The CBD (the Central Business District)

The typical CBD is in the commercial and heathenish activity in a city. In many declamatory cities, it is right away recognizable by tall skyscrapers, the neon lights at night and the truly gamy density of buildings, traffic and people. The CBD is usually highly accessible. It is the focus of roads, with pile and railway stations near by. The CBD usually has the highest density of bus work and taxis in the whole of the urban argona. Although the residential population is only really small, during the day and evening the CBD is crowded with people working, shopping or quest enjoyment.Main functions of the CBDShops The CBD is usually at the top of the shopping hierarchy in a city. It has the widest range of shops and the largest department stores. Shops mainly sell comparison or high-order goods and they draw their customers from a wide sphere of influence. The highest land costs are in the centre of the CBD. In the core of the CBD, there are large department stores and branc hes of many national chains of shops. Smaller shops, often in camera owned, are located on the edges of the CBD in the fringe area called the frame. or so shops, such as clothing, shoe and jewellery shops tend to cluster together to take advantage of competition, while others are more dispersed, such as advancedsagents and chemists.Offices Banks, building societies, solicitors, company headquarters, insurance companies and government barons occupy high-rise office blocks or the upper floors above shops in the CBD.Culture & entertainment Parts of the CBD come alive at night as the theatres, cinemas, clubs, bars and restaurants bring in customers. Certain parts of cities have become famous for their nightlife, such as Londons West End.The CBD of a city is not static it is a slashing area passing play by means of phases of growth and decline. You will see nearly areas in decay in a CBD of a large city, with closed(a) shops and a rundown appearance, and others that appear lively, smart and successful. The CBD also has problems with traffic congestion, place and taint, as well as those caused by lack of pose and dearth of land. Local planners have implemented a variety of different schemes to approach to solve the problems of the CBD.Problems and attempted solutions in the CBDTraffic congestion Lots of cars and shops, service and employment in the CBD create massive problems of congestion and parking in the city centres. Roads are often narrow, with little pavement space. near solutions include* Ring roads and by-passes to divert traffic not going into the city centre* Urban motorways and flyovers* Public transport schemes such as park and ride, the parvenuecastle metro, trams in Manchester* Multi-storey car parks* Pedestrianization of high streetsLack of space and the high cost of land Competition for land has led to high prices, and growing firms find it difficult to find space. In more or less CBDs the smaller retailers have been forced aw ay from the city centre because of the high costs. some(prenominal) solutions include* High-rise buildings to increase the floor area available* New retailing areas in out-of-town shopping centres in the suburbs or rural-urban fringe, in a process called decentralizationPollution Water, land, air and noise pollution are all common in city centres. Pollution is public opinion to contribute to the stresses of living in urban areas and to some diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis. Some solutions include* Laws against litter and dumping sewage in rivers* Improved provision of litter bins and road sweeping* Clean walkover Acts that allow only the use of smokeless fuels* Clean-fuel technology and vehicles that run on methane gas or electricity* Banning heavy lorries from passing through city centres* Increased planting of trees and shrubsUrban decline Parts of some CBDs have declined. Shops and offices have closed down and the empty buildings and vandalized. City centres make do wi th out-of-town shopping centres to cater for the growing demands of shoppers. Some solutions include* service of zones of decline in the CBD such as Kings Cross and Covent Garden in London* Expansion of the CBD into areas of the inner city old factories and substandard terraced admit have been cleared, rehousing the occupants in the suburbs or New Towns and filling the space with new shopping and office developments