Urban Forms

Twilight zone

The urban zone of a city where industry and residential areas mix and the population is often transitory

What is the PVLI?

Peak Land Value Intersection, the region within a settlement with the greatest land value and commerce. As such, it is usually located in the central business district of a town or city, and has the greatest density of transport links such as roads and rail.

Land Value

The amount someone is willing to pay to own or rent a set area of land

Bid Rent Theory

Bid rent theory states that land/real estate/rental costs are higher in and around a city's central business district due to demand.

Refers to how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases. It states that different land users such as industry, residential and retail, will compete with one another for land close to the city centre.

Secondary Land Value Peak

An area of elevated land prices towards the edge of cities often where key transport routes converge increasing accessibility e.g. Silverlink retail park on the A19 and A1058 on Tyneside

Urban Form

The physical characteristics that make up built-up areas, including the shape, size, density and configuration of settlements.

Urban morphology

The study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation, with reference to the spatial structure and organisation

Distance Decay

States that the interaction between two locales declines as the distance between them increases. In this case, that land price decreases with distance from the CBD

CBD

Central Business District, Characterised by High/multi-storey buildings, expensive land values, department stores or specialist shops, like jewellers, shopping malls and pedestrian precincts, cultural/historical buildings, museums and castles, Offices, finance, banks, administration, town hall (business sector), bus and railway stations (transport centres).

Inner City

Typically found next to the CBD and has mainly terraced houses in a grid like pattern. These were originally built to house factory workers who worked in the inner city factories. Many of these factories have now closed down.

Residential

Areas consisting of housing from a range of periods, traditionally increased in size and price as distance from the CBD increases

Describe what green areas are

There are many areas of green space within UK cities including gardens, parks, ornamental gardens and even farmland. Distribution tends to be uneven do some groups of people have more access than others

Informal Squatter Settlements

A typical shanty town often lacks adequate infrastructure, including proper sanitation, safe water supply, electricity, hygienic streets, or other basic necessities to support human settlements.

Business or science parks

Found at the edges of cities close to green space and transport routes. Often affiliated with a university so that knowledge can be shared, innovation promoted, and research outcomes progressed to viable commercial products.

Out of town retailers

A large specially built area, usually at the edge of a town or city, where there are a lot of large shops and sometimes other facilities such as cinemas and restaurants.

Town centre mixed development

Urban development that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment uses, where those functions are physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections

Flagship attractions

Any major attraction in an urban development with distinct qualities, including uniqueness, location, international reputation, and outstanding media attention, making it a 'must-see' attraction and relatively large in size and economic impact. E.g. Euro Disney in France

Public realm

The space around, between and within buildings that are publicly accessible, including streets, squares, parks and open spaces.

Public space

A place that is generally open and accessible to people. Roads (including the pavement), public squares, parks and beaches are typically considered public space. Very important within urban areas

What is a cultural quarter

Has a prerequisite of the presence of cultural activity, and, where possible, this should include cultural production (making objects, goods, products, and providing services) as well as cultural consumption (people going to shows, visiting venues and galleries).

Heritage quarters

These areas focus more upon the historical uniqueness of areas based around small scale industries

Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle

Example of a cultural and heritage quarter, with Seven Stories, art galleries, local breweries and pubs replacing old manufacturing of glass, lead, paints etc.

Gentrification

The process by which wealthier (mostly middle-income) people move into, renovate, and restore housing and sometimes businesses in inner cities or other deteriorated areas formerly home to poorer people.

Economic factors associated with gentrification (benefits and costs)

Increases tax income for local councils and brings wealth into an area.

Traditional businesses face increased competition from incoming newer businesses

The Gothic Quarter Barcelona

is filled with narrow winding streets, beautiful Gothic architecture, which reflect Barcelona’s medicval past

Social factors associated with gentrification (benefits and costs)

Creates greater employment opportunities in new areas such as design

Original locals can be priced out of the area as rent and house prices increase. Called community displacement

The rent gap

An economic cause of gentrification where a property has fallen below its actual value due to poor maintenance or upkeep.

It describes the disparity between the current rental income of a property and the potentially achievable rental income.

Pioneer image

Where individuals consider it cool and creative to move into more difficult neighbourhoods

Fortress landscapes

Landscapes designed around security, protection, surveillance and exclusion

They use strategies such as CCTV, Mosquito alarms, fences and railings, anti homeless spikes, street lighting

What does the term "Designing out crime" refer to?

By providing defensible space, high visibility policing and changing road layouts

Gated communities

A form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Common in South Africa.

