Summary of Reading land uses for Edexcel GCSE Geography

1. describe and explain the characteristics and locations of the CBD, twilight zone, industrial areas and different residential zones. Commuter zone “Lower Early” 4 Edge of town 4 CBD 1 Suburb “Whitely” 3 Inner City area 2 “New Town”

2. Characteristics of an urban area in a MEDC Reading describe and explain the characteristics and locations of the CBD, twilight zone, industrial areas and different residential zones. Region Land Uses + Properties CBD 1 Central / Zone of constant renewal and development / Tall buildings (Bid-Rent) / Most important shops, offices and public facilities. / All public transport converges in CBD. E.G. COMMERCE/INDUSTRY Oracle redevelopment – leisure plus retail – VUE cinema, House of Fraser plus bars and nightclubs HOUSING – Brownfield site, apartments inside IDR, next to Kennet & Avon canal Inner city area 2 High density housing (mainly built 1850-1914 – industrial era) / Grid iron road structure – workers homes. Quick to build, max density, easy access and all lead on to arterial route ways. Built near industrial areas (East of main city) allowing quick commute. Uniform terraced houses, cramped roads, no off street parking therefore traffic management – one way streets E.G. HOUSING “New Town”, large Asian migrant community inc. Sikh temple & Halal butchers, plus student accommodation. INDUSTRY “Sutton Business Park ” – small industrial units built in late 1980s for lightweight distribution, packaging and business start ups – close to centre cheap start up cost – on site of old gas works Suburbs 3 Lower density, semi detached housing built from 1914 onwards. / Not for industrial workers as influx of industries had stopped. Big houses for cheaper prices / Gardens owing to lower density and garages / Green spaces: Parks, communal greens, schools and hospitals. E.G. HOUSING “Whitley” – crescent shaped road patterns, front and back gardens, uniform housing, some council housing – after redevelopment of inner city in 1950s, some infilling INDUSTRY - “Gillette” assembly plants taking advantage of the access road from CBD to M4 junctions, light manufacturing, more space than inner city location Commuter zone 4 Higher priced, detached housing / Housing for commuters into London (excellent road –M4, A4 and rail connections. Only 40 miles from London) / Garages and gardens / Out of town shopping centres have appeared in the last decade on Green Field sites E.G. HOUSING - “Earley” private housing, mix of styles, cul de sacs, front and back gardens, detached housing, INDUSTRY – modern business parks (“Green Park”) with high quality working environments and good access to M4 plus Retail/Leisure (“Madejski”) inc stadium, hotel, nightclub, retail parks inc PC World Moving away from central Reading