urban fieldwork

what was our hypothesis for environmental quality

-environmental quality will increase with distance from the CBD as land use will become cheaper and so there’s more open spaces

what was our hypothesis for land use

-land use will change from retailing/services to residential as we go further away from the CBD

what did we conduct

-environmental quality survey(quantitative)

-land use survey(quantitative)

-questionnaires(qualitative)

which sampling strategy did we use

-systematic for land use survey

-systematic for environmental quality survey

-opportunistic for questionnaires

how did we conduct our land use survey

-walked around a section of high wycombe and at every 20m intervals we classified building types/uses

how did we conduct our environmental quality survey

-walked along a transect through high wycombe, securing points in individual categories from -5 to 5

what was our results for land-use

-hypothesis correct as land use did get more residential the further out we got from the CBD

-higher demand/less space in the CBD and so it’s more commercial with big brands

what was our results for environmental quality

-the environmental quality decreased the further away we got from the CBD

-this disproved our hypothesis as the CBD is kept in good conditions due to higher economic activity and so is in better care

-this is probably due to the small scale of the investigation

what factors affect the reliability of our results

-sample size

-sampling strategy

-time of day / year

-location

-equipment

-subjective or objective

-human activity

assess the reliability for these given factors

-sample size: small group/area

-sampling strategy: systematic misses out key points

-time of day/year: may have affected the people we questionned

-location: all locations are different

-equipment: could’ve been biased

-subjective or objective: environmental quality is subjective

what went well with a land use survey

• Quick and easy to complete.

• Clear patterns shown on maps.

• Mostly objective observations.

• Good for identifying CBD vs residential zones

what are the faults with a land-use survey

• Mixed-use buildings hard to classify.

• Only shows land use at one time.

• Limited area reduces reliability.

• Possible recording errors

what improvements could be made with a land-use survey

• Add a mixed-use category.

• Repeat at different times/days.

• Survey more locations.

• Use photos or GIS for accuracy.

what went well with an environmental quality survey

• Easy comparison between sites.

• Provides a full picture of quality.

• Data easy to graph/map.

• Quick group data collection.

what are some faults with an environmental quality survey

• Subjective scoring.

• Weather/time affects results.

• Unclear criteria causes inconsistency.

• Few sites reduce reliability.

what are some improvements for an environmental quality survey

• Use clear scoring guidelines.

• Survey at same time/conditions.

• Increase number of sites.

• Use sound meters/apps for objectivity.

what went well with a questionnaire

• First-hand opinions.

• Easy to analyse closed questions.

• Shows perceptions of safety/quality.

• Identifies differences between groups.

what are some faults with a questionnaire

• Small sample size.

• Sampling bias.

• Dishonest or rushed answers.

• Limited depth from closed questions.

what are some improvements for the questionnaire

• Increase sample size.

• Use random sampling.

• Survey at different times.

• Add open-ended questions.

what graph did we use for our data

-compound/divided bar chart for land use

-radar graph for environmental quality

what are the pros of a radar graph

• Shows multiple variables on one diagram.

• Easy to compare environmental quality between sites.

• Visual shape makes patterns clear.

• Good for identifying strengths/weaknesses of locations.

what are the cons of a radar graph

• Can be hard to read if too many sites are plotted.

• Not precise for exact values.

• Overlapping lines can be confusing.

• Time-consuming to draw accurately.

what are the pros of a divided bar chart

• Clearly shows proportions within a whole.

• Easy to compare categories between locations.

• Good for percentage data.

• Simple to interpret.

what are the cons of a divided bar chart

• Hard to compare individual segments across bars.

• Can become cluttered with many categories.

• Requires accurate percentage data.

• Small differences are difficult to see.

what are some stats for land-use?

• 🛍 Retail: 66%

• 🏢 Services (banks, salons, offices): 18%

• 🍽 Food & drink: 10%

• 🏠 Residential: 6%

what are some stats for environmental quality

-inner areas closer to CBD scored mostly 4s on environmental quality

-factors we assessed were: noise, building upkeep, vegetation, litter, paving/road and vandalism/graffiti

what are some secondary data sources

-online maps

-census data

-environmental data (DEFRA/local air quality reports)

how can these help us in our investigation

-online maps show land use patterns, street layours, location of services

-census data shows population density, employment structure, age structure

-environmental data shows air pollution levels and traffic pollution levels

what improvements could’ve been made with the radar graph

• Limit the number of sites plotted → reduces overlap and improves readability.

• Use consistent scales on all axes → ensures fair comparison.

• Label axes clearly with factors (noise, litter, greenery).

• Use colour coding or a key → makes it easier to distinguish sites.

• Plot average scores instead of individual results → simplifies interpretation.

what improvements could’ve been made with the divided bar chart

• Use clear percentage labels on each segment → improves accuracy.

• Limit number of categories → prevents clutter.

• Arrange bars in a logical order (e.g. CBD → suburbs) → shows patterns.

• Use consistent shading/colours with a clear key.

• Ensure bars are the same width for fair comparison.

what were some hazards in our investigation

-dog bites

-cobbles

-cars

how did we overcome our hazards

-stay away from dogs

-take care when walking and wear suitable footwear

-look when crossing