Riverside area at Oracle Reading Photo: 3
Where does the CBD end?
The CBD spreads for different distances in different directions. The end in the CBD is determined by changes in environmental quality, building height, pedestrian and traffic counts. As the CBD ends there are changes in the pedestrian and traffic counts. The CBD predominantly a no traffic zone, and there are very high numbers of pedestrians. As you leave the CBD you would be leaving the pedestrian zone. Therefore you would expect the pedestrian numbers to decrease and the traffic numbers to increase. This is reflected by the traffic and pedestrian graphs figures 16 and 17. In these graphs both these things happen. There are large changes in environmental quality. The next zone after the CBD is the Inner city. This has a lot of industry and low class residential. This has a lower environmental quality as there is more pollution and houses cramped together.
This photograph shows a typical terraced road in Reading with houses tightly packed together in rows with very little land attached. The fall of environmental quality is illustrated in the environmental quality graphs figure 12 to 15 which show the sites in the inner city being of a lower quality. Also in this area, the amount of industry increases as the factories can’t afford the high prices of the centre of town but need to be in the inner city for the communication roots. This is shown in figure 11.
Terraced Houses Oxford Road Reading Photo: 4
The building heights in the inner city are smaller than that of the CBD. The average height of the buildings in the inner city is 2 or 3 whereas in the CBD it is 4 or 5. As shown by the picture above the terraced houses have two floors. On the North transect around sites 24 and 25. On the South Transect around sites 25 and 26. On the East Transect around sites 22 and 23 and on the West Transect around sites 25 and 26 (as shown in figures 18 to 22) the real changes occur more houses begin to appear and there is a vast reduction in the amount of retail shops, but corner shops and small supermarkets emerge.
What are the Features of the Inner City Zone?
The inner city is the area of land surrounding the CBD.
It has a lower environmental quality to the CBD, as shown in figures 12 – 15. This starts to show after around 600 metres from the CBD where there is a distinct drop in the environmental quality. These areas are where the inner city begins. The land use is mainly old terraced housing or industrial areas. There is a lot more traffic in the inner city and less pedestrians. The Inner City is made up of old terraced housing and industrial land. The factories locate there because they need the communication links which spread out from the centre of the town, yet they can’t afford to pay the large price of land which comes with buying land in the CBD. Due to this the factories are set up in the Inner City. Also in the Inner City there is a large amount of older houses as when the factories were first built in the 1900’s the factory owners wanted their workforce close to the factories so they built the terraced housing by the factories in the Inner City. This is clearly shown by figure 11.
The environmental quality in the Inner City is far less than the CBD. One reason is the houses are very compact and in rows which give an oppressive feel to the whole area. Also the factories in the area create pollution and are a visual eye sore; both of these bring down the environmental quality of the area. The CBD of an area is the centre of all public transport there are more buses and trains there than any place in the whole area. Also the CBD is often pedestrianised therefore receiving very little traffic pollution. The inner city is not like this; it has far less trains and buses and has older roads. In rush hours of the day the roads get very congested and with cars pumping out pollution this dramatically lowers the environmental quality in the inner city. This is shown in figures 12 to 15.
In the Inner City there is far less pedestrians than in the CBD. This is due to there being less demand for people to go there as there are no shops or restaurants in the same volume as the CBD. The only people who walk around in the Inner City are residents or people using the small corner shops found in these areas. There is also a far greater amount of traffic as people would have cars and be getting from place to place in their cars. Also the people who are going into the CBD have to pass through this area to get to the car parks on the fringes of the CBD. The building height of the Inner City is 2 or 3 floors as it is mainly residential area of terraced housing which traditionally have 2 floors as shown in figure 18 to 22.
Where does the Inner City Zone End?
The Inner City Zone is surrounded by the residential suburbs. The Inner City Zone ends where the residential suburbs’ features start to take over from the ones of the Inner City. The major change between the residential suburbs and the inner city is the quality of the housing. The housing in the inner city is mostly terraced whereas the suburbs have a mixture of much larger semi detached and detached houses. In the suburbs the houses are often arranged in estates where they are spaced out and have gardens.
The environmental quality of the suburbs is much higher than that of the Inner City. In the suburbs there are frequently large estates, some of which are council estates where many people are housed outside the town. When the terraced housing starts to give way to larger more separated housing in estates the Inner City Zone is ending. Also when the environmental quality increases after the dip in the Inner City you know the Inner City is coming to an end. In the suburbs there is less traffic and fewer pedestrians as shown in figures 16 and 17. So when both of these start to decrease the Inner City Zone is coming to an end.
What are the Features of the Residential Suburbs?
The land use in the residential suburbs is very mixed. There are a lot of very large council estates, housing thousands of people. These are mainly new buildings which are not as cramped as the terraced housing but are not well spaced. These estates are often placed on the side of the town where the prevailing wind blows, therefore blowing any unpleasant smells towards it instead of towards the upper class residential areas. These estates were built to house the growing population which had a great demand for affordable housing.
Housing in typical modern private estate in Suburb Photo: 6
As shown in the photograph above these houses are of a large size with a small garden at the back. The houses are not as packed together as in the Inner City (see photo 4). But they are ordered as they are in rows. The upper class residential areas are located in the most pleasant open areas of the suburbs. Where there are woods and open fields to give an impression of space and beauty. This housing is well spaced and large. This is reflected by the price of the property. In the suburbs there are fewer pedestrians and traffic than in the Inner City. This means it is a safer place to walk as there is less traffic, as displayed in figures 16 and 17. The environmental quality in the suburbs is high as there are houses of a higher quality in more attractive surroundings. There is little pollution as there are very few factories in the area as they would be too far from good communication links. Also fewer traffic and scenic surroundings also increases the environmental quality. The residential suburbs have much less traffic as small villages and large estates often have by passes for large roads such as dual carriageways. The roads in these suburbs are small and not designed to take heavy loads of traffic therefore making them a more pleasant place to live. This is reflected in figures 12 to 15 in sites 1 -5.
What differences in housing are there within the suburbs?
Within the suburbs there are two main different types of housing. The first type of housing is upper class housing.
Photograph showing Upper class house Photo: 7
This type of housing is normally in small villages dotted around the suburbs. The housing in these small villages usually contain is large detached properties with land at the back. These are older houses set in rural areas known as commuter villages. These houses allow workers from the city the opportunity to live in attractive rural surroundings. The other type of housing is council housing in large estates.
This housing is packed quite close together and smaller than the upper class housing. This housing is nearer the inner city and is much newer. These were developed in an attempt to cater for the great demand for housing. Within the two areas of the suburbs the upper class residential area has a much greater environmental quality. The price of housing in the two areas is a gulf apart. Houses in the upper class areas are likely to be five or six times more expensive.