How has London Docklands been regenerated over the last 20 years?

What was the London Docklands?

During the late 1930s, London Docks was the busiest port in the world but, by the late 1970s, the docks had become obsolete and the area had become a derelict wasteland.

Why did the London Docks go into decline?

An increase in ship size meant they found it difficult to come down the river as far as the Isle of Dogs where the river wasn't as deep. (The position of the docks moved further downstream to Tilbury);

Environmental Regeneration

- Network of pedestrian and cycle routes through the area with access to the river and dock edge through waterside walkways

- Creation of pedestrian bridges

- Creation of new open spaces (150ha)

- Water based Ecology Park and London's first bird sanctuary at East India Dock Basin - one of 17 conservation areas set up

- planting of 200,000 trees;

- The area has now received many awards for architecture, conservation and landscaping

Economic Regeneration

- Unemployment had fallen from 14% to 7.4 with a doubling in employment and numbers of businesses;

- Transport revolution - opening of the Docklands Light Railway in 1987 - now carrying 35,000 passengers a week;

- £7.7 billion in private sector investment

- 2,700 businesses trading

- Major new roads including link to the M11

- Building of the City Airport in the former Royal Docks (500,000+ passengers a year)

- Attraction of financial and high-tech firms,

- TV studios and newspapers such as The Guardian now have offices in the prestigious Canary Wharf business complex.

before




after

Case Study: Re-imaging Bradford

In West Yorkshire with population of around 500,000, one of the 10 largest cities in the UK. It's growth was based on the textile industry, particulaly wool but his industry collapsed during the second half of the 20th century. Largely due to the invention of new synthetic fabrics. Faced with deindustrialised Bradford City council has been forced to do three things:

• Find a new range of economic activities to support the city
• Find new uses for land that was once occupied by the woollen industry 
• Shake off its old image of a rundown city of closed woollen mills- and create a new image for the city

Bradfords done well in terms of building up a new economy. Now it has modern engineering, chemicals and ICT industries. Also developed a lesuire and tourism by turning its industrial heritage into tourism attractions. Many of the mills still stand, their exteriors have been smartened up. Become museums, craft centres and galleries or been converted into small business units or flats. Other old buildings associated wih the woollen industry have undergone a different form of regeneration. Been demolished and the resulting brownfield sites filled with blocks of offices and flats, shopping centres and premises for Bradford's new industries. 

Re-imaged Bradford had emerged. New life has been breathed into the city. Two challenges remain, to improve the quality of its inner city housing and to create more harmony between Bradford's ethnic groups. Bradford has one of the largest non-white populations in the UK.  

Changing Fortunes of the inner city

Many inner city areas have the reputation of being in depressing places in which change has usually meant decline and decay.

The inner city really stated life In the 19th century suburbs built around historic cores. Terraced houses were built often close to factories where many residents found work. The first decline in the fortunes of the inner city started in the first half of the 20th century. Many people and businesses moved out to new homes and premises in the new suburbs. This outward movement left behind empty buildings and dwellings occupied by poor families who could not afford to move to he suburbs.

The inner city was left to decay until the 1960s when redevelopment began to take place. Old building were bulldozed and replaced with high rise tower blocks.

Experiences in living in high rise flats

• Walking up 15 floors when the lift is broken
• Fear of walking along the dark concrete balconies at night
• Worrying about children playing outside, ten floors below
• Using lifts which smell
• No sense of community 
• Nearby shops have closed down

In the 20th century, the wealthier people abandoned their inner city, leavin behind a residue of poor households. In many cities, the tower blocks eventually demolished. Adding to the decline was deindustrialisation. Factories were abandoned and large areas laid waste only to become dumpin grounds for rubbish. The stock of brownfield sites become huge. An increasing amout of social unrest and crime among those people unable to move out. 

Some of the inner city brownfield sites are now being used for the construction of expensive housing. Areas of the original 19th century housing that survived the bulldozer are undergoing gentrification. The inner city is on the up. It's becoming the 'cool' place to live. Much money is being invested by developers to improve the services and environmental quality of quite large areas.  

Deprivation and Poverty in HIC cities

Within so-called wealthy countries there is poverty an that many HIC cities have their areas of poor housing- known as Slums

In the HIC cities, the term deprivation is widely used in connection with poverty. Deprivation is said to occur when a persons well being falls below a level which is generally thought of as an acceptable minimum. In the UK, a multiple deprivation index (MDI) has been developed to assess the level of deprivation across the whole country. It is based on 7 different qualities of life indicators:

• Income
• Employment
• Health
• Education
• Access to housing and services 
• Crime
• The living environment  

The areas of greatest deprivation occur in two main locations:

• The more central parts of the city- here deprivation coincides with areas of either old and substandard housing or high rise apartment blocks that were built after the end of the deck  works war to house people displaced by slum clearance schemes
• Towards the city's edge- here deprives mainly occurs in the estates of social housing built by the city for rent to poorer households

What are he symptoms of deprivation and poverty

Poor housing (slums) and an unattractive living environment (noise, unsightliness, graffiti etc.). Services required such as schools, medical centres, sports facilities, park and shops are often of a poor quality.

People who live in these areas of poor housing, unemployed, single-parent families, relatively high incidence of crime and what are called domestic disputes (trouble between partners) anti-social behaviour.   

Brownfield site versus greenfield site

Many environments believe that new developments should be on built Brownfield sites- that is land within the built-up area that has been abandoned and is now lying idle- rather that on Greenfield sites.

With all land uses, there are arguments for and against each type of site.

Brownfield site advantages:  

• Reduces the loss of countryside and land that might be put to agricultural or recreational use
• Helps to revive old and disused urban areas
• Services such as water, electricity, gas and sewage already in place
• Located nearer to main areas of employment so commuting reduced 

Brownfield site disadvantages:

• Often more expensive because old buildings have to be cleared and land made free of pollution 
• Often surrounded by rundown areas so does not appeal to more wealthy people as residential locations 
• Higher levels of pollution; less healthy 

Greenfield site advantages:

• Relatively cheap and rates of house building is faster  
• The layout is not hampered by previous development so can easily be made efficient and pleasant 
• Healthier environment 

Greenfield site disadvantages:

• Valuable farm or recreational space lost
• Attractive scenery lost
• Wildlife and their habitats lost or disturbed 
• Development causes noise and light pollution in the surrounding countryside 
• Encourages suburban sprawl 

A brownfield site
















A greenfield site

Case Study: Southampton

Southampton is a city with a population of just over 200,000.

Nursling industrial park

The main businesses on this large estate locates beside the M217 are so called service industries, of which distribution are storage are the main ones.

Southampton Science Park

17 hectare development in a prime location close to the M3 motorway to London. The science park provides high-quality office and laboratory space in attractive landscape surroundings. Companies such as BskyB rub shoulders with young, fast-growing technology companies in fields such as nanotechnology. Result is a thriving business and research community of over 60 companies.

Hedge End Retail Park 

This out-of-town shopping centre is one of the largest retail parks in South of England. Located just off the M27.

Adanac Business Park 

74 acre site The park is earmarked for major office developments and 'large space' occupiers like the Ordnance Survey.