What does the 'Gentrification' of the inner city explain?
. What does the 'Gentrification' of the inner city explain? (Essay 1)
Gentrification comes from the word Gentry (i.e. upper middle class) and the second part of the word links to a process of change - in this case higher income groups moving into a formally low income rented area.
The higher income households then displace lower income residents of a neighbourhood because they bid up rents and change the essential character and flavour of that neighbourhood by attracting new types of shops and restaurants into the area.
Displacement of current residents, physical upgrading of the neighbourhood by individuals and developers of the housing stock change in neighbourhood character reflected in income levels, local services, and possible conflict between new and old residents. It is know as a form of private urban regeneration of the inner city area.
Gentrification can also be the migration of middle and upper-class residents into a deteriorating area which may help to revitalise the area, hence regeneration.
However gentrification impacts on property values and reduces the supply of cheaper or affordable housing, hence social exclusion.
Gentrification examples in London are Islington, Finsbury Park, Brixton and Hackney.
Inner Cities
Term used to describe areas in decline around the old urban core of the city. These areas have lost there old jobs i.e. manufacturing, road haulage, warehousing and docks, and have high levels of unemployment. This is due to the modernisation of the world today, hence the building of change between the 20 and 21 century. Poor and public housing is found in these areas, also the inner cities are an entry point for new arrivals into the city.
The middle class have left these areas because of poor schools, fear of crime and poverty. This is due to poor local government services and declining communications.
Social Exclusion
A shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown.
'What does the 'Gentrification' of the inner city explain?' well by linking the above three terminologies together I have come to the conclusion that gentrification of the inner city explains that by middle and upper-class people moving into a deteriorating area may help to revitalise and conduct the area, hence the middle and upper-class people try to move in and make a change for the better. But, the people already living in these areas who have not moved because of fear of poor schools, crime and poverty are in conflict with the new residents. So in conclusion this is a form of private urban regeneration of the inner-city areas.
2. What is 'Suburbanisation'? (Essay 2)
This word is part of the hierarchy approach to land usage - i.e. urban, sub-urban and rural. Large scale suburbanisation began in the great cities such as London and New York when cheap transport made the need to live near the place of work unnecessary.
Transport revolution i.e. trains, buses, motorcar and the underground railway, all made travel to work and general travel around the city a lot easier and simpler. But, as time went on people generally became disgusted the all the pollution (noise and literal) and poor housing ...
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2. What is 'Suburbanisation'? (Essay 2)
This word is part of the hierarchy approach to land usage - i.e. urban, sub-urban and rural. Large scale suburbanisation began in the great cities such as London and New York when cheap transport made the need to live near the place of work unnecessary.
Transport revolution i.e. trains, buses, motorcar and the underground railway, all made travel to work and general travel around the city a lot easier and simpler. But, as time went on people generally became disgusted the all the pollution (noise and literal) and poor housing that the city had to offer. Hence they looked for a place to get away - fresh air with open green spaces and to escape the pollution and poor housing of the core city.
What is suburbanisation? Suburbanisation is establishing residential communities on the outskirts of a city.
Many of the suburbs we have today were created after the Second World War in England and the USA. The suburban dwellers typically work in the cities but raise their families outside the city. Over time more and more businesses moved out of the core city into the suburban business park or the suburban shopping mall - creating the 'Edge City'.
Nowadays more and more people move out of the city into the suburbs. The main cause of this situation is that people have got so use to living in the 'Big City', that they forgot what its like to live a life without the everyday noise pollution, without the everyday look of the road or pavement etc.
People will tend to reach a limit, then break away and move from the urban into the rural to escape the pressures of everyday life. People will like to experience a life without the stresses of the city that embark on everyday. Groups of people will move out of the city together and begin to create their own society out of the city into the rural areas; however people will keep the use of motor cars in order to travel to work in the big city.
One of the first people to be affected by the pressures of urban life was a man named Ebenezer Howard (1850 - 1928); a British thinker about urban problems and designer of urban futures.
3. Why did 'Urbanisation' take place? (Essay 3)
Urbanisation is the change of the urban world. From what the urban world use to be, to what it is now. Urbanisation takes place naturally; another word that may be used in context to urbanisation is evolution. Evolution takes place naturally and has been doing so millions of years. Just like evolution, urbanisation takes place gradually and naturally. When we use the term 'naturally', we don't mean by change of weather or natural in that sense. We mean by 'man' using his own knowledge to change the surrounding in which he lives for the sake of improvements (in most cases) or just general new feelings (perhaps a sense of change).
