Settlement - Urban Redevelopment

1. Urban decay happens when parts of a city become run down and people no longer wish to live or work there.

2. In these areas, there may be slum housing, with poorly-built houses with leaking roofs and crumbling brickwork.

3. Many properties may be vandalised, or boarded up and there is wasteland where buildings have been knocked down.

4. There is often high unemployment and high levels of crime.

5. Many large industrial cities fell into decline due to factories, dockyards and mines closing.

6. Now they have been given grants to re-develop the area.

7. They do this by providing good housing and facilities such as health centres, theatres, galleries etc.

8. They also encourage new businesses to set up in the area in order to provide jobs for local people.

9. Some places tried to regenerate these areas by knocking down buildings and starting again.

10. Old buildings were be replaced houses and flats.

11. Not all people liked this approach because they no longer knew their neighbours.

12. They felt the sense of community was lost.

13. A more popular solution has been to renovate the existing buildings and landscape the environment.

14. Often events, such as the hosting of the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, have led to widespread regeneration.

15. Waterfront locations are particularly popular for re-development with many bars, cafes, restaurants.

16. Mills and warehouses may be converted into high-quality apartments or offices.

17. In the UK a brownfield site is previously-developed land that could be re-developed.

18. It is often land that has been used for industrial and commercial purposes, but has been left derelict.

19. Brownfield sites are popular for development, especially in areas where demand for homes and commercial property is high.

20. Brownfield sites may also be used as open spaces for recreation, conservation, woodland and community areas.

21. Brownfield sites can provide affordable housing and promote conservation and wildlife.

22. Green belts protect the countryside by stopping towns and cities from spreading too far and joining up with each other.

23. They are areas of land around large urban areas, where the building of houses and other buildings is prevented.

24. The land in these areas is kept for farming, leisure or recreation.

25. Town and country planning is the process used to make decisions on the development and use of land.

26. It helps to make sure that the best features of the environment are kept.

27. When a plan is drawn up, it includes details of where houses, workplaces, park and garden areas and traffic will be placed.

28. Urban parks and green spaces are an important part of the urban development.

29. Developers are encouraged to provide these alongside building developments to improve the quality of people’s lives.

30. Large shopping complexes have also become popular in re-developed areas.

31. They attract people due to the wide range of shops and facilities, such as multi-screen cinemas.

32. Developers then invest in local transport systems in order to make these sites more accessible.