LONDON - Urban Challenges

• UK population distribution

  • Uneven
  • Most cities have developed into conurbations (towns have merged to form continuous urban areas)
  • These areas have the highest population density
• Factors affecting where most people live in the UK

  • UPLAND REGIONS - sparsely populated, can't build
  • COASTAL AREAS - attractive and have trade ports
  • MINERAL WEALTH - rapid population growth (jobs)
  • LOWLAND AREAS - most urban areas, easy to build on and milder climates
• London location

  • South East of the UK
  • Home to Greenwich mean time (where lines of longitude start)
  • In the North Atlantic in the British Isles
  • Near to continental Europe
• Importance of London in the UK

  • 20 million tourists a year who spend £20 billion
  • Generates 22% of the UK's income
  • Capital city, home to the UK government and a variety of historical attractions (e.g. Buckingham Palace)
• Impacts of migration on London's character (national)

  • Gentrification - young wealthy graduates being revamping derelict areas into luxury apartments
  • Housing Estates - following WW2, lack community
  • Dereliction - counter urbanisation has caused dereliction (higher crime rates)
  • Young Services and Facilities - lots of student accommodation has been created attracting clubs, takeaways, pubs and restaurants
• 62% of London is green space
• Urban greening in London

  • Ecology Park e.g. Bow Creek - using a brownfield site to create a wildlife haven in an old inner-city area. Provides a wildlife sanctuary for wading birds as well as an outdoor classroom for schools, a recreational opportunity and flooding protection
  • Living walls and roofs - attractive, natural insulation on buildings which promotes biodiversity, helps combat flooding, improves air quality and is space efficient
• Urban deprivation

  People in cities not having access to the same resources, services and opportunities as others.

  Urban deprivation is an economic and social challenges because people have poor housing, low incomes, few qualifications and higher rates of unemployment.
• Migration and its impact on London's Character (international)

  
  

  • Cultured Areas - people from the same country tend to settle in the same place (eg Chinatown), this influences services, shops and languages
  • Terrorist Attacks - increased racial and ethnic tension between groups has led to London being a target for terrorist attacks
  • Languages - over 100 languages, can be challenging in schools, hospitals etc.
  • Diversity and Culture - cultural events such as Chinese New Year and St. Patrick's Day
• Opportunities in LondonSOCIAL

  • Diverse Cultural Mix - ethnic diversity due to migrations has brought a range of foods, festivals, cultural experiences, services and shops to the city
  • Recreation and Entertainment - e.g. London West End or Wimbledon (both attract tourism, create jobs and also create recognition of the city)
• Urban Deprivation Causes

  • Deindustrialisation occurs in the inner city, causing the area to decline as buildings are left derelict and people are left unemployed with no skills to get another job.
  • Those who can move away from deprived inner city areas, which means the properties are worth less and an elderly or disadvantaged population is left behind.
  • People in deprived inner city areas turn to unhealthy behaviour, crime and low levels of educational aspiration (so they are unable to get a good job and move out of the area)
• Kensington and Chelsea (rich areas)


  Have double the house prices, half the people who reach working age with no qualification and half the number of people unemployed, almost 10 years higher life expectancy compared to Newham (a poor, deprived area)
• Waste disposal problems in London

  • 30 million tonnes of waste is created per year
  • 50% of London's waste goes to nearby countries including Kent and Essex
  • Food waste costs the average person in London £200 a year (£700 with children)
• North London Waste Authority initiatives EFFECTIVE

  • Encouraging residents to reduce food waste by holding events to educate (eg Pumpkin Rescue Festival prevents 3 tonnes of food waste each year)
  • Furniture Give and Take Days and "Jumble Trail" in north London boroughs stop 29 tonnes of waste each year
• London's urban sprawl

  • there is evidence of lots of urban sprawl in London
  • Most of the housing in the centre of the city was built pre 1900
  • Urban sprawl began in places like Finchley
  • As London grew it swallowed up smaller settlements which had previously been separate from the city
  • A huge amount of the urban sprawl happened between 1930-1954, creating suburbs around the whole city - this growth more than doubled the size of the city
  • Places like Baret and Romford became part of London at this time
• Challenges of London's urban sprawl

