Recent developments on rural/urban fringe
Glasgow
Cities are constantly changing and growing. There is much pressure on the The area of land surrounding an urban area which has strict controls on what can be built and where. from The spread or expansion of the urban area into the surrounding countryside. . This can be seen in the diagram below.
There are several reasons for the growth in development at the edge of the city on the rural/urban fringe.
Decentralisation of offices
Some offices are relocating to An area of modern factories located on the outskirts of a settlement (also called an industrial estate). on the outskirts of the city beside main roads for access. They are moving to take advantage of the cheaper land with room to expand, and the unpolluted environment in the countryside helps to attract a highly skilled workforce. However, this relocation contributes to urban sprawl and A disagreement over the way an area of land is used. with People who use the land in the countryside e.g. farmers., eg farmers.
Transport changes
Many main roads, motorways and train lines link the suburbs with the city centre to allow People who live in one area and travel to another place to work. easy access to work, shopping and entertainments. Cars are parked at a train station and people travel into town using the train. have been particularly important to enable people to travel to events without taking their cars, eg football matches and arena concerts.
Housing developments
From the 1960's onwards, A planned settlement built to accommodate people from over-crowded inner city areas after World War Two. , eg East Kilbride, and An area of public or social housing built by the local council. like Castlemilk, were built on greenfield sites on the outskirts of the city to combat overcrowding in the inner city sub standard housing.
New housing developments continue to add to the problem of urban sprawl today. Small villages like Clarkston have now been swallowed up by the Glasgow city boundary and farming villages like Eaglesham have been turned into commuter settlements.
New industry and new business districts
Industrial estates, retail parks, large supermarkets and shopping centres are located on the edge of the city to take advantage of the cheaper land, room for expansion, access links and nearby population for Work. and The customers who buy goods and services.. Silverburn is a recent example of a shopping centre built on the greenbelt of Glasgow.
However, these developments increase urban sprawl and put pressure on the greenbelt. The impact of these developments is a decrease in farmland and a loss of wildlife habitats.
Definitions
- Commuter settlement – a place where people live and travel elsewhere for work.
- Greenbelt – the area around a city where development is restricted so that town and cities do not merge.
- The boundary between a town or city and the countryside. – the area at the very edge of the city beside the countryside.
- Urban regeneration – a programme designed to improve inner city areas by upgrading existing housing, building industrial estates and health centres, and landscaping.
- Urban sprawl – the growth of towns and cities spreading and taking over areas of the countryside.
