One of the changes that has happened in many urban areas over the years is the concreting over of front gardens. They have been paved, gravelled, or otherwise stripped of their greenery.
There are various drivers of this change, one of which is convenience.
Many streets now have row after row of gardens which contain few areas of grass or planting. Instead they are either paved or gravelled.
When I first got a car, I parked it on this street here... - thanks to Street View for the image...
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As you can see, it's a street with terraced houses.
Some of the houses did have parking round the back, but it was down a narrow alley, which was difficult to get access to, and full of potholes. Most people parked their car in front of their house - if they could manage that... There was a college round the corner, and a pub with no car park, so often there was a problem finding a parking space.
Parking a car on the road also needs to be mentioned to insurance companies as it may lead to a higher premium. For all those reasons, and more, gardens are disappearing. A report looking at the issue in London was published recently, and makes interesting reading, as it links to the idea of urban hydrology.
I am currently working on 2 resources that make use of the idea of front gardens disappearing.
I'll let you know where and when they appear....
There are various drivers of this change, one of which is convenience.
Many streets now have row after row of gardens which contain few areas of grass or planting. Instead they are either paved or gravelled.
When I first got a car, I parked it on this street here... - thanks to Street View for the image...
View Larger Map
As you can see, it's a street with terraced houses.
Some of the houses did have parking round the back, but it was down a narrow alley, which was difficult to get access to, and full of potholes. Most people parked their car in front of their house - if they could manage that... There was a college round the corner, and a pub with no car park, so often there was a problem finding a parking space.
Parking a car on the road also needs to be mentioned to insurance companies as it may lead to a higher premium. For all those reasons, and more, gardens are disappearing. A report looking at the issue in London was published recently, and makes interesting reading, as it links to the idea of urban hydrology.
I am currently working on 2 resources that make use of the idea of front gardens disappearing.
I'll let you know where and when they appear....
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