My local urban environment is situated in the South of Glasgow with an average population density of 7,800. The town is a thriving industrial estate transformed from the latter part of the 20th century when it was predominantly a peri-urban community. The conservation of the country park and public park keep this environment a peri-urban community. Regarding physical characteristics, types of building include several new housing estate projects that have been implemented, unfortunately this reduces green spaces in the area. There are also lots of residential buildings in my urban environment. Many green spaces are available to the public such as a country park (see 1 for management plan) and a public park which provide widely used recreation spaces. These have been maintained by the local authority and promote sustainable development as many activities and events occur throughout the year to maintain the pond and park. An example is park rangers offering group walks educating the public about conservation and holding eco events (see 2 for management plan). Installation of cross trainers and other fitness equipment throughout the park promote healthy lifestyles. Similarly, community spaces have recently increased due to a new gym facility in connection with the public park. Furthermore, the town’s community centre has long been established and can be hired for commercial, social or community uses. There is also a nearby library and theatre.
The organisation of roads allows easy links to the major M77 motorway as well as nearby towns through wide, long, straight multi-lane roads. This creates good communication links as there are frequent bus and train services, as well as an abundance of motor vehicles. Issues I have observed regarding transport is the build-up of traffic due to buses intertwining through narrow streets, busier buses on Sundays due to a lack of a Sunday train service and a build-up of motor vehicles and buses throughout streets due to traffic from the primary school having collided as no car parks are offered.
In regards to industry, my local urban environment there are a variety of retail, service, healthcare and business stores with the most significant being the extension of the town’s supermarket allowing more consumers to access it. A second storey car park was also built to accommodate more consumers which demonstrates how successful the extension was in attracting more customers.
In regards to air quality, my local urban environment ranked a low 2 in regards to the level of pollution in the area. This could be as a result of an abundance of trees and green spaces and a lack of factories and nearby plants.
- http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3225&p=0
- http://www.roukenglenpark.co.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=5491&p=0
