Urban development speaking

Urban development speaking

Discuss these questions in the order given:

• What changes have you seen in your city/ town/ area/ neighbourhood (e.g. in the last ten years)? Are those changes mostly for the better?
• Can you give examples of bad changes in that place? Why are those changes bad? How could they be more successful?
• What restrictions on (re)development are there and could there be where you live? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such restrictions?
• How can the public have a voice in the way that towns/ cities/ areas/ neighbourhoods are developed?
• What do you think about there being public presentations on all new developments before they are allowed to go ahead?

Choose one change below, explain how it would be good or bad for the area in which you live, and see if other people have questions or comments:

• Artworks created by young residents
• Attract pubs, clubs and restaurants to the riverfront area
• Bus lanes
• Congestion charges (with higher charges for petrol and diesel vehicles)
• Cycle lanes
• Cycle rickshaws
• Encouraging light industry to move to the area
• Free cycle hire
• Investment by international hotels
• Meters showing air purity/ air pollution
• Modern, stylish apartment blocks with art in the atrium
• Moving expressways underground
• Moving rail lines underground
• New railway stations (perhaps linked to international lines)
• Only residents' cars allowed to enter
• Skateboard parks
• Sockets for recharging electric cars in every street
• Tax incentives for low carbon footprint businesses based in the business park
• The main streets becoming pedestrian precincts, closed off to traffic at all times
• Turning the riverfront into a leisure area (from the industrial area/ port area that it is now)

When your teacher stops you, ask about any changes above which you don’t understand, are not sure the consequences of, etc, discussing them as a group each time.

Listen to a presentation and circle the topics above which the presenter proposes.

In pairs, prepare a short presentation on one idea to improve your town/ your city (imagining that you both live in the same place as each other, an imaginary one if you like).

Give your presentation, listen to at least one other presentation, and vote on the best proposal. You are allowed to vote for your own idea if you only hear one other presentation, but otherwise please choose someone else's.