Edge cities

A relatively large urban area situated on the outskirts of a city, typically beside a major road. Often self contained. E.g. Santa Monica, Los Angeles

Social segregation

Exists whenever the proportions of population rates of two or more populations are not homogenous throughout a defined space, happens with ethnic groups, social classes and gender groups. Feature of urban areas

What is a post-modern western city?

The mixing of architecture, art, literature and even the nature of the economy in urban developments at the end of the twentieth century

An urban form associated with changes in urban structure and architectural design, reflecting the changed social and economic conditions of the late twentieth century in some western cities. Cities are more ethnically diverse, but social and cultural inequalities and segregation are more common.

Economic Inequality

The difference found in various measures of economic well-being among individuals in a group, among groups in a population, or among countries. There can be huge differences in wealth within cities.

Cultural Diversity

the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society, has increased in cities via migration.

Urban social exclusion

Where people in society are excluded from parts of their own city by social and economic factors, often faced by people in areas of multiple deprivation

Diaspora

The dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland, they often congregate in similar areas within a city.

Many cities within the UK are now home to diasporas of Asian origin

Index of Multiple deprivation

A UK government qualitative study of deprived areas in English local councils. Includes 7 factors: Income, Employment, Health deprivation and Disability, Education Skills and Training, Barriers to Housing, and Services, Crime, Living Environment.

Multiple deprivation

When different types of deprivation e.g. lack of education, poor health, high crime levels, high unemployment are combined into one overall measure of deprivation

Poverty

An absolute standard based on a minimum amount of income needed to sustain a healthy and minimally comfortable life, in this case, within an urban area

Inequality

Extreme differences between poverty and wealth, as well as in peoples' well-being and access to things like jobs, housing and education. Inequalities may occur in: housing provision, access to services, access to open land

Living wage

A wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living, designed to tackle urban poverty. (London living wage.)

Urban subsidy

Providing a higher wage for key workers in the most expensive areas. There is a wage supplement for Teachers in London for example.

how does Public transport benefit those living in an urban area?

Affordable public transport systems improve mobility for the urban poor and open access to a greater range of economic opportunities. E.g. Curitiba's bus transport network.

Reasons for cultural diversity

Cities are the first point of entry for immigrants, more immigrants due to mobility and humanitarian crisis, economic opportunity, communities of similar ethnicity already established in area

Positives and negatives ofcultural diversity

Racism and conflict, Pressure on urban services such as education and health care, language difficulties, failure to integrate

Different foods, music, languages and religion all available

Ghetto

A part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied primarily by a minority group or groups. It is a derogatory term for a neighbourhood characterised by low property values and relatively little public or private investment. (because ghettos have historically been inhabited by racial minorities)

"White Flight"

The migration of white people from inner-city areas (especially those with a large black population) to the suburbs. Term originated in 1950s and 60s United States.

They referred to the large-scale migration of people of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions.

(this is mostly based in racism)

Inter culturalism

a political movement that supports cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies within cultures.

Reasons for ethnic segregation

Specialist shops and facilities, protection against prejudice and racial abuse, support of friends and near relatives, Maintenance of language and culture.

Informal economy

Economic activity that is neither taxed nor monitored by a government; and is not included in that government's Gross National Product; as opposed to a formal economy.

Physical factors which affect urban form

Topography (steep slopes→ less accessible)

Water

Natural resources

Land type

Human factors which affect urban form

Planning (in lots of developing countries urban growth is caused by the unplanned expansion of informal settlements)

Infrastructure (transport links)

Land value

What is urban form?

The physical characteristics that make up a city including its size, shape, population density and how the city is arranged (land-use patterns). It changes over time.

Describe the recent features of modern urban areas in developed countries

Cultural and Heritage quarters

Gentrified areas

Fortress developments

Edge cities

Town centre mixed developments

Many cities are evolving to become post-modern, where is this happening and what are the key features of these cities?

Particularly present in developed countries, cities are moving away from uniformity in architecture and clear cut patterns of land-use (post-modern western cities). Characteristics include:

-Multiple centres with different purposes

-A focus on the tertiary and Quaternary industry instead of secondary

-Less uniform architecture

-Planning prioritises the aesthetics of the city over practical use

-Higher social and economic inequality

Strategies to reduce poverty and economic inequality in urban areas:

Improving transport systems (^ access to jobs)

Subsidising the construction of affordable housing

Introducing minimum wages to stabilise wage inequality

Government can offer subsidies for new companies, increasing local employment opportunities

In developing countries upgrading programs for slum settlements such as investments for road-building, sanitation, drainage and water supply

Strategies to encourage social and cultural integration:

Governments encouraging political participation

Gov can pass laws against discrimination (eg: in the workplace)

New developments which include luxury and affordable homes

Communities can help ease racial tensions (projects to clean off racist graffiti)