My urban environment is the largest town in Scotland, known as Paisley. It is situated in the western central lowlands of Scotland, around 7 miles from Glasgow. The population of Paisley is just under 77,000 and is currently in the bidding process for the 2021 UK City of Culture in order to help to regenerate the town.
Paisley was used primarily as a farming area before growing, in the 19th Century to a large source of producing textiles such as weaving, cotton threads and printing. The name ‘Paisley’ was given to the now famous Kashmiri pattern which can still be found on various fabrics and prints nowadays. (Paisley History, 2017)
Paisley is well known for its extensive range of historical buildings such as the Paisley Abbey, which dates back to the 12th Century, the Town Hall – opened in 1882, and the redevelopment of the Anchor Mill into apartments and business space which was opened by the Prince of Wales in 2005.
Paisley’s town centre was previously a busy, lively environment, however the accessibility of newer, nearby shopping centres has left Paisley’s high street feeling a little deserted. The Paisley Town Centre Action Plan shows
Paisley’s hopeful plans to bring life back into the town centre by connecting key sections of the town to the high street shopping district which can help to increase the number of pedestrians potentially visiting the retail units. (Paisley Town Centre Action Plan 2016-2026, p.11).
Paisley is the home to PACE Theatre Company which has produced various stars such as Paolo Nutini, James McAvoy and David Tennant. As well as being a fun activity for children and young people to get involved in, it is also a highly beneficial source of social education. PACE organised an online source which is targeted to educate P7-S6 pupils on the effects of drug use known as ‘Choices for Life’. As well as education, PACE runs various shows throughout the year in the Paisley Arts Centre with the most notable one being the annual pantomime. Although the Arts Centre is only a small studio theatre, is is a vital building in the town for bringing people together and allowing for the sense of community.
Paisley is connected by road to the motorway with the M8 running along the northern edge of the town. There are 4 train stations within the town with Paisley Gilmour Street being the largest of these. The train stations allow links to Glasgow, Inverclyde and Ayrshire as well as to ferry routes which allows people to travel further afield to places such as Dunoon and Northern Ireland. Glasgow International Airport is also located within the boundaries of Paisley, to the north, and is the Scotland’s largest airport.
The specific suburb in Paisley in which I live is known as Glenburn. Glenburn has a large area of green spaces, specifically the The Gleniffer Braes with its entrance located just a 2-minute walk from my house. The Braes boasts miles of walkways through various woodland areas and provides beautiful scenery, waterfalls, children’s playgrounds and, due to its vast area, it is somewhere for everyone in the community to enjoy.
The air quality in my area as of the 28th September was ranked at 3 which is regarded as low on the scale (Scottish Air Quality, 2017). There are 3 primary schools in Glenburn with the nearest high school being a 20-minute walk from my house in the suburb of Foxbar. Glenburn has a community centre as well as a library which is currently under renovation. The nearest sports centre is situated across from the Police Station in the town centre however, there is access to the Thornly Park Campus facilities which is located between Glenburn and Barrhead.
If I were to investigate the Urban Environment with a Primary 5 class I would start by getting the children to consider the history of their own urban environment (SOC 2-01a). This would allow them to find out more about their area’s previous history and recognise the comparison with their environment nowadays. I would then organise a walk for the children in order to let them explore their local area where I would lead a discussion on the effects of pollution emitted by transport (SOC 2-09a) and how we could lower these levels of pollution. This would also be beneficial in promoting a positive outlook on health and wellbeing by encouraging pupils to walk or cycle to school.
