Urban - Human Unit 3

Higher Geography 2023/24

What is regeneration?

improving the physical structure and economy of a high desnity urban environment

What is gentrification?

The renovation and revival of deteriorated urban neighbourhoods often leads to more affluent residents moving in. This results in increased property values and displacing of lower income families & small businesses.

Case study area for Urban

Leith, Edinburgh

Why was Leith in need of regeneration?

• 1960s tower blocks were poorly built, had problems with damp & mold

• Lots of direclt buildings created an unattractive environment to live & work in

• Port trade declined which lead to high unemployment

• Shops closed as no money in local eocnomy

• An unemployed, unskilled & ageing population was left behind

• In 1990s, area were associated with drug abuse & high crime rates

What are the 4 strageties used to manage housing in Leith?

• Comprehensive redevelopment

• Urban regeneration

• New modern housing

• New affordable housing

Describe comprehensive redevelopement in Leith.

• Demoltion of 1960s tower blocks & building of new low rise homes/apartments - gardens & ownership ofoutdoor spaces

• eg. the Fort, Leith

Evalulate the efffectivness of comprehensive redevelopement in Leith.

• Effective as housing was affordable for families, with safer streets for children

• Built to a higher standard than previous flats

• People could own property = more likely to take care of it

Describe urban regeneration of hosuing in Leith.

• Building new modern housing eg. Platinum Point, Western Harbour

• Providing up marketbhomes for individuals/families - particulary young professionals

• The Shore is now a stylish, fashionable with restaurnats, cafes, shops etc. - referred to as Michelin Mile

Evalulate the efffectivness of urban regeneration in Leith.

• Modern flats wer ebuilt on brownfield sites → improves the look & vibrancy of direclt areas

• Services which have been built have improved inward investment → multiplier effect

• Increased day time population so crime rates drop

Describe afforable housing schemes in Leith.

• New affordable housing developement opened in 2014 - Port of Leith Association

• Opened 100 households in Fox Street

Evalulate the efffectiveness of affordable housing schemes in Leith.

• Way of tackling city’s shortage of affordable housing for families

• Modern family homes snd lower energy bills help families to deal with a range of financial pressures

Describe the growth of industry in Leith.

• Government built Scottish Executive Offices in Leith

• Small units have been created for start up businesses

• New film studio attracts international business in a growing industry

What is the impact of the growth of industry in Leith?

• New industry leads to increased job opportunities & brings money to local area

• With increased employment, day time population increases so crime falls

Describe other changes in housing in Leith.

• Old whiskey warehouses are coverted into new modern flats

• Modern glass fronted apartments are built for young professionals

• Drug rehabilation schemes

What is the impact of other changes in housing in Leith?

• Improves reputation of area

• Increases population - more young professionals

• Peeople feel feel safer & crime levels drop

Describe tourism and shopping developments in Leith.

• Royal Yatch Britannia

• New hotels

• Leith Docks redevelopment - of passenger shipping trade eg. cruise ship docking

What is the impact of tourism and shopping developments in Leith?

• Tourism brings money into economy → improves infrastructure, transport

• Increase in job opportunties

• Sparks multiplier effect as hotles, cafes etc open to be close to tourist attraction

Describe art and lesuire developments in Leith. (housing)

• Leith Theatre has been restored to develop arts & culture

• Private health club - David Llyod

What is the impact of art & leisure developments to housing Leith?

• Increased leisure opportunites which attracts young professionals to the area

• Increase land values

Describe improving the environment in Leith.

• Leith Walk - tree planting

• Water of Leith regularly cleaned up

• £1.3 million regeneration projecton trams

What is the impact of improving the enviroment in Leith?

• Improves enviormental quality of area

• Accessible to the CBD → major transport hubs

• Clean form of transport improves economic opportunites

What are the problems with changes to housing in Leith?

• Increaed house prices have priced orginial residents out of market

• Gentrifiation has occured as local population have been forced out for more affulent owners

• Demolition of historic sites have led to campaigning and conlfict eg. Save Leith Walk

• Ocean terminal is struggling as shops closed during pandemic → vacant units

• Increased number of new builds has overloaded services eg. transport, doctor

• New trams were slow to build & business suffered during the construction

What is the need (problems) for managing transport in Edinburgh’s CBD?

• Increased car ownership

• All the main roads lead to CBD → natural focal point for traffic

• CBDs historic streets → not designed for modern transport

• Grid iron street pattern → lots stopping/starting so traffic builds at cross points

• Businesses, high-order shops, tourist attractions so many people travek to this area → congestion

• More people communte from suburbs (eg. Currie) & outlying settlement (eg. Musselburgh) as well Fife, Borders etc thus increasing traffic

• Strict parking controls (eg. permit only) around CBD → streets may get congested with cars circling looking for spaces

• Bus, tram, taxis only allowed on Pricnes St. → surronding streets become busier with cars

Name the stratgeies used to mannage traffic in Edinburgh?

• Park and Ride

• By-pass

• Buses

• Trams

• Closed Princes Street

• Spread the rush hour (flexi time)

• Traffic information

• 20mph speed limit

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of park & ride as a strategy to manage traffic

• Cars are parked at edge of city & people get a bus into town to reduce amount of cars travelling to CBD eg. Inverkeithing

• But this doesn’t suit everyone eg. parents with young children & buggies

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of by-pass as a strategy to manage traffic

• Edinburgh city by-pass means that traffic can avoid the city centre

• But this has only encoruaged more communters and created copngestion.

• Encourages development into the greenbelt eg. Straition - farmland & habitats lost

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of buses as a strategy to manage traffic

• Buses made more attractive to customers (WiFi, digital screens for info, trakcing apps) so people can plan journeys & not have to wait as long

• But people don’t want to be restricted by timetables & flexibility of own cars

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of trams as a strategy to manage traffic

• Were built to reduce congestion on A8 & improve transport route from airport to CBD and as a cleaner form of transport

• But trams were over budget & only part of route was completed → caused huge amounts of disruption to businesses during construction eg. on Lieth shops closed due to lack of passing trade

• Can be dangerous for cylcists as wheels get stuck in tracks

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of 20mph speed limit as a strategy to manage traffic

• Recuded the average speed limit in Edinburgh to make routes safer and encourage cyclists

• Effective as cyclists feel safer to use roads as traffic is slowed

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of traffic information as a strategy to manage traffic

• Radio stations and website give regular travel updates so people know which areas to avoid

• But it has created rat runs on residential side streets which can’t handle an increased volume of traffic - congestion is pushed onto other roads

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of closing Princes Street as a strategy to manage traffic

• Closing it to cars means it is a faster route for public transport & bikes, and it is more appealing to shoppers

• Effective as buses flow more quickly so people wnat ot use them and the lack of cards improves the air quality & environment

Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of flexi-time as a strategy to manage traffic

• Flexiable working hours and working from home can reduce number of cars at rush hour

• Doesn’t work for everyone, such as parents on school run