Morpeth Coursework

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Is the quality of the environment equally good in all parts of Morpeth?

Chapter 1 – Introduction

This enquiry will test the question “Is the quality of the environment equally good in all parts of Morpeth?” In simpler terms this means, are the surroundings in Morpeth as good as each other. I am investigating this topic because I have not yet studied towns or cites and I feel this would be a good opportunity to find out what cause certain environments to increase or decrease the quality of the environment.

        this investigation will include; the amount of traffic in different areas, noise pollution, air pollution, the general quality of the environment, litter count, number of pedestrians per area, vandalism and graffiti. By analyzing these different factors I can explain clearly the answer to the question.

Here are two maps that I have described in detail where the                                key features are;

A map to show the key feature in the United Kingdom

        

A map to show key feature in and around Morpeth 

Morpeth is situated in the Northern east of England in Northumberland. It’s approximately 15 miles north from Newcastle upon Tyne and 5 miles west of the North Sea. The River Wansbeck flows through Morpeth into the North Sea. It is exactly 7.5 miles north to the Newcastle International Airport and is 1-2 miles east from the A1 main road. This shows that Morpeth is near the outskirts of Northumberland, but has easy access to known areas.

        Morpeth is a market town, plenty of retailing shops and business blocks. The Northumberland county council is based in Morpeth. As there have been recent floods in Morpeth this mat affect my investigation as valid evidence could be washed away.

        The environmental quality should theory change across an urban area, as the Central Business District has more of a purpose for locals to go there, as there are shops, work buildings, doctors and coffee shops. Cars, buses, Lorries will be passing through the central business districts as it is the main area for people to meet or get to another place. The central business district will be more noise polluted, air polluted, and will have a lot of litter, graffiti and vandalism than the urban fringe or the higher class residential area, as many people will not visited the urban fringe as most of it is all country side and agricultural land. As for the higher class residential area people will think twice before littering or vandalizing due to the class of people residing in the area. It is also social thinking that “Why should people litter or vandalize in such a high class area?” my theory for the change across an urban area is; the higher the class in an environment the less pollution or vandalism there is.

Morpeth is set out like a Burgess Model. Here is a diagram and an explanation of a Burgess Model.          

        

Burgess Model:

        

Explanation:

  1. Central Business District:

This zone is most assessable to the most amounts of people. It contains shops, offices, banks and doctors. It is high congestion and little vegetated areas. As there is not a lot of space in the CBD land is expensive and rents are high, which means there is a lot of competition.    

  1. Light Manufacturing:

This zone is split into two sections. 1. In which the poorest people of the town live and 2. The manufacturing side, this zone is always changing as the central business district is expanding.

  1. Lower Class Residential area:

This zone includes the low class residential areas, where most people can’t afford there own house so then they are living in council houses.

  1. Medium Class Residential area:

This zone includes medium class residential areas, where people can afford there own houses, but struggle to pay bills or afford luxuries.

  1. Higher class Residential area: 

This zone includes higher class residential areas, where people can afford there own houses, more space for gardens, bigger houses, more garage space and have no problem in paying bills or affording luxuries such as holidays.

  1. Urban fringe:

The Urban fringe is pleasant for people who enjoy the county side. Since people live in the urban fringe it is important to mention it on the Burgess Model.

       

 

  I have mentioned a lot of key words in the introduction. To show my understanding of these key words here is a table (fig1.4) of the main key words and there definition.

I will collect the amount of traffic in 10 different places, the noise pollution, air pollution, and the general quality of the environment, number of pedestrians, litter, graffiti and vandalism. The methods I will use to collect my data are very simple. For the amount of traffic count the number of types of vehicles going in both direction, and tally my count, this way my results will be easier to read if I need to come back to them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              For a noise pollution test, to be more precise, I will use my phone and mesure the distance until you can no longer hear the noise. The theory is; the longer the distance the quieter the area. I will need to keep the same person for walking the distance to make my test as accurate as possible. To measure Air pollution I am using a biological indicator. Lichens are very sensitive indicators to air pollution. By using the identification sheet I can identify which lichens are present. By doing it this way I can get a more accurate answer. I am doing an independent test by using a small piece of cotton wool and wiping it over the leaves of a bush or tree at each survey site. The darker the residue on the cotton wool the more air pollution present. To test the general quality of the environment I will use my initiative and record scores. My scores will range from 1 (poor) and 5 (excellent). I can add up the total score and get an average score on the general quality of the environment. To mesure litter, graffiti and vandalism I will take pictures in each survey site, and record my data this way. This is the best way to record this type of data.

            Once I have collected all my data I will put them into graphs, tables or maps so my results are neatly presented. This data will then help me prove that the quality of the environment is NOT equally good in all parts of Morpeth. I will then describe my results in great detail and tell you that I think the quality of the environment is not equally good in all parts of Morpeth. Finally, I will come to a conclusion to answer the question; is the quality of the environment equally good in all parts of Morpeth.    

Chapter 2 – Data Collection

Part 1 – The sites

We did this fieldwork on the Wednesday 24th September 2008. I was organized by preparing tables for traffic count, 10 pieces of cotton wool in separate bags to test, individually, air pollution, bringing my own clipboard and the appropriate stationary required. We chose 10 different survey sites to test the factors in different areas of Morpeth. I used the Burgess Model to help me chose my survey sites.

Here is a table to show the sites and the time taken at the sites:

It was important to have a timetable because it gave me rough idea of how long to spend at each site and how long to spend to travel from different survey sites. This timetable helped to me to get a 10th survey site and sticking to this got me more data so my I can answer my question in more detail. Here are two maps. One showing the sites we visited refers to fig 2.2. The other guideline of the particular areas we covered such as the CBD, inner suburbs etc.  

Why did I choose the sites we did?

        

I selected these survey points by using everyone’s opinions and keeping in mind the different parts of the Burgess Model. To get an accurate test and answer the question, I preferred to get data from each part of the Burgess Model, such as the CBD, Inner Suburbs, Outer Suburbs etc. Doing it, this way I got a wide range of results and with the data I collected, I can clearly answer the question. By getting a wide range of results from different parts of Morpeth, I can fully explain that I think not all parts of Morpeth are equally good. It is essential to sample sites in different parts of the town to compare and explain the results and come up with a conclusion, to check if the quality of the town is equally good.

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One improvement I could of made is by using a transect, this does not change my results in any way, but by doing it this way I might of saved time to do more survey sites.  

Why each site was used and what did I find?

  1. Bridge Street

Bridge Street was used because it is in a Central Business District. Data would be very useful from this site as it is always busy with people shopping, working, and meeting other people. It is located in the middle of Morpeth and is very easy accessible from ...

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