Housing (chapter 8,9)
What are the different kinds of housing
Formal and informal
Formal housing. It has access to basic services which will give
convenience to the residents such as clean water and electricity.
Accompanying infrastructure is also built near there to support these
services. It has high quality building materials such as concrete, metal
or hard wood, in order to withstand heavy elements such as heavy
rain, and threats such as fires. The residents have legal right to
occupy the land. They will feel more secure about their homes as they
have permission to live in the housing estate from the government, so
as to not affect others rights. Built by government or private
developers. These housing projects are undertaken by the housing
development board (HDB), then they are sold to permanent residents
or citizens, or sold to private businesses to be turned into private
housing projects.
Informal housing. It has lack of access to basic services such as clean
water and electricity. The slum dwellers have to result to legally
tapping into nearby electrical grids or nearby water pipes to obtain
water and electricity. It has no legal right to occupy the land. They are
desperate for the need of shelter, and hence they will built out of
necessity and on any available or accessible plot of land. They will
face the threat of eviction. They also have low quality building
materials. They build with materials such as zinc sheets or recycled
lumber. These building materials cannot withstand the elements such
as heavy rain, and the residents houses have a risk of getting flooded.
Their houses can easily catch on fire. Self built squatter settlements.
These houses are built by individuals randomly in an unplanned
manner. They are usually found across rivers or roads.
Where are housing found
Formal houses are built on desirable land use near greenery and
amenities.
Informal houses are built on locally unwanted land use. They are
found near industrial sites, major transport routes, rivers, near sewage
treatment plants
What are the factors affecting the location of housing
Developers
Formal housing → for private developers, it is found based on the
commercially attractiveness of the area, or the needs of the resident ,
for the government, it is found near greenery and amenities or good
quality infrastructure.
Informal housing → it is found near rivers, industrial sites, main road
routes and near sewage and treatment plants.
It is found near rivers because the residents have to shower and wash
their clothes there. It is found near industrial development for their
infrastructure (e.g roads, electricity and water) it is found near
industrial sites because the residents have jobs from factories and can
collect the scrap material to build houses. It is found near roads
because it provides a mode for the residents to travel to their
workplaces easily. It is near sewages as there are no desirable land
for the slum dwekkers to build their houses, but they are desperate for
shelter and there is no desirable land for them to build on, hence they
build their slums on any land available.
Land use planning
Formal housing → built on areas designated for formal housing
development projects, including greenery, amenities,
Informal housing → found anywhere, regardless of the land use
planning guidelines
HOUSING (9)
Housing affect natural environment
Land pollution. There is high concentrations of foreign substances
found on the land. In higher concentrations, it will lead to harmful
effects on plants ,animals and humans. General waste is disposed
outside of their homes due to the lack of access of basic services such
as a proper waste disposal system. This will lead to long term damage
of land, which will make it unsafe for sustainable human use.
Water pollution. High concentrations of foreign substances disposed in
the water. In higher concentrations, it could lead to harmful effects on
plants, animals and humans. Groundwater and surface runoff can be
contaminated from the untreated sewage and garbage dumps, leading
to water pollution. This could be because of the lack of basic services
such as a proper sewage system. This could lead to long term
damage of land, making it unsafe for sustainable human uses in the
future.
Natural resources. There will be clearing of forestland to make space
to build houses. As the urban population grows, more forestland will
be cleared to build houses for the population.for building materials
such as steel and wood. cutting down on trees to obtain wood and
mining to obtain steel are used to build houses. Over extraction of
these materials will lead to resource depletion in the long run.
Housing affect social environment
Presence of amenities. Amenities are a desirable feature of a place
such as shopping malls, playgrounds, cafes which will improve the
residents quality of life.
Presence of communities. The government will develop community
spaces to foster the community spirit between residents and their
neighbors, which will improve the quality of their life. This will create a
sense of belonging to the residents.
Provision of basic services. Formal housing provides basic services
such as clean water, sanitation and electricity and shelter to improve
the quality of life to the residents. It will reduce the spread of diseases,
improving the overall health and well-being for the residents.
