Land Economics and Planning - Essay Example

Land Economics and Planning Scenario A An important retail park is to be set up in the central area of the Medway town. The retail park is to be set up in place of the local town centre. The town centre is a symbol of heritage and provides ecological balance to the town. On the other hand, the vast unused land is wastage of resources and this can be used cohesively in the development of the economy. Land is considered as an important economic resource. All activities pertaining to trade and commerce are related to land. In addition, land supplies various minerals and metals, which are used in economic activities. The paper suggests and recommends some proposals to be followed in this scenario. More and more people from the rural areas are beginning to turn up in the urban areas for better employment opportunity. This is the “pull” factor, which attracted people from the villages to come to towns and cities. Subsequently, there were also “push” factors in the form of change in land reforms and the development of capital-intensive techniques of agriculture. This has created an explosion of urban population in the recent years. As the population increased, the need for appropriate infrastructure to support these people became a necessity. It is a known fact that cities have traditionally enjoyed more economic advantages because the facilities for industrialization like transportation, communication etc. is available here. (Balchin, Isaac & Chen,2000, 2000; pp 1-6). The retail park to be set up will house various retail stores and supermarkets under one roof. This will lead to more employment opportunities for the people in the town. Various retail stores will open up in the area providing for more investment from the companies in the development of the town. As it will be set up in the heart of the town, that would mean the availability of communication from all parts of the town. Subsidiary industries will be opened up to support the new activity in the town. In short, the whole economy will get a facelift using land as a resource. On the contrary, town centre is one of the areas, which lies in the pivotal position of the town. It lends to the beautification of the area with greenery and parks. To set up a retail park would mean destruction of these places, which are treasured by the citizens. The town will be devoid of the greenery. The construction of a retail park would also mean the setting up of various subsidiary industries, which would increase the pollution. The setting up of the park at the heart of the city can invite certain hazards. For example, if a fire breaks out then the whole city will be affected. The construction of the retail park can make the whole economy of the town depend upon one sector. When the particular sector would boom the town’s economy would develop. But the problem would arise if the retail sector goes down. Then the whole economy would crumble. There has to be a way to create a win-win situation about the problem. The following paragraph would discuss in detail how the situation could be created. However, this requires proper planning from the Medway Council. The council has to engage high quality builders in the construction of the park. The builders should look into the matter of less pollution, retaining the ambience of the place and incorporate the most modern facilities. They should also look to maintain the greenery of the area as much as possible. (The Essex Design initiative,n.d.). It is interesting to note that the construction of greenery does not need the huge amount of funds that is needed for the construction of buildings. The maintenance of green spaces in the area helps to retain the aesthetic value of the region. Given the recent trends of climate change, it is necessary to maintain greenery to tackle the deterioration of public health. The construction of parks, fountains, gardens etc. would create a fine ecological balance and would allow adapting to climate changes more easily. The idea of green infrastructure has to be created where the focus would be to combine the grey infrastructures with greenery. (Cabe,n.d.). The Retail Park is to be created in the model of Communities where the local Government and the business will reside simultaneously. This type of centers is in huge demand as these peaceful societies are a perfect foil for the people to work. Communities are local organizations governing the local set up. Communities encourage participation from each members of the society and there are every mode of basic amenities and entertainment available. The balance between the local Government and the community members pave the way for a better working environment. (Communities and local government,n.d.). The other subsidiary industries can be set up in the outskirts of the town to reduce the pollution of the area and a proper mode of transportation is to be devised. Looking after the environment would maintain the ecological balance of the town and the problem of pollution will be minimized. Maintaining infrastructure up to the standard discussed above would pave the way for the Retail Park in the region without disrupting the ecological balance. Taking care of the human resource and the environment of the area would pave the way for a bright future ahead for the town. 2. The recent increase in the trade bonuses and the lessening of the travel time has increased the demand in the property market. The prices of the tickets have remained unchanged but that has not lessened the demand of houses in the region. According to the trade-off theory, the residential demand is not determined by the supply of houses but, on the contrary, it is determined by the tradeoff between the travel costs and the housing costs. In this case, the demand for houses has been on the rise in the capital city though the prices of tickets have remained unchanged. The only development that took place is the lessening of commuting time. Here, the travelers viewed the lessening of commuting time as equivalent to the decrease in prices. The travel tradeoff theory suggests that there is a relationship between the rents and the accessibility of the area. The rent decreases with the distance between the residence and the place of interest. On the other hand, the travel costs increase with distance. The choice of the house for a family is determined by the urge to maximize the real income. Medway is 30 miles away from the place of