Urban tourism in Bath Field Report - Dissertation Example

?*introduction *Literiture review *Research Methodology *Results, Analysis and discussion *conclusion Acknowledgement Urban tourism is oftenperceived as an opportunity for a community centre to economically advance itself and its residents. However, the urbanization process usually entails many transformations that compromise some local values and advantages towards achieving and maintaining attractive spaces in a city. This is with the goal to sustain growth of business and the communities, attraction of visitors, provide reasons for spending, and other social and economic gains. Some of the results and effects, however may be adverse to the community’s welfare such as increase social problems of migration and unsustainable population growth, and environmental degradation. This paper through participant observation, was able to identify some of the environmental problems that Bath as a city currently experiences in its attempt to sustain and maintain the area as an urban tourist destination. Bath emerged as a tourist destination since recorded history for its natural hot water springs. Changes throughout history have made it one of the more architecturally blessed cities of the world with its original tourist attraction. The growing population and demand for urban tourism, however, has brought in environmental issues such as reduction of green belt and parks to sustain housing demand, surge of water costs, garbage collection and disposal, as well as disease control and prevention. It was noted that these issues should be addressed through adoption of policy on sustainability as well as strict implementation of cooperation to achieve sustainable goals. Chapter 1: Introduction Man has always kept moving like a butterfly. Most of us cannot stay in one place for long. I myself am like that and man should have been born with wings or wheels, for easy transport. In every individual there is a passion to soar in the clouds and go to the distant end of the earth. However, choice is limited where he can go to or how. Some people indulge in the joy of “tourism”. Tourism means that one goes out to different areas of the world enjoying the sites, culture, and the entertainments. Many tourists enjoy their life and comfort that touring provides. Touring gives an aura of cool nomads, happy to go where the wind and water takes them (Buckley & Littlefair, 2007). Urban pertains to the city areas and its lifestyle. Many main cities of Europe, the Americas, Asia, and everywhere have unique traits to show off. However, creating and reinventing urban areas to become a tourist spots is a difficult and long process, with lots of work, and costly investments. Urban areas are places that require a much attention and cooperation between leaders, the private sectors, the public and even outsiders to turn into one a tourist attraction. According to Lundie et al (2007) the four qualities of a city tourist spot are: 1) High physical densities of structures, people and functions; 2) Social and cultural heterogeneity, 3) Economic mal-functionalism; and 4) Physical centrality within regional and interurban systems. Demands for urban tourism rose rapidly due to the need to sustain growth as well posterity. However, urban tourism is multipurpose and multidimensional in nature. National and local governments in cooperation with various sectors invest in selected areas which are considered attractions such as malls, entertainment zones, historical districts, redevelopment zones, ethnic and sacred spaces. Tourists flock to areas that provide accommodation, transport, best facilities, attraction and guides. However, tourist satisfaction does not equate to a beautiful and healthy environment as urbanism and tourism address similar problems of growth, density, demand, and other forces that require sustainability and balance. Tourist spots are from time to time reconsidered to sustain healthy, safe, and nurturing spaces. This paper will try to identify different environment impacts of tourism in Bath, United Kingdom, point out how these impacts effects on the tourism, as well as recommend solutions to minimise negative impacts. 1.1 Aims and Objectives The Aim of this project is to identified environment impacts of urban tourism in Bath, UK 1. Identify different environment impacts of tourism 2. Find out how these impacts effects on the tourism in Bath 3. Recommend solutions for minimize negative impacts Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Urban Tourism Tourism is most often associated with urban communities. The growth of information sharing that spawned interest on histories and cultures outside one’s own added interest on culture tourism. Tourism in return changes many of the economic landscape of one newly urbanised area so that previous industries such as manufacturing usually are replaced by service industries; increased mobility of capital; and the contribution it brings to economy. Meethan (1996) observed that “the urban environment itself becomes a commodity to be bought and sold not only to corporate interests but also to individual consumers” (323). In this change, the city governance adopts through redevelopment efforts of providing convention centers, sports stadiums, marketing campaigns, and similar activities of a travel agent (Holcomb, 1999). However, it was also argued that increased local employment and revenue are questionable. Economic costs and benefits usually accompany progress of this kind and other impacts include standardization of urban space, the commodification of space, distortion of local history, neighborhood gentrification, and other social, cultural, psychological, physical, and ecological aspects (Fotsch, 2004). Increased visitation due to demand are common problems that emerge especially in Europe (van der Borg, 1998). The same case applies to United Kingdom’s Bath, which although a part of Somerset, was granted a county borough status (City of Bath, 1996). It is now one of the urban spaces that had adopted revitalization schemes to cope with the tourism demand as well as address environmental aspects such as sustainability. Redevelopment includes the Bath spa, South Gate and the Western Riverside project (Visit Bath, 2011). 