Land Use Changes (SL IB Geography)

• 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

• 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.

• 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 0.3^oC
  • Increase surface runoff; a 10% increase in impermeable surfaces could increase runoff by 18%