1.6.2 Changes in Urban Land Use

Exam code: 2217

Written by: Ashika|Reviewed by: Caroline Carroll|Updated 2 July 2026

Every urban area undergoes changes over time and is dependent on the needs of the urban region
What works for one city may not work for another or be relevant to a town or area
Some changes include:
- Pedestrian zones - known as car-free zones and are areas for pedestrians only. Traffic is severely restricted or banned and its aim is to provide a safe, accessible area for pedestrians to improve the volume of people for businesses
- Shopping centres/malls - centralising businesses for people is convenient and increases spending. Almost all centres include car parks with a variety of stores and activities - food, clothing, cinemas, games, jewellers and more. They are beneficial to both shoppers and businesses; costs are cut for maintenance and advertising and there is a ready-made clientele from other businesses
- Leisure - traditional urban leisure activities such as parks, museums, theatres, private clubs, opera houses etc now stand alongside multi-plex cinemas, IMAX, sports centres, niche marketplaces and cafes, waterfront developments and smart nightspots
- Brownfield sites - disused shops and offices are converted into desirable residential lofts or trendy places for people to meet or work.
- Safety - many urban areas are now monitored through CCTV, management of traffic during the day or night, pedestrian-only zones or limited parking have all added to the safety of people in urban areas

With deindustrialisation, inner city areas have been viewed as centres of poverty and low-cost housing, waste grounds with derelict buildings
This cycle of boom and bust resulted in urban blight
With the rise in costs of land value, rents, council taxes, and building restrictions; inner cities offer a way for businesses to expand and for governments to attract people back into the urban area
Redevelopments have allowed the CBD to spread and cleared cheap, high-rise blocks of flats to help with the pressures of urban growth
Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) were large-scale projects that brought about major changes to inner cities with the help of private and public investments
- London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) redeveloped Canary Wharf
- Although the LDDC ceased to exist in 1998, development still continues to this day
- Canary Wharf is a new financial district for London attracting a younger workforce
- Transport links have been upgraded and extended
- New health centres, schools, colleges and university
- Business, leisure and residential areas are placed alongside each other, cutting down on the need for transport and pollution levels are lower

Some of the biggest changes in the urban landscape can be seen at the rural-urban fringe
Growth at the urban fringe is due in part to counter-urbanisation, population growth, lack of space and spiralling land costs
Other than new housing estates, there are also:
- Retail parks - large sphere of influence due to being easily accessible, ample free parking, concentration of businesses in one place, longer opening hours, large choice of goods
- Industrial estates - space for expansion, purpose-built road networks, cheaper land, sited away from housing
- Business parks - space is created for a nicer working environment, easier access and commute for workers. The area is specifically created for office space and includes a conference hotel
- Science parks - purpose-built to encourage research and development (R&D), high-tech industries and other quaternary activities, close to a university and transport networks (including airports) to allow for knowledge transfer
- Airports - increase in air traffic and low-cost carriers, but also airports feed into businesses on the fringe through imports and exports but also knowledge with speakers and investors having easy access to businesses
- Motorways and ring roads - feed into ease of access for residents, workers, lorries, buses, cars etc.

Cities are centres of attraction, which creates an ever-changing population density
Cities are a pull for inward investment which increases opportunities for young people and increases growth
Urban growth if left unchecked leads to urban sprawl
Many older cities prevent this through planning and use of 'green belts' to limit outward urban growth
Most of this change has been at the urban fringes due to:
- Availability of space for housing, retail and manufacturing - including options for expansion
- The cost of land is cheaper to develop
- Better access to main arterial routes for private and heavy transport
- Many services are now located at the urban fringe - major hospitals, superstores, specialist manufacturing etc.
However, urban sprawl has also created problems such as:
- Loss of farmland to build new homes
- Loss of traditional 'green spaces' - school fields, parks etc are being built on
- Impact on ecosystems - natural and built (removal of trees increases pollution levels etc.)
- Creates impermeable surfaces and surface run-off

All urban areas see growth and decline, however, some have seen decline and suffered urban blight, particularly following suburbanisation
This happens when a city's core is built around one type of industry (Liverpool and its docks)
The city expands to accommodate this growth, but if the industry dies or moves further out, then the inner-city declines
Urban redevelopment attempts to counter this by improving an urban area through demolishing, reconstructing or substantially renovating existing buildings and infrastructure - there is a distinct change in the area
Urban renewal involves the improvement of existing buildings, parks, roads, and industrial areas - the area remains recognisable
Government, public and private investors are involved at both levels to varying degrees

Development of a city neighbourhood from low to high-value
A poor area experiences an influx of educated or wealthy individuals who gradually renovate and push up property values
This usually forces out poorer families as the area becomes too expensive to live in
Ultimately, the character and demographic make-up of the neighbourhood is changed completely through new services and functions of the area

Urban Land Use Changes