Year 11 Reading case study

Make a copy of the sketch map on Page 41 and practise drawing it from memory. The first competition when we get back will be a memory test on this - it will be useful!

Where is Reading?

• Reading is in the county of Berkshire in SE England, 65km from London.

Why did Reading grow?

• Reading grew due to its accessibility (see sketch map) and three original industries (Breweries, Bulbs and Biscuits). Reading is now a thriving high tech industrial location.

What factors have affected the shape and growth of Reading?

• Physical: River Thames floodplain, Chiltern Hills to the North.
• Human: M4 has stopped town growing South (see sketch map)

Land uses in Reading
Descriptive point Explanation Specific example
CBD
Contains most important shops, offices and entertainment... this is because it is the most accessible part of the city (A4 meets here as does the railway line which connects the suburbs and as far as London).
All transport routes meet here in the CBD.
Most of the shops are chain shops with a high turnover... This is because the land rents are high. An example would be Marks and Spencers.
The buildings here are the highest... This is also due to the expensive land and also the competition and short supply of space. Buildings such as Queens house and the Prudential buildings are examples of this.
All of the cities important public buildings are found here. E.g. The public library and town hall.


INNER CITY
Most of the houses here are terraced and high density... This is because they were originally built between 1850 and 1914 to accommodate workers during the industrial revolution.
The housing tends to be two bed roomed without garages and with only a backyard not a garden.
Roads are built in a grid iron pattern here.
The industry is mainly light manufacturing and high technology. It is located on the main roads such as the M4 motorway and the railway line for good transport links.

SUBURBS
The suburbs were built since 1914 and consist of mainly semi detached housing. An example of a suburb of Reading is Whitley Wood. In this area there are more parks, open space and good schools also.

COMMUTER ZONE
The commuter zone contains larger housing due to cheaper land rents. The housing is mainly detached. The area now has shopping malls and leisure centres to cater for the people who live here.