2.2 What Attracts Visitors to a City? The historical authenticity as well as rebuilding and reimagining of any popular local personality or fiction have emerged as one of the reasons why a place attracts visitors. Historical buildings, sites, streetscapes, neighbourhoods and landmarks all provide reason for people to flock to a place. This has also made local government agencies to cater to their needs, re-inventing these sites into pedestrian-friendly sites as businesses also compete for space to provide accessible products, amenities, and services for tourists (Ruetsche, 2006). Another magnet for tourism is waterfronts – from transportation, industry, to entertainment. Same thing could be said of Bath. Water symbolises both pleasure and necessity and has been known to investors as a vast opportunity for business and economic development (Ruetsche, 2006). Convention centers and exhibitions are also some of the stapes of the city as it has been indicated that up to 40% of those who stay overnight in the city came for this reason (Ruetsche, 2006). This is coupled with festivals and events that attract outsiders to a certain place. Visitor districts are also places that have their own identity among visitors and tourists. They may be cultural, sporting, or amusement centres that are accessible or having the amenities that visitor seek. Other factors that attract visitors include the retail and catering industries where shoppers and restaurants provide for tourists (Ruetsche, 2006). 2.3 Historical Bath In the first century, about 43 AD, the Romans built a stone wall reservoir to contain the hot mineral water spring and called the area Aquae Sulis although Bath was already known by that time, or as early as 8,000 years BC (Visit Bath, 2011). The source spring was considered sacred and many threw their offerings for Minerva. A vault was built to protect the source spring. From the Roman period, the hot mineral water spa but the building caved in. In the 12th century, the King’s Bath named after Henry I was built within the remains of the Roman building. Bath became a Georgian City which John Wood, son of a Bath builder, developed as early as 1704. He designed many of the streets, buildings such as the North and South Parades, Queen Square, the Circus, Prior Park, developed the old Abbey Orchard, among others. Wood showed that a row of town houses could be palatial and appear dignified with uniform facades and rhythmic proportions (City of Bath, 1996) Bath attained city status as early as 1590 through the Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I (City of Bath, 1996). By 1767, another landmark in Bath was built by John Wood the Younger – the Royal Crescent which provides contrasting facades on its front and back. The curved facade with three storeys and 30 units in all, are just one of the few masonic works of the John Woods. Georgian architecture takes from the Roman’s, specifically influential was the Colosseum. It has detailed frieze of alternating triglyphs (Manco, 2004) Another notable building in Bath is the Corridor built by Henry Edmund Goodrich, an architect. It opened in October 1825. It has an arching arcade, now reconstructed into glass. Bath reached its peak as a popular resort for the privileged during the Georgian and Edwardian era and it was known for its healing waters (City of Bath, 1996). Bath is Britain’s only hot mineral spring and sustained centuries of attracting visitors leading the development of an urban center around the springs. The hot water springs from a depth of 3000 meters at a daily rate of 1.17 million liters with a temperature of 46.5 centigrade or 116F. It has three surfaces. The Romans were the first to give value to the hot mineral water creating their spa of Aquae Sulis. They also built a temple around it. Aside from the Romans, the Saxons and Normans also realized the curative powers of the water so that by 16th century; it was sought as much as hospitals were (City of Bath, 1996). Bath is one of the more urban places that was visited and flocked to for its natural spring water even in early written history. This led to development as a Georgian city in its architecture which added more reasons for people to visit the place. By 18th century, Bath is already considered a fashionable city when Old Orchard Street Theatre was built, along with the Lansdown Crescent, Royal Crescent, the Circus, and Pulteney Bridge. Music and theatre compete in cultural activities. It has reopened to the visitors the opportunity to bathe in its naturally heated spring waters through the Thermae Bath Spa in 2006 (Visit Bath, 2011). Bath is a small city despite its fame. It still exudes the historical and mystical aura of being medieval, with high walls and narrow lanes and streets, small town houses lined up neatly together. However, when the tourists came in to Bath, many changes occurred and these all impacted on the environment (Buckley, 2009). Bath has been a wonderful city through the ages. It has been a beautiful city with laughter and life lurking everywhere. Now, in the modern day, Bath still retains its aura of wonderfulness. 