Context of a City (Edexcel GCSE Geography: B (1GB0))

Site and situation

• Londinium was established by the Romans in CE43 on the River Thames
• It was built on the flat land either side of the river at a bridging point
• It was an ideal location for a port
• London is the capital city of United Kingdom
• It is located in south-east England
• Easy access to Europe via the Thames 
• It location between the international time zones of USA (5+ hours behind) and south-east Asia (5+ hours ahead) which makes it ideal for people working internationally

Location of London

London's Importance

Cultural context

• London is one of the most diverse cities in the world
  • 1.37 million London residents were born in Europe outside the UK
  • 1.15 million were born in the Middle East and Asia
  • 1.06 million in the rest of the world including Africa, the Americas and Oceania
• The top non-UK country of birth was India with 323,000 London residents
• Over 300 languages are spoken in London
• Over 44% of Londoners are from minority ethnic groups

Land use pattern

• The oldest buildings in London are located in the original Central Business District (CBD)
• As in the Burgess and Hoyt models:
  • London's original CBD is located in the centre of the settlement 
  • The average housing age decreases with distance from the CBD
  • The city becomes more suburban with distance from the CBD
  • As in the Hoyt model there are areas of high class housing radiating out from the CBD to the west side of London (upwind of the industrial areas) such as Kensington 
  • Working class housing was located in the east (downwind of the industries) around the docks
  • With distance from the CBD air quality and traffic improves, population density decreases
• The structure of London does not fit either model as the pattern of land use is more complex
• Many of the inner city housing areas were demolished in the 1960s
• The financial centre has moved to the docklands area which has been redeveloped leading to two CBDs

Burgess concentric ring model

Hoyt Model

CBD

• The oldest buildings and the high rise buildings in London are found in the CBD 
• The radial roads mean that accessibility was good here, train lines also met here
• High rise buildings have increased and  are the result of high land value, maximising the use of the space
• High street chain stores tend to locate here
• Lots of traffic/ people

Inner city

• Outside the CBD is the inner city area which consists of:
  • Terraced housing: such as housing around the dock areas
  • Old factories/warehouses and dock areas many of which have now been converted and regenerated
  • Blocks of flats have replaced terrace housing in many areas
• There are some high income areas such as Kensington to the west of the city

Suburbs

• Housing size increases in these areas 
• Houses are newer often inter-war (1920s/30s)
• Attractive to families 
• Expansion of the underground system allowed people to live further from the city
• Smaller shops 
• Lower population density
• Areas such as Wimbledon and Tooting 

Urban/rural fringe

• Building and population density is lower
• Housing here was built in the 1970s/80s and 1990s
• Increasingly industry, retail and businesses are moving to these areas due to:
  • Cheaper land
  • More space
  • Nicer environment
  • Better accessibility next to M25 - Thurrock Shopping Park, Watford Business Park
• Areas such as Boreham Wood and Orpington are in this location

Land values 

Distribution of urban land value

• Any land that has 'purpose' will be valuable and cost more to buy or rent
• Usually, retail shops can make money and seek prime positions
• Therefore, land uses of similar activities will come together creating 'peaks' and 'troughs' of land values across the urban landscape
• There are two points to consider:
  • The value of the land:
    • Varies across the urban areas
    • Usually decreases from the centre, outwards
    • Higher land prices are also found along main roads, urban hubs and around ring roads
  • The location of the land:
    • Is important to value
    • The closer to key functions, the higher the value
    • Accessibility and desirability increase land value