The houses in the inner city were brick built Victorian terraces. They were back to back so families shared back yards, toilets and washing facilities. Many were built around a central courtyard in which there were toilets and cold water to share with neighbours. The front doors lead straight onto the streets and there were no gardens or open space. There was lots of noise and air pollution. The roads and pavements were poor quality. The houses and the factories were next to each other because public transport had not been developed. The inner city was arranged in a grid iron pattern to fit as many houses in as possible. There were also corner shops where people in the inner city did all their shopping because they worked long hours and had little time. The shops sold everyday necessities and transport was not needed for access. They opened for irregular hours and provided a social meeting point.
There were advantages and disadvantages to living in the inner city. The advantages were that the housing was cheap, the factory workplace was very close by, the people had a lot of community spirit and the inner city was near to the CBD.
However there were many disadvantages, the houses were next to the industries so people were surrounded by smoke from the factories all the time; many people had health problems because of this. There were no basic amenities such as clean running water, indoor hygienic toilets, bathrooms, electricity and sewers. There was a lot of noise and air pollution from the factories.
Over the years the inner city has declined dramatically. As technology developed there was less and less need for the factories, therefore many people lost jobs. They had to find other jobs to survive so they moved away in search of work. The houses started to decay because as well as not being looked after they were poorly built to start with. Churches, warehouses and factories also began to decay. Students, ethnic minorities, lone parents and pensioners started to move into the houses. There were three main categories of decline, environmental problems, economic problems and social problems.
Environmental problems consisted of air, land and water pollution. This mainly occurred due to the development of transport. Crime rates increased so there were high levels of vandalism and graffiti. Poorly built roads in the past meant when transport was developed the roads were not adequate so
There was a lot of traffic congestion.
Economic problems involved poverty and low income from the people living in the inner city and this links in with high levels of unemployment. The way the roads were position meant that there was poor access to motorways and airports. The industries were declining rapidly and the land values were high.
Social problems meant that there was such a variety of people living in the inner city there would inevitably be problems. There were an above average number of students, ethnic minorities, pensioners and single parents. There were high levels of disease, illness and overcrowding and much of this was due to the fact that the houses hadn’t been planned. They were built as quickly and as cheaply as possible and when the houses started to decline dampness was apparent. There were rising crime rates in the inner city and poor police and community relations.
There have been many attempted solutions to the inner city problems over the years. In the 1960’s local authorities demolished decaying houses and built high rise flats to house the residents. They hoped that this would improve social, economic and environmental problems. However, the flats were poorly built and with the variety mix of people the flats began to cause problems. There were high rates of vandalism and crime such as regular muggings. There was a lack a usable open space, gardens and garages which people needed since transport had been developed. Some of the conditions inside the flats were inhuman and elderly generations found it difficult to adapt to the environment, to the younger generations and the unfriendly atmosphere. There was little or no community spirit between the residents. There were also insufficient local jobs so there was still a big unemployment problem.
The land use in the inner city today is going through the process of redevelopment in many cities. More recent housing developments have been taken on by private builders. The houses have varied style, size and price. Many are executive apartments and some are situated in prestigious locations such as the riverside. Affordable housing for the middle class and low class has also been built. There has been a rise in social class and there is now public open space including sports facilities and leisure space. Transport links have improved massively for the residents and a good example of this is London Docklands railway. Motorway links, dual carriageways and other direct links to the CBD have been built. In some cases river barrages have been put into place to prevent the risk of flooding. Industrial space has been created and there are new jobs available. Shopping centres, schools, hospitals, communication and leisure facilities have all been built as part of the regeneration. This solution is thought to have given people a better quality of life.