When urbanisation takes place; I believe it takes place for the sake of improvements. Urbanisation first took place in the largest and most popular of cities such as London and New York. This is because the two cities stated were the most popular and had the most inhabitants. Hence if changes could take place in the larger cities first, then fairly easily; the smaller, less popular cities could do the same. These were the cities to follow as again these were the most popular. We can gradually observe the changes or the revolutions that have take place, for example:
. Neolithic settled agriculture economy (5000 BC?)
2. Urban manufacture, trade, city growth (4000 BC)
3. Industrial Revolution factory system (1800 AD)
However we now might talking of a 4th revolution linked to Jet air travel, micro computers, bio-technology, The World Wide Web, Email and the collapses of time and distance between people & places (1950s onward).
• In 1800 rural life is the norm 97% of the world's population live in settlements of 5000 inhabitants or less.
• In 2000 'urban life' is the norm 60% of the world's population lives in urban areas - there are 254 cities with over 1 million inhabitants.
These are just sheer essentials that show the progression of revolution. By reading up to now, one can safely assume that the world today can only urbanise, revolutionise, and grow more complex, whether or not they want these changes to take place. But if these changes are not wanted there is always suburbanisation that can take place for those people who don't want the change or those who can longer handle the current urban circumstances.
4. What are the key similarities and differences between the concept of the 'Garden City' and the Radiant City? (Essay 4)
What is the garden city? The garden city "the creation of new towns of limited size, planned in advance, and surrounded by a permanent belt of agricultural land. To raise the standard of health and comfort of all true workers of whatever grade, the means by which these objects are to be achieved being a healthy, natural, and economic combination of town and country life, and this on land owned by the municipality". (Garden Cities of Tomorrow 1902) What is the radiant city? The radiant city is the city today. Why was the garden city taken seriously when in comparison to the radiant city? "The Victorian cities are crowded, ill-ventilated, unplanned, unwieldy, unhealthy cities--ulcers on the very face of our beautiful island... These crowded cities have done their work; they were the best which a society largely based on selfishness and rapacity could construct". (Garden Cities of Tomorrow 1902) What are the key similarities between the two types of cities? The answer to this question is simply that both are cities or towns of some sort, both contain good and bad points, both have inhabitants and both have some sort of sanctuary. What are the key disadvantages to the radiant city?
• Factories and houses mixed together
• Poor quality housing
• Overcrowding / high density - no privacy
• Poor sanitation/ lack of ventilation/ heavily polluted atmosphere
• Lack of access to sunlight & green spaces
• High death rates, unhealthy people
The facts stated above are the problems of living in the radiant city. These problems got so out of hand that one man; Ebenezer Howard (1850 - 1928)
* British thinker about urban problems and designer of urban futures
* Published in 1898 'To-morrow' republished in 1902 'Garden Cities of Tomorrow'
* Cities first developed using his approach to development Letchworth (1903) Welwyn Garden City (1920)
Ebenezer Howard decided to take it upon himself to create a dream city; a city that has no disadvantages, a city that has none of the problems that the radiant city has. Unfortunate for Mr. Howard, few cities were built - they were not financially viable. Also:
* People were moving out of the cities anyway to suburbia - housing areas created around cities via the radial railway/tube lines and along highways via the motorcar after the first world war (post 1919)
5. What is the link between globalisation and Diaspora? (Essay 5)
Globalisation is a perception that describes the progression by which social life in all societies is all the time more affected by intercontinental authorities. Every part of the social order is affected from economic activity to a 'day after day' life.
It is acknowledged that globalisation corresponds with an increase in mobility and migration; irregular migration in particular. Hence this shows that there is a strong link between that of globalisation and Diaspora.
'The increasingly severe breakdowns in the economic, political, social and environmental realms continue to make it more difficult for people particularly in the world's economic peripheries to survive and remain in their traditional communities and countries. To these should be added one of the traditional causes of human displacement, armed conflict and political instability, which has increased substantially'. (From lecture week 11, Bill Smith Bowers)
The above quote clearly explains the link between globalisation and Diaspora. 'The increasingly severe breakdowns in the economic, political, social and environmental realms continue to make it more difficult for people particularly in the world's economic peripheries to survive and remain in their traditional communities and countries.' This explains that there are more grave breakdowns in our world today, in regards to our political, social, economical and environmental structures. Hence, because of this, it has become more difficult for people to survive and remain in their traditional communities and countries.
'To these should be added one of the traditional causes of human displacement, armed conflict and political instability, which has increased substantially'. This quote explains that due to the political, social, economical and environmental structure of today's world; a traditional form human displacement should be carried out.
References
. Lecture notes, week 1-12, Bill Smith Bowers (2003)
2. The Guardian, week 47, article by Jane Mathews (2002)
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ATIF RIAZ - 03131435 ASSIGNMENT 2