Land Use Changes (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Contested Land Use Changes - Slum Clearance
Contested land use refers to areas of land where many stakeholders have views about how the land should be used
This may lead to conflict between different groups, as they want the land for different purposes
The main issues around contested land use are:
The clearance of 'slums'
Urban redevelopment
Depletion of green space
'Slum' clearance
The term 'slum' is used to describe:
Illegal settlements or inadequate housing in LICs
Older 19th-century housing in industrial areas in HICs
The UN's definition of 'slum' is
Where the inhabitants suffer one or more of the following:
1. Lack of access to improved water source
2. Lack of access to improved sanitation facilities
3. Lack of sufficient living area
4. Lack of housing durability (poor building materials)
5. Lack of security of tenure (there is no protection against forced eviction)
Clearance of these areas can be controversial
Illegal settlements in LICs
The settlements are built illegally often on wasteland at the edge of cities in LICs
Local authorities or local government may order them to be cleared:
For new infrastructure developments, such as roads or train lines
To improve the area
This issue is contested because local governments or businesses typically decide whether to clear these areas
These organisations have more power than the people living in the settlements
'Slum' clearance often involves forced evictions
Any new housing is often too expensive for the original residents to afford
Dharavi, Mumbai
Over 1.2 million people live in the illegal settlement of Dharavi, which covers an area of 1 square mile
It has developed on low-lying land which used to be a waste tip and mangrove swamp
Conditions in the informal settlement are often poor:
Many houses are made from scrap materials
Only 24% of people have access to clean water
The level of toxic waste is three times the recommendation
Over 4000 cases of disease a day are reported
There is a strong community spirit
Many people are employed in the informal sector and the annual business turnover is over $650 million a year
The settlement has over 5000 businesses and 15 000 single-room factories
The settlement is located next to Mumbai's financial district, which means the land is valuable
Contested land use in Dharavi
Vision Mumbai in 2004 aimed to:
Replace inadequate housing with high-rise tower blocks
Improve water, sanitation and healthcare
Improve transport
Increase businesses
By 2007, 45 000 homes were demolished and 200 000 people were moved
The new apartment buildings were not popular
They split communities apart
People had to pay rent
The apartments were very small
Many people were made homeless because they could not prove they were Dharavi residents
Contested Land Use Changes - Urban Redevelopment
As well as slum clearance, urban land use change may also include:
Gentrification
Urban redevelopment
Both gentrification and redevelopment are controversial because they may not provide affordable homes for local people
Gentrification
Development of a city neighbourhood from low to high-value
A poor area experiences an influx of educated or wealthy individuals who gradually renovate and push up property values
This often forces out poorer families as the area becomes too expensive to live in
Portland Road in Notting Hill, was one of London’s most run-down and deprived areas; now houses sell for £2 million
Ultimately, the character and demographic make-up of the neighbourhood are changed completely through new services and functions of the area
Urban redevelopment
Urban redevelopment attempts to reverse inner city decline by improving an urban area through:
Demolition of buildings
Reconstruction
Renovating existing buildings and infrastructure
Redevelopment in Hackney Wick, East London
The renovation of buildings such as the Bagel Factory in gentrified Hackney Wick, east London
The building is full of residential apartments now but in the early twentieth century, it was the site of a bagel factory.
Contested Land Use Change - Depletion of Green Spaces
As urban areas grow, the green spaces within them are at increased risk of development
The value of the land for economic use outweighs the value for social use, such as parks
Green spaces are at risk of development into illegal settlements in areas where there are high levels of rural-urban migration
The loss of green spaces leads to a reduction in:
Air quality
Biodiversity and habitats
Areas for physical activity and community events
The urban heat island effect
In the UK, 9.6 million people live in areas which lack green spaces
Auckland, New Zealand
In 2011, green space made up 47% of the urban area
Approximately, 50% of this was residential gardens and 33% were public parks
Green space per person in Auckland decreased by 30% between 1980 and 2016
The causes of the decrease include:
Infill development, where open spaces between buildings are built on
This includes building on gardens
Higher-density buildings in new developments
In new developments, the average amount of green space has decreased from 55% (pre-2016) to 28% (post 2016)
It is estimated that the loss of green space will:
Increase average temperatures; every 10% decrease in green space could increase temperatures by 0.3oC
Increase surface runoff; a 10% increase in impermeable surfaces could increase runoff by 18%
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