Conclusion
Cardiff did indeed have the largest market area, but Brecon had the second largest and Merthyr has the smallest. My prediction was partly right.
Hypotheses 3: The larger the settlement the better the quality of the environment.
Method
To investigate this hypothesis, I compiled an environmental survey. I conducted this survey in each of the settlements, and then gave a mark out of 100 for each.
Prediction
I predict that Cardiff will have the highest score, followed by Merthyr and then Brecon. I think that the larger the settlement, the wealthier it is, and so will be able to afford environmental improvements.
Results
Environmental Index
Environmental Index
Limitations
The results of this survey may not be quite accurate as they are based on personal opinion and not facts or figures. The survey was taken in different areas of a settlement; the Cardiff survey was done in the centre of the CBD whilst the Brecon survey was done in the outskirts of the CBD. This may have affected the results.
Description
Cardiff had the highest score followed by Merthyr, and then Brecon.
Explanation
Cardiff has the highest score as expected. This is because Cardiff as the capital city is a wealthy settlement so would be able to afford a high quality public service for road sweeping and other cleaning services. Cardiff is also designed to attract tourists so the landscaping and street layout would be of high quality. Cardiff’s CBD is a pedestrian area, so pollution and noise would be low, and traffic safety and parking high. Planning permission in Cardiff would be difficult to gain, so the CBD is well ordered. The shop displays are high class because only the richest companies would be able to afford land. Land prices in the CBD are high, especially in a capital city.
Merthyr has the second largest score. However, this score is only slightly higher than Brecon. This may be because Merthyr is not a very prosperous settlement following the high unemployment levels after the collapse of the mining and steel industry.
Brecon has the lowest score, perhaps because Brecon is a small settlement, so the CBD is not pedestrianised. The streets are small and narrow. The streets tend to be cluttered; planning permission restrictions in a small settlement are more relaxed. However, because Brecon is a tourist settlement, the buildings are in very good condition.
Conclusion
Cardiff, as predicted had the highest score, followed by Merthyr and then Brecon. My prediction was therefore proved right.
Hypothesis 4: The larger the settlement, the higher house prices.
Method
I investigated this hypothesis by gathering the prices for three different house types for each settlement from an estate agent. I then calculated the average house prices.
Prediction
I predict that Cardiff will have the highest house prices, followed by Merthyr the Brecon. I think this is because the larger the settlement, the bigger the demand for housing nearby, so the higher the prices.
Limitations
The house prices may be higher of lower depending on the status of the estate agent This may affect results.
These results are plotted in graph 4(a).
Description
Cardiff has the highest average house price, followed by Brecon and then Merthyr.
Explanation
Cardiff is a capital city; therefore there is a high demand for houses for those working in the city. People may also want to live in Cardiff to make use of the many recreational facilities. Because of this high demand, house sellers can afford to increase prices and yet keep their market.
Merthyr has the lowest house prices. This is because it is not a very wealthy settlement due to unemployment after the collapse of the steel and mining industry. The businesses in Merthyr are fairly small, which means fewer people are employed, so there is less demand for housing. House prices therefore stay low.
Brecon has the second highest house prices because it is a tourist settlement. Despite its small size, Brecon is quite wealthy because of the tourist industry. Because Brecon is in a rural area, those who are not farmers would want to live near to the shops and services Brecon provides, so there is a high demand for housing, and therefore higher prices.
Conclusion
As I predicted, Cardiff had the highest house prices. However, Brecon had the second highest house prices, not Merthyr. My prediction was therefore partly correct.
Conclusion
After investigating all four hypotheses, these are the results:
Only one of my hypotheses was proved correct.
Hypothesis 1 was disproved mainly because of the prosperity of the settlements. Greater prosperity is reflected by a greater number of shops. Less prosperity means that the land in the CBD is less expensive; therefore more services can be built.
Hypothesis 2 was proved incorrect because of the type of market each settlement catered for. Cardiff catered for people on a national scale, while Merthyr served mostly local people. The site of a settlement also played a part, in the case of Cardiff and Brecon, market area was restricted by natural boundaries.
Hypothesis 3 was proved correct I think mainly because of the relative wealth of the settlement. A good environment shows that the council has extra money to fund what are seen as less important schemes that improve the environment. Cardiff and Brecon had higher environmental scores because they cater fro tourists.
Hypothesis 4 was disproved, again because of the role and wealth of the settlement. The wealthier the town, the more attractive it is to businesses. The businesses offer employment and therefore attract people. Demand is high, so house sellers can afford to put up their prices but still keep their market.
This study seems to effectively meet my aim. However, it could have been improved by investigating more hypotheses to get a better perspective and therefore come to a more accurate conclusion. I also think that the three settlements should be of similar type, for example all market settlements or settlements with a high percentage income. This would have made the study fairer and therefore more accurate.
The main problems with this study were the practical difficulties of collecting data. For example, busy streets and bad weather.
From this study, I have learnt that to place a settlement in a hierarchy, many criteria need to be taken into account, not just size. One important factor seems to be the function of the settlement and its history. If the town has experienced a lack of prosperity, this affects its status. On the other hand, settlements that are wealthy, perhaps because of the tourist industry, have a higher status than expected. By looking at my hypotheses, I feel I can redraw the settlement hierarchy for the particular settlements of Cardiff Merthyr and Brecon based on my four criteria:
