The Impact of the Markeaton Street's Infrastructure on the Citizens - Coursework Example

Infrastructure Systems Introduction Before going into the details of influence of infrastructure systems on social and health aspects of staff andstudents of the Markeaton street site, let’s get a better understanding of what infrastructure actually is. Infrastructure is basically defined as backbone of the development of any country. Craven (n.d.) asserts that “infrastructure is a term architects, engineers, and urban planners use to describe essential facilities, services, and organizational structures”. It is a combination of various physical structures which are of extreme importance not only for the development of a country but also for the existence and benefits of the people living in the country. These physical structures include roads, railway tracks, airports, water management systems, load management systems, schools, universities, restaurants, museums, hospitals, mosques, and many other technical and social structures. Robertson and Sribar (2002) found that infrastructure often refers to public utilities, such as water, electricity, and telephone services. Without a proper and well developed infrastructure, development and progress of a country can never be foreseen. Sathwara (2010) asserts that “today in the world each and every country is going and growing fast for infrastructure development”. Economy of any country is directly related to the infrastructure of the country. Pradhan (2007) found that infrastructure results in increased economic productivity. Higher the investment in the infrastructure development by the government of a country, higher will be the level of foreign investment in that country and stronger will be the economy of that country. Roth (2006) found that the infrastructure of a country puts the country on the track of success and development because greater infrastructure always results in strengthening the economy of a country. Smith (2008) states that “an effective infrastructure facilitates the development”. Developing the infrastructure of a country is just one time investment but it results in everlasting returns and valuable benefits not only for the economy of a country but also for the people living the country. Kim (1998) found that the primary sources of infrastructure financing include tax and non-tax revenues, government bonds and foreign borrowings. 2. Impact of Infrastructure on society When we say that infrastructure is the backbone of any nation, we must also say that a well developed and maintained infrastructure has a great impact on the society of any specific nation. It is because infrastructure provides the society with a lot of benefits in various ways. The standard of living of the people also gets improved if the government of a country provides them with a well developed and maintained infrastructure system. Kutz (2004) found that infrastructural facilities are very important for the satisfaction of the people living in any country. Abed and Varaiya (1999) assert that facilities like communication networks and transportation are very helpful in strengthening the economy of a country. Behaviors and attitudes of people also get influenced by the infrastructural facilities provided by the government of any country. People make a great use of railway tracks, airports, seaports, and other transportation and communication facilities provided to them by the government of any country. O’Flaherty (2002) found that roads are used to transport the raw material and various goods from the factories to the companies and markets. Ellaby (2010) asserts that roads are needed to reduce the travel time. Same like roads, airports and seaports are not only used for traveling but also to transport goods from one country to other countries. Foster and Kesselman (2004) found that the government of any country should be dedicated to provide the people with great infrastructural facilities in order to satisfy them with the policies and determination of the government. When there will be a lot of universities, schools, multinational organizations and investment opportunities present in a country, the people of that country will not only make use of those infrastructural facilities but also it will result in strengthening the economy of the country through foreign investment. Adams and Lloyd (1999) found that developing and maintaining the infrastructure should be the prime responsibility of the government of any country. 3. Main Idea of the Report The main idea or purpose of this report is to critically analyze the infrastructure systems in and around the University’s Markeaton Street Site. The report includes discussion regarding service distribution within a developed country and ascertains the environmental requirements and aspects of health and safety that a proper infrastructural system should provide to the students and staff of the university. Social and environmental factors are of critical importance for the public of any society that is why various social and health aspects regarding the people living in and around the University’s Markeaton Street Site are discussed. 4. Methodology Used In order to study the service distribution within a developed country and ascertain the environmental requirements and aspects of health and safety of the students and staff of the university, the Derby University’s Markeaton Street Site has been carefully studied. Various critical aspects related to the health of the public have also been studied because health and safety of the public is of crucial importance for the government of any country. For the purpose of studying the health and social aspects of staff and the students, a large number of people have been surveyed in order to find out whether the infrastructural facilities are appropriate or they need any improvement. During the surveys and interviews, several students and staff members were selected in order to get their point of views regarding the appropriateness of available infrastructural facilities in and around the university’s Markeaton street site. Figure 1: Respondents as per Age Figure 2: Infrastructure Problems as per Respondents 5. Derby University’s Markeaton Street Site In order to get a clear understanding of the issue, let’s get to know the infrastructural facilities available at the university’s Markeaton street site. Markeaton street site consists of various infrastructural facilities which include some offices, schools, gyms, studios, auditoriums and workshops. People living in and around the Markeaton street site are getting a lot of benefits from these facilities. Children prefer to go to the schools available at the street site rather than going to some other school. Almost all of the basic facilities are available at the street site and these facilities are proving to be very beneficial for the public. Various shops containing household items