• The problem of urban sprawl has shifted to commuter settlements outside the green belt
• Cities like Reading and Chelmsford, within a half-hour train journey to London, are growing rapidly
• Urban development, in the form of new housing estates and business parks, encroaches into the surrounding countryside
• Compared to years gone by, pollution in London is often thought to be less of a problem than it used to be
• In the mid-twentieth century, when coal was burnt to power factories and provide domestic heating, the city used to experience smog, a dense mixture of smoke and fog
• Air pollution is still a problem in London
• The main problem now is emissions from road vehicles and modern heating systems
• London has a worse pollution record than most other European cities, though not as bad as many cities in Asia
• One of the worst modern pollutants is nitrogen dioxide (NO2) that comes primarily from road vehicles, especially diesel engines
• London regularly breaks regulations on air quality
• Most of central London is above the safe limit of 40 mg/m3 for NO2
• There are over 4,000 premature deaths a year in London due to long-term exposure to air pollution
• Cycle superhighways


  Fast routes for cyclists along main roads, planned for London to encourage more people to cycle and reduce traffic and harmful emissions from vehicles
• Cyclists have increased from 1 per cent to 15 per cent of road users in London over the past 50 years
• Almost a quarter of London's waste still goes to landfill sites outside London
• Landfill waste contributes to wider environmental problems, such as the production of methane that adds to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• More of London's waste is now recycled
• The target is for zero waste to go to landfill by 2030, by focusing on waste reduction and by managing resources more efficiently
• The aim is for 65 per cent of waste to be recycled by 2030, an improvement on the 52 per cent in 2016
• Most of the remaining waste by 2030 would be incinerated or burned to generate electricity
• In the past, landfill waste was acceptable because the waste was out of sight, out of mind
• Now, we realise that landfill waste contributes to wider environmental problems, such as the production of methane that adds to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• 'Waste' is just that – a waste of potentially valuable resources
• By 2030, the aim is for 65 per cent of waste to be recycled, an improvement on the 52 per cent in 2016
• Types of municipal waste

  • Household waste
  • Non-household waste
• Cyclists in London represent about 15 per cent of road users


  The percentage would increase with safer cycle routes