Inner city

Glasgow

Location of the inner city

• In older cities, the inner city area is near the centre and surrounding the CBD.
• Inner city areas are identified not only by their physical features but often by negative socio-economic features, eg derelict buildings, waste ground and run-down housing.

Reasons for inner city location

• Old heavy industrial factories were near the city centre.
• Low-cost housing, like tenements, were built quickly for poorly paid workers who needed to live close to work.
• People in poor inner city areas were able to make use of city centre amenities.

Identifying features of the inner city

• High density of buildings and lack of good quality open space, eg parks.
• Grid iron street pattern
• Older, nineteenth century, low-cost housing - likely to be tenements in Scotland and terraced housing in England.
• Poor quality housing with a lack of gardens.
• Derelict land
• Old industry in decline or shut down.
• A declining population with high unemployment.
• Large areas of redevelopment or urban regeneration.
• Limited convenience shopping facilities.
• High levels of air pollution from traffic.
• Visual pollution in the form of vandalism and graffiti.
• Areas demolished and used for motorways and ring roads.

An example of an inner city area in Glasgow is Govan.