are also present in the shops at the Markeaton street site which include electronic stores and other related shops. There are also such media stores which contain a broad range of cameras, lighting and sound equipment, and video cameras. Several open spaces are also available which are not only used by the people for brainstorming the ideas but is also by the people to share and exchange their ideas among their fellows. We can say that the university’s Markeaton street site has a lot of infrastructural facilities which are coming in the use of the people living in and around the Markeaton street site. Figure 3: Markeaton Park Roadmap 6. Infrastructure Systems In and Around the Markeaton Street Site As we have discussed the infrastructural facilities available to the people living in and around the Markeaton street site, let’s get to know those infrastructural systems which are present at the university’s Markeaton street site. Lay (1990) asserts that roads are one of the most important infrastructure systems for any country. If we talk about the roads at the Markeaton street site, it is noted that the width of the roads in not very remarkable considering the load of traffic at the street site. Most of the roads are either very short in width or single lane. Sometimes traffic load becomes too much to be handled by the administration because of single lanes and width of the roads. Single lane roads were originally made by the corporation in order to reduce the traffic load at the Markeaton street site. It was due to the reason that Markeaton street site is a home to a lot of students. So for the purpose of safety and reduced traffic load, single lane roads were developed. But when we talk about the Brick Street, we come to know that roads are much wider as compared to the Markeaton Street. It is because of the reason that at Brick Street, there are a lot of offices and buildings. So in order to facilitate the people, corporation has developed wider roads as compared to the roads of Markeaton Street. Surveys have shown that most of the people living in and around the Markeaton street site want the wider roads. Talking about roads of Markeaton street and Brick Street, we must also mention here that the roads of university’s city center. The roads of city center are not only wider as compared to Markeaton street site but also they are double lane roads which are really proving to be very facilitating for the people living there. It is true that corporation considered the safety of students while developing roads but now the people living around Markeaton Street have a desire of wider and double lane roads due to increasing traffic load. Another important aspect regarding infrastructure systems in and around the Markeaton street site is school of technology at the University of Derby. The school of technology is part of the faculty of arts and technology and is proving to be very beneficial for the students as they learn relevant knowledge regarding arts and designing. Apart from the knowledge that the students gain, the skills and abilities of the students also get enhanced due to the presence of highly qualified teachers at the school of technology. We can say that school of technology is one of the most prominent examples of the well developed and maintained infrastructure. Infrastructural facilities in and around the Markeaton street site are not limited only to the roads and the schools. There are also various other infrastructural facilities which are available to the people living in the surroundings. Such facilities include shopping, entertainment, nightlife, fitness facilities, sports, clubs and companies. Such shopping marts are there for the public which provide the people with almost every basic requirement of life. As we know that Derby is a multicultural city of England, so requirements of all races and sexes are made available at the super stores present at the Markeaton street site. If we talk about fitness facilities present at the Markeaton street site, we can say that there are gyms for this purpose. Students and some staff members visit the fitness clubs present at the Markeaton Street in order to remain fit and healthy. All-weather pitch is also available for the football players so that they can enjoy the game without worrying about the condition of the weather. Considering the importance of Markeaton Street’s surroundings regarding business related activities, various offices are also constructed in order to facilitate the people living in and around the Markeaton Street. Service distribution is one of the most important factors of development of a country, so this area has been given extreme importance by the government in order to facilitate the public. Infrastructural facilities provided to the public play an important role in improving the living standards of the public. Keeping this role in view, the administration of Derby has given high attention towards the development of infrastructure at Derby. For this purpose, transportation has been made quite easier than before and links between various streets have been established in order to facilitate transportations. 7. Social and Health Impacts on Students and Staff 7.1 Social Impact on Students and Staff Infrastructural facilities available at the Markeaton street site have a great social impact on the students and the staff of the Markeaton street site. When we talk about social impact, we mean social interaction and its impact on people. Now the question is how this social interaction takes place among the people living in and around the Markeaton street site. The social interaction takes place through public places where students and the staff members come for the purposes like offering prayers and meeting each other. Such places include auditoriums, churches and mosques where people come and have an interaction with each other. Along with such places, infrastructure provides communication facilities to the students and the staff members which are another source of interaction among the people. As we know that there are a lot of foreign students studying at Markeaton street site so they get the opportunity to socially interact with the local students which promotes brotherhood and harmony between the local and foreign students. A lot of open spaces are also available to the students and staff members that can be used by them in order to express their views and talent. So it is yet another source of social interaction and it has a great social impact on the relations between students and the staff members. Adjacent to the Markeaton street site is Brick Street where large number families live from which some people are relatives to the people living at Markeaton street site. It is another source of social interaction as people from Markeaton street site often go to Brick Street to meet their relatives. Social interaction is of key importance in building trustworthy and