Strategies
Integrated land use planning. The different stakeholders such as
industries, commercial businesses, planning authorities and property
developers will work together to develop the different needs of the
residents sustainably. They coordinate so that amenities and support
infrastructure will be built within or around housing projects. The
economic needs, social needs and environmental needs of the
population will be met.
The advantage of integrated land use planning is that the different
needs of community will be met as formal housing will consider the
various functions (lesiure, amenities, entertainment, industry) during
the planning process. Less conflict between the stake holders,
because they work together to meet the needs of the population.
The disadvantage of integrated land use planning is that it is difficult to
coordinate because the different stakeholders have different aims and
perspectives. It is also costly for less developed countries as they
might not have the money to support the needs in the different cities
Provision of inclusive housing. The housing developments can meet
the varying needs of the population. Some residents prefer a bigger
flat for bigger families and extended families and some residents
prefer a smaller flat for a smaller families.
The advantages of inclusive housing is that the population will feel that
their needs are met, and will have a stronger sense of belonging,
allowing them to want to spend quality time and make more
memories. They will then want to stay long term as they feel that their
different needs are met.
The disadvantages of inclusive housing is that time and effort is
needed to understand the needs of the community. The less
developed countries are unable to afford the construction cost
because it is costly.
Improvement of conditions of slums. The informal housing is a
necessity. So moving people out of their slums might not be desirable.
Slum upgrading is the improvement of slums by installing access to
basic services, and upgrading the construction quality of slums.
The advantages of this is that it will reduce the spread of waterborne
diseases, because there is access to basic services. This will improve
the general health of the population. They have more access to basic
services, and hence they will contribute less to water/land pollution.
The disadvantages of it is that it may not improve the quality of life for
the people as the crime rates and unemployment rates are still high. It
is not a long term solution because the areas where informal housing
is built might be zoned or intended for formal housing use.
TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
It connects people from different locations, providing opportunities for
economic and social trade.
Social reasons→ cafes, malls, leisure
Economic reasons → travel to workplace, engage in businesses
Features of transport systems
- Variety of transport modes
- Quality of transport infrastructure
- Density of transport nodes
Variety of transport nodes
Different variety that travels in air, land or water. Motorised transport
modes such as trains or buses move along fixed routes and nodes.
According to a time schedule. Non- motorised transport modes such
as cycling and walking does not emit greenhouse gases, more
environmentally friendly. This will reduce the release of greenhouse
gases, and improve the general health of the population. Shared
modes of transport such as car or bike sharing. Customised point- to
point transport services such as taxi.
Density of transport network
Transport network is required for the movement between locations.
Nodes are the point of entry to a transport network, and routes is the
path of travel between nodes. Terminal is the start and end of a
transport network and a interchange is the important point of transfer
to different transport networks. The more nodes and routes in an area,
the higher the transport density. Urban areas have higher transport
density compared to rural areas as it makes it easier for people to
participate in different activities and travel to different locations at a
faster and quicker time.
High quality transport infrastructure
High quality transport infrastructure includes roads, walkways,
bridges, information systems and railways. The indicators of transport
infrastructure is the coverage, capacity, environmental sustainability,
convenience and frequency.
Wide coverage is the wide availability and reach of a infrastructure
(e.g number of people living 1km radius of a node)
High frequency is when the services arrive with a short waiting time
Convenience is the easy movement of people during travel. (e.g ease
of transfer between train and bus)
Environmental sustainability is the low impact on the environment (e.g
the impact of bus fleet on air quality)
High capacity is the large amount of people or goods that can be
moved at one time (e.g number of passengers being picked up at train
stations.)
Distribution of transport nodes
Movement of goods and services
With the rise of e-commerce, there is higher demand for door-to-door
delivery of goods. Transport systems facilitate economic activities by
transporting the goods and services from places of production to
places of consumption.
Movement of people
Residential areas are usually located away from each other, and the
CBD. residential areas are more costly near the CBD. workplaces are
concentrated in the cbd, so there is a need for a good transport
system for people to commute to different workplaces easily.
High level of accessibility
Major transport nodes are found in areas with a high level of
accessibility, whether the places can be reached with a reasonable
time and cost. A low cost and short travelling time is a high level of
accessibility.a high cost and a long travelling time is a low level of
accessibility.
