Tma_01_Outline_How_Material_Thingsd_on_City_Road_Favour_the_Activities_of_Some_Groups_of_People_over_Others

Outline How Material Things on City Road Favour The Activities Of Some Groups Of People Over Others City Road: A mile long, the busiest street in Cardiff. Hectic with cars commuting to and from work; delivery lorries and buses. Pavement’s littered with bins, bollards and traffic lights. A hive of pedestrian and motorised activity, day and night. Independently owned shops sit alongside supermarket giant Tesco, competing for customers. Takeaways offer food from around the world, a diverse ethnic mix of residents, student accommodation, a sports centre and family run, traditional restaurants. In this essay, I will focus on the road’s buildings, street markings and furniture. Whose activities are improved by their presence and those for whom they cause problems and inequalities. The road is incredibly busy, with cars and buses commuting to work, making crossing a far bigger challenge to the elderly and those who live with mobility difficulties, than for younger able bodied users. To address this issue crossing points are spaced out along the road, making it easier to navigate. Only some are controlled, so as not to slow down the progress of traffic too much. This means those less mobile may have to travel some distance to find a suitable crossing place, whilst the young / able bodied are able to cross the road conveniently where they wish to and more quickly. Different coloured tarmac is used at crossings to denote that car drivers must not enter the area, slowing up the commuters and traffic, but making it safe for pedestrians waiting to cross in the middle of the road. The street furniture on City Road; bins, bollards lamp posts, bus shelters etc. have all been painted the same light blue. Rodney Berman, (‘The Street’,2009, scene 1 ) tells professor Elizabeth Silva that a major exercise in 2001 was approved to improve the environment for the residents on City Road. In some areas Berman says, (‘The Street’,2009, scene 1 ) bollards are placed closer together to prevent car owners from parking on the pavement, making the areas safer and accessible for wheelchair users and young families with prams. However the bollards could have caused problems for those with sight difficulties and so the council painted a white stripe around the top, to improve visibility and made them taller improving the chances of being seen, reducing the inequality between the sighted and the partially sighted Different ages use the buildings in diverse ways; a bus shelter for public transport users to offer protection from the weather during the day, could be transformed at night into an ad hoc youth centre for teenagers to congregate at night (Blakeley et al.,2009 p21 ) . City Road is an area that attracts a diverse ethnic mix of people. Small shop owners such as Exquisite Africa and Sanna Silk have thrived by providing the immigrant population with goods from home that they were unable to get in other shops on the street, yet at the same other small shops selling more run of the mill goods have closed due to competition from the giant retailer Tesco. A large proportion of the buildings on the road are takeaway shops, open late into the night; appealing to the large young student population, looking for a quick meal. Older residents like the men interviewed in the working men’s club describe the busy, brash night life surrounding the takeaways as threatening, and as a result are fearful of walking the street at night (Blakeley et al.,2009 p21 ). Whilst during the day, the Taste Buds café’ favours an older clientele, such as the two ladies who appreciate the slower more personal service offered, likening it to a community centre, a place to meet, a place where they feel safe and well looked after (‘The Street’,2009, scene 1 ). Another building perceived by people in different ways is the sports centre, formally the family home of the Macintosh‘s. Bringing in most of its members from outside the area, local people look at the impressive gated building judge it to be a private club, exclusive, and not a place they would feel comfortable using. However the outdoor space of the centre attracts the local population at the weekend when it changes identity from a tennis court to a very popular farmer’s market. Looking at City road we can see how people and material things articulate daily, how their lives and activities are shaped by the connections made, to produce a positive or negative experience. Reference list: Blakely, G., Bromley, S., Clarke, J., Raghuram, P., Silva, E. and Taylor,S. (2009)DD101 Introducing the social sciences, ‘Learning Companion1’,Milton Keynes, The Open University. ‘The Street’, (2009) DVD 756 words