2.4 Bath Today Bath was inscribed as World Heritage site in 1987 and its theatres, museums, sporting and other cultural venues made in a major tourist destination with about 3.8 million day visitors per year (Visit Bath, 2011). However, its reputation as a destination started early in its history so that throughout, it continue being a tourist spot. The nearby Stonehenge and castles added to its tourist appeal. As many other urban and tourist hubs, Bath also experienced common sanitation and environmental challenges. One of the sustainable struggles of Bath is of retaining sustainable consumption through maintenance of small shops and keeping out large supermarkets. In an election campaign, a green candidate promised electorates to “encourage local entrepreneurs to create small-scale businesses, while opposing large corporations whose profits disappear from the locality and who benefit from tax avoidance. We strongly oppose the attempts to turn Bath into yet another clone-town of large supermarkets, which force our small local shops to close,” (Bath Chronicle, 2011, P 14). Chapter 3: Methodology This study will use the Participant Observation method in learning the perspectives and situations that occur in a study population specifically the residents of Bath. Participant observation is a qualitative method originating from traditional ethnographic research (Geertz, 1984). Any given community with its diverse population has multiple perspectives and understanding of situations. Observation will allow the researcher to learn these diverse perspectives through immersion to the community, participation in their activities, as well as by visually observing and recording these observations. Its uniqueness is that the participants are observed in their own surrounding instead of a controlled one. It was described as learning what is life like as an insider yet remain an outsider (FHI, 2011). Careful and objective record keeping or note taking is undertaken by the researcher in this process. In addition to filling in the field notebook, the researcher also undertakes casual conversation with members of the community, and these are recorded as well. Other information may be gathered from mass media such as newspapers, radio, or internet news coverage about the community and their activities related to the data being collected. Participant observation is relevant in gaining an understanding about social, economic, cultural, or even environmental situations, cause and effect, and other data about a community and its population. The familiarity experienced in the process will enable the researcher to comprehend as well as link situational data that only comes from personal encounter (Douglas, 2004). Chapter 4: Result, Analysis and Discussion Personal Observation of Bath In a bus tour in Bath, I was able to observe that the main streets of the city are visually and physically appealing and look neat overall. The buildings as already mentioned were well planned. The use of limestone for the renovation of old buildings make them look authentic and seen throughout the whole city. The authentic look of the buildings were maintained and preserved even as business places such as banks, restaurants, and shopping boutiques only place their name and logo on the building instead of painting their own brand and colours. I observed that there were different organizations that maintain cleanliness in the city. I have spoken to one of the staff who cleans the city and he explained the route of cleaning and waste collection, as well as how often they clean around the city. However, garbage collection, as will be pointed out later, has become one of the major environmental concerns of the city as much as other localities are. I have seen parks around the city using organic methods to maintain its flora. Compost fertilizers were made and used and recognized them in black bags. I observe that there are some destructive activities by birds such as pigeons but these seemed minimal and there no solutions have been seen. The residential areas were built on the hills and the city can be seen nicely without obstructions. The one thing I have realized on the city bus tour is that the residential area have been properly constructed in the past because it has built on the hill area around the main city and unlike similar cities that suffer from soil erosion. I also saw that there are number of scaffoldings for new buildings and residential area. They also planned without distracting the view of city but the number of visitors has continued increasing and the city will have issues with supply and demand. I can generally say the environmental problems were not very visible Environment and Sustainability in Bath As mentioned earlier, one of the challenges for Bath as an urban tourist destination are environmental in nature. One of the more pressing issues is maintenance and management of solid waste. Waste collection as of April this year has indicated problems as only less than half of 119 councils collect waste bins and the public started dumping rubbish at the gates of Bridgewater’s Saltlands recycling centre. Apparently, the recycling centre is closed every Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Bath Chronicle (2, 2011) reported that “Opening hours of sites across the county have changed, charges have been introduced at four sites and their status changes to recycling centres, and charges for dumping certain items have been introduced at all sites as the partnership copes with Conservative-controlled Somerset County Council's decision to cut funding by ?1.9million over two years,” (P 5). Another Bath problem has been the revamping of its sewerage system which has led to “astronomical” water bills as the South West Water had to spend ?1.5 billion over 20 years completely revamping the region's sewage system (Bath Chronicle 3, 2011). Another environmental concern was the control and prevention of diseases, specifically, cow tuberculosis which has hugged limelight for the lack of prevention measure. The government officials were alleged to have dragged its feet over a cull of badgers to prevent the spread of the disease. Incidentally, the problem also linked economically with the rise of feed, fuel, and fertilizer costs. Bovine TB cost the slaughter of 40,000 cattle the previous