As the years have progressed and personal mobility has increased, so ahs the interest of second homes in the country, and permanent homes in the country to escape the pollution of the big cities. With the increased personal mobility it is easier to drive into town for work, which in turn is increasing the number of people moving into the villages in the countryside. This has resulted in the suburbanisation, which has changed the land use pattern of Urchfont entirely in a short period of time. What once dominated in the small village of Urchfont (farms) has long gone and been converted into homes for the newcomers to the village. Farms such as Manor farm that are unsuitable to run efficiently as farms any more have not been converted because many villagers oppose the urbanisation. However in the cases of other farms in the village this is not the case and they have been developed.
The development of new homes has also changed the land use pattern to the village. Open spaces have been in filled with houses, and the spread of ribbon developments along the road are now more noticeable, as the structure of the villages becomes less clustered and more linear following the shape of the road. The original shops of the Urchfont have also been converted into homes for the new comers and the only shop that remains is the post office. As the village expands so does the land use pattern and the new housing developments and council houses are located on the periphery of the village.
Suburbanisation can have both a positive and negative impact on a village. It is clear from Urchfont that the land use pattern also changes and the original villages may not support the urbanisation that is taking place.
Explain where and why reurbanisation is an important process even if it is restricted to only a small percentage of the urban area.
Re- urbanisation is the increasing number of people moving back into the inner urban areas having previously lived in the suburbs or outside the urban area. This is usually people of a high status and those who have a high income, because they can afford the prices of the new housing developments.
This has noticeably increased in the last 30 years as the development of the London Docklands took off so other cities across the UK have followed in their footsteps.
One city that has followed in the footsteps of London is the city of Greater Manchester.
The Salford Quays and Castlefield in Manchester have recently been redeveloped. The dock basins and surrounding land was left vacant after the decline and financial closure of the port and it has been the focus of an urban re-development for the past 19 years. The land has been redeveloped for not only residents, but commercial offices and leisure and recreation purposes such as water sports, cinemas and restraints, with more of the focus on tourism.
The local governments and city authorities support these reurbanisation schemes because they do not want to see the city centres decay and die. One of the advantages that the authorities see developing from the scheme; is the new jobs that are available for the local people and the variety of employment this will provide in the tourism sector. The scenic location of the reurbanisation in Manchester, along the canal, has also helped to increase the profile of the region and the Grenada studio tour has generated £2 million in Castlefeild alone since it re-opened.
Gentrification is a process which occurs in inner city areas where old housing in need of repair is bought by middle class and wealthy people who have the money to modernise and improve the properties. As a result the residential status of the area has increased. This process of reurbanisation is most dominant in the London Docklands. The old houses in the docklands area have been ton down and replaced with modern apartments that overlook the river. This is important to an area because raises the status of an area that was once run down and derelict. The financial buildings of Canary Wharf are also improving the profile of the London docklands as they are slowing growing in capacity and wealth. It is forecasted that one day they may become the financial centre of London.
Even though the reurbanisation may only be restricted to a specific region of the urban area it is clear that it is important to the area. It helps to raise the profile of the area, provide a variety of job opportunities and generate a healthy tourist interest.
