How urban change has created environmental challenges in Bristol

Dereliction

Mainly in inner city + where there's a concentration of redundant industrial buildings
Port industry moved downstream = many abandoned warehouses
Stokes Croft → high-density housing built in 19th century for industrial workers; many empty houses used by squatters = riots + antisocial behaviour
Solution: Bristol City Council gained lottery grants to improve area → now well-know for music, independent shops, nightclubs + graffiti art

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Amount of waster/head produced by Bristol = 23% lower than UK average
But still produces over 1/2 million tonnes/year
Population grown by 9% since 2000 but amount of household waste been reduced by 18%
Solution strategy: reducing amount of waste sent to landfill sites
Solution strategy: reducing amount generated/household by 15%
Solution strategy: increasing amount of recycling to 50%
Solution: more education in schools about importance of recycling + how to at home
Solution: making technological improvements in recycling

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Main cause of air pollution = vehicle emissions
About 200 ppl. die/yr from air pollution in Bristol
SW winds + pollutants blown over the city from industrial area around the port at Avonmouth
Solution: reducing speed limits on motorwars; the Frome Gateway → walking + cycling route to city centre; electric vehicle programme w/charging points in 40 car parks; smartphone app w/info about public transport
Solution: Bristol's eco-friendly 'poo bus' → powered by human + food waste (bio-methane gas); Bristol to Bath; 300km on 1 tank = annual waste of about 5 ppl.

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Growing population + demolition of older areas of slums = increased demand for housing
City has good record of reusing brownfield sites
Solution: 2006 - 2013: only 6% new housing built on greenfield sites
Solution: 2026 → over 30,000 new homes planned on brownfield sites
Solution: planned brownfield developments will be high-density w/avg. of 210 houses/hectare

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Growing population + demolition of older areas of slums = increased demand for housing
City has good record of reusing brownfield sites
Solution: 2006 - 2013: only 6% new housing built on greenfield sites
Solution: 2026 → over 30,000 new homes planned on brownfield sites
Solution: planned brownfield developments will be high-density w/avg. of 210 houses/hectare

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Bath + Bristol cities beginning to merge
Solution: Green belt set up to prevent urban sprawl on the rural-urban fringe
Lots of opposition from locals to building on greenfield sites (ruins landscape etc.)
Many ppl. travel from surrounding areas to work in the city → towns expanded to become commuter settlements (eg. Clevedon)
Harry Stoke housing development → transport links (M4 junction 1/19); flat land; railway; uni = higher education; hotel = tourism

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