High concentration of activities (PEE)
P →Major transport nodes are located at areas of high concentration
such as leisure, retail, finance .
E →(choose based on map) DO NOT USE LHS OR RHS THAT
BADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBAD
BADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBADBAD
E → major transport nodes are located in these areas so that people
can have easy access to tourist attractions/ employment (based on
map girlgirl)
Chapter 11
Transport
Impact on the environment
- Increased carbon footprint
- Changes to the physical environment
Increased carbon footprint. As cities continue to grow, transport
systems expand. All transport systems require some form of energy.
Petrol is burnt to form fuel, which releases carbon dioxide and it will
contribute to carbon footprint. Carbon footprint is the measure of
greenhouse gases released to support human activities. Fossil fuels
are burnt to form fuel, which releases greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide and methane. Greenhouse gases keep the earth
warm, but excessive use of fossil fuels will lead to the enhanced
greenhouse effect and global warming. Transport contributes 25-30%
of the carbon footprint.
Changes to the physical environment. The development of transport
systems will require the use of physical space, which results in
changes to the physical environment. Natural vegetation is cleared to
build roads. When the animals try to cross the road to find food, they
become victims to roadkill. Forests are divided into small fragments,
which will reduce the size of animal habitats, restricting animal
movement to move freely and find food. Different landforms such as
slopes, hills and mountains are modified for construction, enabling
movement over different topographies and terrains. Rivers are
diverted to create support infrastructure to give different pathways to
different locations.
Social impacts
- Health risks
- Traffic congestion
Health risks.
Noise related problems. As people become more reliant on transport
modes, noise pollution caused by traffic is becoming more serious.
Constant exposure will have negative impacts on humans health.
Noise above 53dB will lead to impacts such as stress, reduced work
efficiency, annoyance, hearing impairment and heart related illnesses.
Respiratory related problems. Fuel is burnt to power motorised
vehicles. Harmful air pollutants are released into the atmosphere. A
severe type of air pollution called smog is released into the
atmosphere, and it can lead to respiratory problems such as lung
infection, asthma and higher risk of lung cancer.
Traffic congestion.
Indicators of traffic congestion are long travelling time, long vehicular
queue, slow travelling speed. It occurs when the road usage
meets/exceeds the road capacity, at peak hours when people are
travelling to work and school or from work and school in the evenings.
It occurs at the roads leading to or from the CBD. it affects the
physical and mental wellbeing of the passengers and the drivers, and
it might tire them out. The drivers lose concentration, become
frustrated and show aggressive behaviour. This will increase the risk
of traffic accidents.
STRATEGIES
- Laws and policies
- Research and development
- Provision of mobility options for a range of people.
Laws and policies. The implementation of road pricing to help better
manage traffic congestion at the city centre as drivers are required to
pay an additional sum of money. The positive of it is that it will allow
faster travel at road pricing routes, and that it will allow smoother trave
at the CBD, and it helps raise the additional revenue for the authorities
to develop and create better transport systems. The disadvantage of it
is that the traffic is not reduced, only directed to other routes without
road pricing. The less developed countries are not financially capable
to afford it as it is costly to implement and enforce the law.
Research and development. It is done to develop environmentally
friendly transport systems, such as EVs which use less fossil fuels.
The advantage of it is that it will reduce noise pollution as it is a
greener engine technology. It will also more environmentally friendly
as it has a smaller carbon footprint, which less contribution to
greenhouse gases. The disadvantage is that it is 2x more costly than
a bus. There is also lack of EV charging stations for drivers to charge
their cars at, hence they are less willing to change to EV.
Provision of a range of mobility options for people. Poorly designed
infrastructure prevents the elderly, disabled and PWDs from travelling
far, therefore isolating themselves. Designing barrier-free transport
systems will help to build inclusive transport systems, which cater to
the different mobility needs of the people. The advantages of it is that
these people feel that their needs are met, and they will have a
greater sense of attachment to their neighbourhood. The
disadvantage is that it is expensive to install less developed countries
are unable to afford it, and it not might be desirable and might not
benefit the population