reliable relationships among the people and Markeaton street site provides the people living in and around with the facility of housing and open places where people come and share their ideas with each other. This social interaction helps a lot of people in a lot of ways like they find new ideas and solutions to various problems by interacting with each other. Markeaton street site provides the students and the staff members with the facility of housing. As we know that Markeaton street site is home to a large number of students, it is a good place for the continuous interaction between the students and the staff members and this social interaction also occurs out of the university which leads the way towards affection and kindness between students and the staff members. Housing for students at Markeaton street site plays a great role in building kind relationships between students and the faculty. Friends of the students also visit Markeaton street site in order to meet the students living there which makes the Markeaton street site more socially interactive and purposeful. 7.2 Health Impact on Students and Staff Infrastructural facilities available at the Markeaton street site have also a great health impact on the students and the staff living in and around the Markeaton street site. One of the greatest health aspects is vegetation in the area of Markeaton street site. There is no food shortage for the people not only because of vegetation but also because of a large number of stores available to the people living around the Markeaton street site. Another aspect of health related infrastructural facilities is the large number of open spaces available at the Markeaton street site. Those open spaces are also good from health point of view as a large number of students come there and express their views and ideas which get them mentally relaxed. Gyms are also available for the students and the staff members. Students make a great use of those gyms in order to remain physically fit and active. Vegetation is one of the strong health related advantage for the people living in and around the Markeaton street site because at Brick Street there is absolutely no vegetation because of large number of houses, offices and shops. 8. Current Infrastructure Problems Talking about the benefits from the infrastructural facilities available at the Markeaton street site, there are also some problems related to the infrastructure. First one of those problems is that of pollution which is increasing day by day and is produced by the vehicles. There are a lot of offices in the surroundings which are the main source of traffic load because a large number of people come to these offices and almost all of them have their vehicles which increases the level of pollution in the atmosphere. Results of the surveys and interviews showed that the people living in and around the Markeaton street site are also facing a lot of problems along with the benefits that they take from the infrastructural facilities available to them. Some of the big problems include noise pollution, shortage of public transport, traffic violations, less use of bicycles, no proper parking facilities, shorter width of roads, and pollution due to vehicles which are not environment friendly. Width of the roads is one of the greatest problems these days for the people living at the Markeaton street site. Traffic violations also occur due to unavailability of wider and double lane roads. Population is increasing day by day but the number of roads is still the same. Noise pollution is also one of the biggest problems of Markeaton street site which is created by the vehicles. So, these were some of the problems which need to be resolved by the administration in order to satisfy the people living in and around the Markeaton street site. People do not said in the surveys that they were short of infrastructural facilities available to them; rather they were very happy regarding the infrastructure but showed a desire towards solution of some basic problems. 9. Future Recommendations According to the surveys, following are the recommendations given by the people living in and around the Markeaton street site regarding improvements in the infrastructural facilities. These recommendations include maximum use of bicycles and rickshaws by the public, minimum use of heavy or noise producing vehicles, and strict compliance of traffic rules by the students. Majority of the people also want wider and double lane roads because the existing infrastructure of roads is not capable to meet the requirements. Some people also demanded parking facilities because they feel highly insecure regarding their vehicles while parking. People also wanted a ban on high frequency vehicle horns because there are a large number of houses in the surroundings and horns cause disturbance for the people living in those houses. 10. Conclusion Summing it up, it can be said that infrastructure is very important for the development of any country because it ensures increased foreign investment and strong economy of a country. Infrastructural facilities available to the people living in and around the Markeaton street site are very beneficial for the public as they make a great use of those facilities in a lot of ways but still some improvements are needed regarding the infrastructural facilities. References Abed, E. & Varaiya, P., 2005. Advances in Control, Communication Networks and Transportation Systems. New York: Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. Adams, C. & Lloyd, S., 1999. Understanding Public-Key Infrastructure: Concepts, Standards, and Deployment Considerations. U.S.A: New Riders Publishing. Craven, J n.d., What is Infrastructure?, viewed 09 April 2010, Ellaby, L 2010, Building Greener Roads, viewed 09 April 2010, Foster, I. & Kesselman, C., 2004. The Grid: Blueprint for a New Computing Infrastructure. San Francisco: Elsevier Inc. Kim, E 1998, Economic gain and loss from public infrastructure investment, viewed 09 April 2010, Kutz, M., 2004. Handbook of Transportation Engineering. New York: McGraw-Hill. Lay, M., 1990. Handbook of Road Technology: Traffic and Transport (2nd ed.). New York: Tailor & Francis. O’Flaherty, C., 2002. Highways: The Location, Design, Construction and Maintenance of Road Pavements (4th ed.). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Pradhan, R 2007, Does infrastructure play role in urbanization: evidence from India, viewed 09 April 2010, Robertson, B & Sribar, V 2002, Beyond E-Business: Infrastructure Strategies that will Enrich Your Value Chain, viewed 09 April 2010, Roth, G., 2006. Street Smart: Competition, entrepreneurship, and the future of roads. California: Transaction Publishers. Sathwara, S 2010, Jib Cranes an Important Invention For Developing Infrastructure at Its Best, viewed 09 April 2010, Smith, T 2008, Defining the Six Sigma Infrastructure, viewed 09 April 2010, Read More