Development of Rural Urban Fringe (Edexcel IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Rural-urban fringe

• Also called the urban fringe

  • It is where green, open spaces meet the built-up areas of towns and cities

• Growth at the urban fringe is due in part to:

  • counter-urbanisation

  • population growth

  • lack of space

  • spiralling land costs

• These can be divided into push factors (negative factors causing people/businesses to leave central urban areas) and pull factors (positive factors pulling people/businesses to the rural-urban fringe)

Push factors

• Housing is old, congested and relatively expensive

• There are various forms of environmental  pollution – air quality is poor, and noise levels are high

• Companies find that there is a shortage of land for expansion or building shops, offices and factories 

• Brownfield sites are expensive to build on due to the added costs of cleaning the land (especially if contaminated with asbestos) before building

  • Also there may be restrictions on what can be built 

• Access for heavy goods vehicles is limited or difficult, adding to congestion and air pollution

Pull factors

• Land is cheaper so houses are larger and have gardens

• Factories can be more spacious and have plenty of room for workers to park their cars

• Closeness to main roads and motorways allows for quicker and easier customer contacts

• Closeness to main roads and motorways allows for quicker and easier commutes for car drivers and access for lorries

• Changing working patterns thanks to technology, e.g. flexible working, working from home, etc.

Changes along the urban fringe

• Some of the biggest changes in the urban landscape can be seen in the rural-urban fringe

• Other than new housing estates, there are also:

  • Retail parks 

    • These have a large sphere of influence due to being easily accessible, ample free parking, the concentration of businesses in one place, longer opening hours, large choice of goods

  • Industrial estates 

    • Space for expansion, purpose-built road networks, cheaper land, sited away from housing

  • Business parks 

    • Space is created for a nicer working environment, easier access and commute for workers, the area is specifically created for office space and includes a conference hotel

  • Science parks 

    • Purpose-built to encourage research and development (R&D), high-tech industries and other quaternary activities, close to a university and transport networks (including airports) to allow for knowledge transfer

  • Airports 

    • Increase in air traffic and low-cost carriers, but also airports feed into businesses on the fringe through imports and exports but also knowledge with speakers and investors having easy access to businesses 

  • Motorways and ring roads 

    • Feed into ease of access for residents, workers, lorries, buses, cars etc. 

Greenfield vs brownfield debate

• Urban growth involves building on land, which is in short supply in the urban centres

• This makes the open land around the urban fringe desirable for:

  • housing

  • industry

  • shopping

  • recreation

  • public utilities such as reservoirs and sewerage works

• However, some people feel too much countryside is being lost through this outward growth of towns and cities

• Some urban areas have a planned and protected greenbelt on which no development is allowed, but urban areas still need to grow 

• This means there are two choices, either build on a greenfield or brownfield site

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

Brownfield sites

Advantages of brownfield sites

• Helps revive old and disused urban areas

• Reduces the loss of countryside for agricultural or recreational use

• Services such as water, electricity, and sewage, are already in place

• Located near to main areas of employment.

• Reduces the risk of squatter settlements developing

Disadvantages of brownfield sites

• Often more expensive because old buildings must be cleared, and land made free of pollution

• Often surrounded by rundown areas so does not appeal to wealthy people

• Higher levels of pollution

Greenfield sites

Advantages of greenfield sites

• Healthier environment

• Close to the countryside, leisure, and recreation

• The layout is not restricted by the existing layout

• Relatively cheap and the rate of house building is faster

• Access and infrastructure easier to build

Disadvantages of greenfield sites

• Valuable farmland lost

• Encourages further suburban sprawl

• Wildlife and habitats lost or disturbed

• Recreational space and attractive scenery lost

• Lacks access to public transport

• Development causes noise and light pollution in the surrounding countryside

• Cost of installing services such as water, electricity, sewage etc.

• There are no clear winners in this debate

• It depends on the particular land use:

  • Housing is flexible in terms of where it could be built, but shops and offices need more space and specific locations 

  • Depends on the needs of the town or city

  • What value is the greenspace really to the town or city?

  • The issues and costs in reusing the brownfield site (asbestos etc.) need to be considered

Example case study - Southampton's rural-urban fringe

• Southampton has a population of over 270,000 with detached suburbs or commuter dormitories

• Pressure from developers resulted in green belt restrictions being relaxed 

• Motorways were added through the green belt, giving Southampton good access all round

• As a result, certain types of businesses have been allowed to build on a limited number of sites

Nursling Industrial Park

• Located beside the M271

• This large estate has service industries of which distribution and storage are the main ones

Southampton Science Park

• In a prime location close to the London M3 motorway

• A 17-hectare park which provides high-quality office and laboratory space in attractive landscaped surroundings

• Over 60 companies, dealing in high-tech research fields, sit side by side

• This has resulted in a thriving community of young and old sharing ideas and knowledge

• Businesses are attracted by the:

  • strategic location

  • quality of the environment

  • access to some of the UK’s leading scientific expertise at the University of Southampton

Hedge End Retail Park

• Located just off the M27

• One of the largest out-of-town retail parks in the South of England

• Home to:

  • Marks and Spencer

  • Sainsburys

  • Currys/PC World

  • Many more stores

Adanac Business Park

• Approved in 2008

• A 74-acre site

• Home to the Ordnance Survey (OS), which produces all the maps of the UK

• The park is earmarked for major office developments and large space occupiers