Explain why the pressure for development on rural land on the edge of cities remains great in both MEDCs and LEDCs.

Housing developments are not the only thing putting pressure for development of rural land on the edge of cities in the United Kingdom, the dominance of road transport for moving bother people and goods has made the suburbs the preferred location for many offices, factories and supermarkets where there is greater land availability, cheaper land, space for car parks and quicker access to major roads.

As all the green field sites are being used up it is putting great pressure on the Green Belt sites which were put in place in the 1940s to control development of cities and prevent them sprawling about the countryside. Despite this pressure most if not all developments on Green Belt have been denied by Her Majesties Government.

This is not good news for the South East where an increased population will put pressure on for an extra 1.1million homes in the region by 2016.

There is also more recently great deal of people moving from North to South England which is greatly putting pressure on housing developments in the south. This north to south migration is due to lack of employment in the North especially due to the closure and movement of many industries out of the UK and the collapse of large companies such as ROVER in the 1990s

In general there is still a great pressure on the land on the edge of the cities in MEDCs as the populations are still growing, and more and more people are finding it desirable to live in the suburbs and due to economic growth, especially in the UK, many people can easily afford it. This is especially due to the huge house prices in London which can enable one sold house in London to perhaps buy 2 houses in the suburbia surrounding the Capital.

There are also great pressures as in general the land on the edge of the city is cheaper than that in the city, it also enables businesses to spread outwards rather than upwards, which many find more attractive. They can also have expansive car parks. As people start to move to the suburbs businesses will follow. This is due to the sphere of influence of businesses such as supermarkets, as people will not be willing to drive to the city centre everyday to purchase food, they will want to go to a local store in the suburbs.

Pressures for development on rural land on the edge of cities are still great in LEDCs

As well as the remaining pressure on MEDCs there is still a large remaining pressure on LEDCs, as with MEDCs this is largely due to natural increase. LEDCs also have still got pressures for development due to rural to urban migration. Many LEDC cities are bursting at the seams as suburban sprawl swallows up farmland and destroys natural habitats, this all happens in an unplanned manner due to the over crowded inner urban areas. These inner urban areas have become so crowded already that there is no more room. This only leaves one place for the influx of economic migrants to come to, the rural urban fringe of the city. The sides of a main road on the fringes of the built-up area becomes the next most attractive location for squatter settlements. The relentless arrival of more peoples from the countryside infill the areas between the main roads and extends the extent of the settlement. As the inner city is overcrowded and migration is still occurring as is natural increase there is a massive pressure for development on the rural land on the edge of the cities.

Rio de Janeiro is an excellent example of where the continuing pressures have got so great with the increased population due to economic rural to urban migration and the massive boost in natural increase, the demand for places to live has greatly increased. In Rio de Janeiro there is even more pressure due to the lack of free space on the edge of the city, which has lead to new cities been formed down the road including Barra, which is 5km South of Rio. Due to improved health care when people move to Rio more and more children survive childhood, yet those who used to live in rural areas still have large amounts of children despite the improved health care and the lack of children needed to help on the land. This leads to a very large demand for development, especially since many of the migrants are at their fertility peaks.

Natural increase is the major reason why the edge of the cities remain under pressure in LEDCs, the 2nd generation of the people who migrated originally are starting to grow up and want a place of their own to grow a family, many can not afford the inner city housing and choose to develop on the cheaper land on the outskirts of town.

Conclusion

As can be seen by the two example used, in an MEDC this pressure still remains because of the rich who wish to live in the rural-urban fringe where they can lead a safer, quieter and more attractive life than one in the inner city. In an LEDC the pressure is still remaining due to increased economic rural-to-urban migration and a large boom in natural increase from the current population of the city. One common factor is the increased population due to natural increase; although not so significant in an MEDC it is still visible. Also in the United Kingdom the recent migration from North to South has lead to a large increases in housing demand and increased pressure on cities and on the Green Belt around them. In the UK, unlike in LEDCs, due to the 1980s Thatcher government most people wish to live in their own private property, instead of renting, and find it more desirable to live on the rural-urban fringe than in the inner city or a rural area. As the current numbers of rural-urban fringe houses will not suffice the demand, more houses will have to be built to accommodate these new dwellers and businesses.

David J Mothersole Page 1 04/05/2007