Northampton Coursework- Delimiting the Central Business District

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Northampton Coursework- Delimiting the Central Business District

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Introduction

Aim

To Delimit the Central Business District in Northampton.

Study area

My study is located in Northampton, it is a large town with total population of 197,000 (according to the 2001 census), third largest in England at 21st largest settlement in England. It is located in the East midlands region of England, roughly 67 miles North West of London and lies on the river Nene which forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and also is the ninth longest river in England and the twelfth longest in the United Kingdom.

Northampton has Junctions 15,15a and a6 of M1 London to North Yorkshire. The A45 and A43 which have primary destinations to Coventry, Rugby, Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby. Northampton has railway services to London and Birmingham provided by London Midland and Virgin Trains. Sywell aerodrome is the nearest airfield which only has a grass runway but for international links, East midlands and Luton airport are quickly accessible via M1/M6 and also by train. Bus services are operated by Stagecoach, First Northampton and MK metro form Greyfriars Bus station in the town.

History

Northampton is the fastest growing town in England and has applied for city status. Traditionally was a shoe making and leather making town which decreased in 1960 but although some remain. Northampton in the past has been a secondary industry area but now is mainly a tertiary industry containing lots of services such as shopping malls cinemas and restraunts scattered around the town. Northampton has its own university named Northampton University. The town centre also contains many leisure and entertainment spots such as the Derngate theatre which has a capacity of 1200-1400 people at once. The Grosvenor centre and peacock place offer a large indoor shopping facilities however the market square offers an exceptional outdoor shopping facility. Local pubs also provide a great night out while on the other hand the sporting clubs offer a great chance to get involved.

Theory

There are two types of land use models, Hoyt model and the Burgess model.

 

The Central Business District of a town or a city is usually located in the centre of the city or town. The CBD can be divided into two distinct concentric areas called the core and the Frame. The frame of the CBD has land uses such as office areas, some derelict land, limited light manufacturing, small shop/low grade, specialist services e.g. medical, etc. The core of the CBD is different to the frame because it contains low residential population, some vertical zoning with use of first/second floor, high density of pedestrians, concentration of banks/ business, etc. The PLVI is in the centre of the CBD and means Peak Land Value Intersection, meaning the place with the highest land value. In this investigation we are aiming to delimit the Central Business District of Northampton.

Hypotheses

  1. Over 70%of land use in the Grosvenor centre will be for high order comparison goods.
  2. The highest pedestrian flows will be recorded on Abington Street.
  3. The lowest Environmental quality scores will be recorded in the Greyfriars Area.
  4. Environmental Quality will be highest in the Grosvenor centre.
  5. The age of the buildings will decrease as you travel further form the CBD.
  6. Highest traffic will be in the frame as there are car parks and major ring roads in the frame.

Methodology (Data Collection techniques)

We will collect data in Northampton on Friday the June 19, 2009. We will leave Weavers school at 9 am sharp and return back to school at 3 pm approximately. We will spend roughly 45 minutes in each of our study areas. We have split the centre of Northampton into 6 study areas and they are Greyfriars, Upper Abingdon Street, St Giles Street, Market Square, The Grosvenor Centre and Gold Street/Bridge Street. In each area we will organise ourselves into of 3-5 people so that we can collect data on land use, height of the buildings which will help us delimit the CBD of Northampton. These types of data are primary data but we may also look for sources of secondary data such as leaflets and maps.

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The selection of Northampton as our study area

We chose Northampton as our study area for a number for reasons such as;

  • Northampton is convenient as it is only 8 miles from Wellingborough.
  • Northampton is familiar to us and we can revisit it if necessary to collect further information.
  • We believe Northampton is a typical of a large English town.
  • Northampton town is a manageable size to survey in a school day.
  • We have a particular interest in Northampton as it is our county town.
  • Northampton would be an easy place to study as we have all ...

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