Friday, 3 June 2016

Cities - Counter-urbanisation

Characteristics

  • Increase in use of commuter railway stations
  • Increased cost of housing in the area
  • Construction of new housing or renovation of farm buildings
Causes
  • Overcrowding in cities
  • Lower crime rates
  • Lower cost of living
  • Less pollution
  • Better sense of community
  • Perceived better quality of life
Effects

Positives
  • Light industry may develop e.g. B&Bs, bistros
  • Primary schools may flourish if more families move in
  • Supports local facilities
  • Businesses attracted to area
Negatives
  • Inner city areas left derelict
  • Increased congestion
  • House prices pushed up so when local people want to move in the area they may not be able to afford it
  • Too much growth then the area may lose its charm
Management
  • Congestion e.g. In Sevenoaks they are adapting road layouts and pedestrian crossings to ensure a smoother flow of traffic
  • Parking e.g. adding park and ride systems, increasing parking spaces by the station, encouraging people to walk or cycle
  • Affordable housing e.g. Sevenoaks, developing a large housing estate 3 miles away in Halstead so there are cheaper homes in the area

Case study - St Ives, Cambridgeshire
  • Small town located 70km north if London
  • Regular trains to London and Cambridge makes commuting very easy
  • A large population of the town are employed outside of town
  • Shops and services in the town has altered to fit the new demographic of young professionals. So there are more restaurants as well as more estate agents.
  • Traffic congestion has increased, especially during rush hour on the A14
  • Average price houses are rapidly increasing
  • Increased pressure on local schools. However, to fix this there are plans to expand schools adding 240 new places
  • New developments are having to be built on the River Great Ouse floodplain. Flood protection in this area is costing £8.8million

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