commuting. Due to its distance, it is clear that the travelling cost will be much higher. On the contrary, as the place is far away from the work place the rent of the houses will be lower. There is a huge demand for the houses because the travel time has decreased substantially. Travel time in this case is one of the most important constituent in this case. With no change in prices of travelling, people will naturally be keen to own properties in the region. Moreover, Medway is at the central area of the city. This is a high-density region and the place has access to all modes of facility and entertainment. The place would be in high demand, as people with a preference of living in high-density regions would certainly opt for the place. A Brownfield site may be defined as any land, which is not used for the purpose of its original use. These types of sites are usually forbidden industrial lands and are contaminated by chemicals. The location of the above-mentioned housing site may have been an industrial site before. With the development of housing in this area, it is quite natural that other projects related to housing would come up. The potential of the development of the housing business in this area is huge because the area and the travel tradeoff theory put the area in high esteem. The rise in demand for more houses in the region would encourage various other builders to enter the market. The unused vacant land of this area will then be used to build more houses. The Brownfield sites may be used for housing purposes then. However, there are some constraints which arise due to the owning of houses in these lands. Harmful chemicals contaminate the land. Therefore, the houses built on this land are naturally exposed to these chemicals and harmful substances and these may destruct the basic structure of the house. Several diseases can also outbreak in the future. The Government though has taken all precautionary measures in making these types of lands suitable for living. Already 80 such places have been rejuvenated and this helps in balancing the economy. Proper planning is done by the Government in tandem with the builders to avoid any mishaps. (Balchin, Bull & Kieve,1995) The buildings that are to be set up in the Brownfield sites require proper planning. The main aim should be to build ecologically sustainable buildings in the long-run. The three most important factors are to be kept in mind in the construction of sustainable buildings- location, design and construction. The location of the area is in the city where the problem of pollution is eminent. However, the location is far off from the workplace so the problem of emission from the factories is not there. The developers can also decide whether to invest in transport networks like green transport mechanism. The design of these establishments should look to negate the impacts of the Brownfield sites in terms of chemical emissions. The area has to be thoroughly cleaned and proper amenities are to be facilitated like water, electricity etc. and the subject of ecological balance have to be maintained. The construction industry of UK is a wasteful one. Proper care has to be taken to reduce the wastage of materials and land. This would help in reducing the costs of the buildings. (Ratcliffe, Stubbs & Keping,2009; pp 315-318). The emphasis should be led on building community centers and other amenities like parks. The EU has led more emphasis on the growth of communities to make the economy more balanced and sustainable. The objective of the EU is to make the areas lagging behind economically more developed with the allocation of funds. The Brownfield sites are lagging behind economically and the EU will allocate funds to make a community based economy structure. This will attract the developers to build more houses in the area. The Europe 2000+ studies state the importance of distributing the population in a large area. The population should not be concentrated in a single area. The growth of a housing hub in the Brownfield region will distribute the population and Government will take every possible care to make the project a success. (Cullingworth and Nadin,2006,pp 76-82). The Medway council encourages Private sector housing and offers grants and subsidies if certain norms are followed. The council already has in place the Energy saving trust, renewable energy grants and energy efficiency top up grants. Thus if the builders adhere to the energy saving measures and can make the use of renewable energy, they will receive grants and subsidies. This will place the builders in a win-win situation, as they will be receiving grants from both the Government and the Medway council. (Private sector housing, n.d.) Conclusion The above factors will help the developers to put more emphasis on the region. The housing sector in Medway will develop because of its location. The travel trade of theory also suggests that the site has many advantages. The land is abundant here and the demand for these houses are pre existing. The builders have an added benefit of receiving grants and subsidies from the Government and the Medway Council. The Retail Park will develop the economic conditions of the town. If all due measures are taken then the industry will see a boom in the days to come. Medway will develop as a flourishing town and a place fostering economic trade activities. References: 1. The Essex design initiative,n.d. What is the EDI. Available from: http://www.the-edi.co.uk/whatistheedi.php (Accessed on 2nd February, 2010) 2. Cabe, n.d. The grey to green campaign. Available from: http://www.the-edi.co.uk/whatistheedi.php (Accessed on 2nd February, 2020) 3. Communities and Local Government, n.d. About communities and neighborhoods. Available from: http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/ (Accessed on 2nd February, 2010) 4. Balchin.P, Isaac.D and Chen.J. (2000). Urban Economics: a global perspective. Palgrave. 1-6. 5. Ratcliffe.J,Stubbs.M and Keeping.M.(2009). Urban planning and real estate development. 3rd edition. Routledge. 315-318. 6. Cullingworth.J and Nadin.V(2006). Town and country planning in the UK. 14th Edition. Routledge. 76-82. 7. Balchin.P, Bull.G and Kieve.J. (1995).Urban Land economics and public policy. 5th Edition. Plagrave. 8. Private sector housing.(n.d.). Medway Council. Available at: http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/housing/privatesectorhousing/64760.htm (Accessed on 2nd February, 2010) Read More