year, and the disease have also been connected to badgers in wildlife reservoir. Sustainable and low-cost housing is another problem in Bath that already, proposals were made to build homes on green belt land as the 11,000 homes already in council blueprint for the next 15 years was considered short. This was a result of 15,500 to 21,300 proposed earlier. Plans were made to build the homes at the edge of Bath. Another concern is the probability of rising property costs. Pressure to release the green belt and greenfield areas mount as businesses voiced out the negative impact of housing shortage. Housing constraints, the Somer Housing Group claimed that it is difficult to employ capable staff as well as attract people in the area. Another group, Crest Strategic Properties and Key Properties stated, “Protection of the environment at all costs, not meeting the needs of the population is the overriding message of this core strategy,” (P 12). The Newton St Loe Conservation Group, however, replied that “only the developers are challenging the numbers and pushing to build on green belt when what local people want is the Ministry of Defence and brownfield sites developed, and empty houses brought back into use,” (P 14). In a public consultation of 2,750, the vast majority rejected building in the green belt. On a national scale, UK itself is amidst crisis for selling off its forests to private hands (Bath Chronicle, 2011). In another concern, businesses provided their view about sustainability and green-mindedness. “Tim Frost from Glendale Products, an office screen manufacturer, tells us why: ‘On a day-to-day basis green means 'do your best to use materials or energy in the most efficient way you can'. The cost of wasted materials comes straight off the bottom line, so less waste equals more profit,’” (Bath Chronicle 4, 2011). Proposed Solution Environmental sustainability is not only a growing science but also a major problem in all localities around the world and Bath is not spared. As already mentioned, waste collection, recycling, sewerage system, affordable housing and water, health and safety, maintenance of parks and wildlife areas are all issues that needs resolution not only from the national but also the local government agencies, the private sector, and their constituents. Cooperation and vigilant actions are needed to address these issues. The local government of Bath was successful in retaining their parks and green belts by not succumbing to the pressures of business establishments as well as developers and builders. One of the more startling cases or problems mentioned include waste collection and recycling as well as the containment of badger disease that has spread among the farm cattle. Waste collection, disposal and management is a major problem in all localities. Forms of segregation, recycling, reuse and reduction of consumption should be applied in order to minimise wastes from source. Dumping and landfills were already identified as environment hazards that many localities try to eliminate and Bath should not be left behind. In addition, disease control seems to have gotten out of hand as tuberculosis spread on bovines in Bath. The adoption of organic cattle-raising ways should help sustain the avoidance of antibiotics that reduce disease-fighting capacity of bovine and farm animals, as well as their human consumers. While water problem and rising costs are not avoidable, conservation methods, too, should be adopted in order to minimize consumption. Chapter 5: Conclusion The environmental problems of Bath did not seem very apparent, but still existing. To address the problems on the environment, sustainable policy and ways must be aggressively adopted and implemented in order to protect not only the environment but also the people in the city. Environment problems are global in scale but it was found out that every little or single contribution that each person adds to decrease carbon footprint such as composting, recycling, reusing, organic living, and other methods that contribute to an overall impact. All these options should be carefully considered and implemented in order to achieve improvement. Already, the United Kingdom in general has been ahead of other major economies in implementing preservation of forests and wildlife with its many parks. These are constantly and aggressively protected and promoted to sustain cleaner air and reduce pollution. This is reflected in Bath. However, recent policies on abandoning government owned forests through privatization due to fiscal pressures have earned the ire of the public. In this case, Bath’s public parks, green belts and protected forests, too, will be party to such move, in case it will be pursued. The UK should be careful and slow in considering such drastic move. Its policy-makers and leaders should be aware about the dangers of unrestrained private activities once the protected forests and green belts have been sold. In addition, the people of Bath and the United Kingdom should be vigilant and resolved in their stance to keep their leaders’ and developers’ hands off the protected forests and green belts in order to keep the environment more sustainable. Reference List Batch Chronicle (2011) Environment Issue, Available at: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/search.html, (Accessed 9th April 2011) Bath Chronicle (2011) Green Party aims to get first councilor in Bath. , Available at: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Green-Party-aims-councillor-Bath/article-3432354-detail/article.htmll, (Accessed 12th April 2011) Bath Chronicle 2 (2011) Bin charges blamed for fly-tipping outside Somerset recycling sites. , Available at: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Bin-charges-blamed-fly-tipping-spate/article-3436254-detail/article.html, (Accessed 12th April 2011) Buckley, R. 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