Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
of urban recreation can commence without an understanding of the historical and
geographical processes associated with its development (see Bailey 1989 for a review of
the historical leisure research in the UK). By focusing on the development of modernday
recreation in cities since their rapid expansion in the early nineteenth century, it is
possible to examine many changes to the form, function and format of urban recreation
and its spatial occurrence in the nascent urban-industrial cities and conurbations in
England and Wales.
EVOLUTION OF URBAN RECREATION IN BRITAIN
Within the context of towns and cities, S.Williams (1995) argues that
urban populations engage in most of their leisure activities within the
same urban area in which they live. The geographical patterns of
residence are translated very readily into a pattern of recreation that is
focused upon the urban environment, purely by the fact that most people
spend the majority of their leisure time in, or close to the home.
(S.Williams 1995:8)
This indicates that the patterns of residence and recreation are closely related. The
current-day patterns of recreation and the ways in which they developed in Britain are
fundamental to any understanding of the development of recreational opportunities in
urban areas. According to S. Williams (1995), these passed through three district phases;
foundation, consolidation and expansion.
Phase 1: foundation
During the nineteenth century, public provision for urban recreational activities emerged
through legislative provision (e.g. the number of urban parks in Britain increased from 19
between 1820 and 1850, to 111 between 1850 and 1880: Conway 1991), while
innovations in town planning and urban design led to improved quality of streets and
housing areas, expanding the space for recreation. In addition, the nineteenth century saw
the social geography of towns and cities in England and Wales (R.Lawton 1978) develop
with social patterns of segregation and suburbanisation fuelled by urban growth. This
also affected the development of recreational opportunities as cities expanded during the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the case of Liverpool, Marne (2001)
examined the class, gender and ethnicity issues associated with the growth of urban park
provision in Liverpool, highlighting many of the socio-geographic inequalities which
exist at the present time.
Phase 2: consolidation
The period 1918 to 1939 saw a growth in more specialised forms of urban recreational
land uses stimulated by legislation such as the rise of the Small Holdings and Allotments
Act 1908, which expanded the range and type of amenity space in towns and cities, while