  • London will continue to grow forever, swallowing green space and smaller towns
  • There will be very little green space, creating environmental issues such as water and air pollution, increases traffic jams, increased car dependency and parking will also be necessary
  • There will be less towns and people will lose the sense of a town community
  • Large housing estates built on greenfield land mean that green space is lost and ecosystems are damaged and destroyed
• London's green belt:

  13% of UK land is greenbelt. 1.8 million, of the 3 million aim of new homes, need to be built on greenbelt. As urban sprawl progresses, due to a growing demand for new houses, London's greenbelt and urban fringe are put under pressure
• Commuter settlements


  Places in the rural-urban fringe where the majority of the population leaves the town each day to work elsewhere e.g. Hitchin, Letchworth
• Commuter settlements reduce the problems of urban sprawl as it means people can still work in London without needing to live there. Hence, London doesn't need to keep growing, people can move to commuter towns instead whilst still benefiting from the jobs and opportunities in the city
• London's transport strategies to reduce congestion

  • London Buses - one bus takes up to 20 cars off the road and travels in a bus lane so moves quicker through the congestion. this incentifies public transport because it is more efficient
  • London Underground - providing transport away from the roads, Central train line holds over 100 people at once, tubes are also faster than cars
  • Red Routes - routes where you can't stop, reduces congestion by ensuring constant movement and doesn't create traffic (more efficient and fast-paced travel
• London Olympic Site


  • Location: London, North of the Thames, on the border of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney
  • Urban Regeneration was needed because the average weekly household income after tax was under £600 in 2008, the life expectancy in 2007 was mainly under 79.5 (under 77.5 in some places) and in most areas, >50% of children were dependent of tax credit and in out-of-work families
• BedZED sustainable citysolutions


  • Energy Conservation (burning fossil fuels is finite and causes climate change) - south-facing windows, triple glazing and thicker insulated walls less heating required, energy and hot water created from local tree surgery waste used
  • Water Conservation (must replace all water used) - roofs planted with sedum which allows slowing of the journey of water from the roof to the rain water storage tanks underground
• Importance of London Globally:

  • Major retail centre (highest non-food retail sales in 2010 globally)
  • Many universities with 100,000 international students in the city
  • Home to the UK Government + Royal Family who oversee the Commonwealth
• Opportunities in London ECONOMIC

  • Employment - reduced manufacturing jobs (they have relocated in cheap labour countries like China), more professional jobs in science, technology, real estate, education etc.
  • Integrated Transport Systems - e.g. Kings Cross and St Pancras allow you to easily travel to cities like Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, one oyster card can be used for the entire integrated transport system
• Urban Greening in London

  • Allotments and urban farms - a way of getting garden space near high density housing, encourages biodiversity and the opportunity to grow your own cheap and healthy fruit and veg Increases food supply, decreases food waste
  • Parks and gardens - e.g. Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath - provide spaces for walking, cycling, horse riding etc (promotes a healthier population) There are also many open air events like winter wonderland and shared gardens for those without gardens
• North London Waste Authority Initiatives NOT EFFECTIVE

  • Waste electrical products were not as effective in Jumble Trails and Give and Take Days, only 63 items were collected in one year
  • 24% of waste still goes to landfills and many things in this take years to decompose (eg plastic) so we are just polluting the ground and taking up lots of space
• Olympic site social features:

  • By 2030, more than 10,000 new homes will have been built on the olympic site of the Olympic Park PRO
  • The housing for the poorer people had to be demolished to make way for the site, 450 Housing Association flats were torn down CON

  Olympic site economic features:

  • The Olympics brought more than £9bn of investment to east London PRO
  • Very few locals were given jobs and unemployment rates were still high CON

  Olympic site environmental features:

  • Many of the grounds in the park have been kept as parkland e.g. the 100 hectare Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park PRO
• BedZED sustainable city solutions

  • Creating Green Space (space for habitats, exercise and for less pollution) - green roofs and sky gardens (16 species of spider on the green roofs alone), borders are planted with local lavender and rosemary and native trees were selected for the village square
  • Waste Recycling (reduces raw resources, landfill space and greenhouse gas emissions) - 60% of waste is recycled (3x the UK average), there are 6 recycling areas, waste is separated to make recycling easier.
• BedZED Location

  Location: In Beddington, 10 km south of central London, 10 min walk from Hackbridge station