1. GCSE GEOGRAPHY HUMAN FIELDWORK
Data Collection Method 2: Environmental Quality Survey
Sampling Method: systematic Sample Size: 12
Description of method:
 Environmental quality – systematic every street corner a range of criteria assessed subjectively
Justification:
Needed to see if there were specific areas where EQ high and low and identify patterns e.g. if EQ decreased with distance from the fountain found in the middle of NTC. Several aspects were assessed giving a good overview of each area
Strengths:
 Quick and simple method to undertake
Weaknesses:
 Reliant on other groups data. Subjective opinions vary. No scale con bipolar, it could have some quantitative measure too to judge if litter was high e.g. there needs to be more than x pieces in vicinity
FIELDWORK ENQUIRY QUESTION:
Does Nuneaton need regeneration?
Hypothesis
What concept(s) does this investigation
link to?
Challenges in urban areas
The need for regeneration/ renewal
The core frame model -
What makes this a suitable location to conduct this investigation?
Large town but still manageable size to survey.
It is within walking distance of the school so easy to access.
4 areas have been highlighted by the LA that are in need of regeneration
RISKS: Describe the risks you experienced on your fieldwork trip and how these could be reduced
Data Collection Method 3:Questionnaires
Sampling Method: Opportunistic Sample Size: aimed for 10 per group
Description of method:
 In groups had to ask 10 people questions on the need for regeneration and the areas of the town that require regeneration and what land uses they feel need improving/ more of.
Justification:
 The public were asked for their views on whether NTC needed regeneration and where and how. This gave a range of opinions and so our results were not just based on our view.
Strengths:
 Questionnaire worked well providing information on areas that need improvement and changes in land use desired by the public
Weaknesses:
Random or systematic sampling would reduce bias. Better to conduct at weekend as more people and thus a greater range of ages could have been questioned making data more accurate
Getting lost
Put into groups given map pf the town centre, school mobile no, and central meeting point
Traffic
Use crossing to cross the roads, teachers evenly spaced within the group to ensure students cross safely.
Strangers
Conduct fieldwork in groups and at all times they should stay in pairs
Data Collection Method 1: Land Use Map
Type of data – qualitative/ quantitatitve
Sampling Method: systematic Sample Size:
Description of method:
  Grid squares placed on goad map. 2 squares allocated per group to shade in different types of land use using an agrees key
Justification:
 Needed to see variety / choice of land use offered, and if there was a lack of some land uses. Needed to see where vacant premises were and identify patterns and trends/ if there was a zone of decay
Strengths:
 Quick and simple method to undertake. Manageable size of area to examine given time constraints
Weaknesses:
 Difficulty matching building s to points on map and sometimes deciding main function to classify correctly. Some building mis/unclassified. Dependent upon other groups data, affecting accuracy.
USE THIS ONE!
What secondary data has been used in this investigation? Types and sources
Digi maps – goad map
Nuneaton investment prospectus -

2. For each of your methods/ data presentation techniques
DATA PRESENTATION METHODS
Method 1: Land use map
Strengths:
 Simple to construct
Easy to see patterns
Can count individual land use types and calculate percentages
Weaknesses:
 Some building unclassified or misclassified.
Time consuming counting each land use to calculate percentages.
What other method could be used to present your data? Justify your choice.
Pie chart of land use. Shows the most and least dominant land use but you can not see where these are located on the map and identify patterns spatially. Converts data into percentages so raw data lost.
Method 2 :scatter graph/ bipolar graphs
 Environmental quality compared to distance from the CBD plotted to test relationship/ trends
Quick method
Correlations can be identified
 Difficult to determine line of best fit as only 12 sites..
What other methods could you have used to present your data? Justify your choice.
Located bars to show total scores to see if a patterns occurred spatial.ly You can link to other data more easily as located for example, you could examine number of vacant buildings as well to identify areas doing well or not. Simple technique to use.
Results
For each of your methods/ data presentation techniques
Describe the patterns and trends shown.
Try to gives reasons for them.
Description of results and patterns shown
Method 1
Land use patterns shown
Most dominant land use was chain stores 25%
There was also a large amount of independent stores – showing that Nuneaton still has some individuality and is arguable not yet a clone town.
10% of buildings were vacant
Finance and legal was only 6% - showing a lack of this land use and arguably and need for more of this land use to attract more jobs in areas other than retail. This is an area that has been highlighted by the council
Explanation for the results
25% premises were chain stores, this is because they can afford the high rents in the CBD. They were mainly located along Queens Road where the footfall is highest.
Independent shops were found towards the edge of the CBD and along quieter streets such as Abbey street.
10% percentage of shops were vacant, this shows that there is a need for regeneration in Nuneaton, they were found mainly along Abbey Street. Rental value would be high in the CBD and with lower footfall they may not attract enough customers and may be forced to close down.
There is a lack of finance and legal in NTC, this may because other cities close by would be favoured by these types of firms as place to invest e.g. Leicester, Birmingham and Coventry as they would attract more business and there may not be a large enough threshold population to support them in the town centre.

3. Method 2
The sites with worst environmental quality were along Abbey Street (site 1 (-6) and 3 (-7) , and Newdegate Street, site 5 (-15)). The best environmental quality was site 9 (17). Overall there was a negative correlation that environmental quality decreased with distance from the fountain.
The environmental quality decreases with distance from the fountain because this area is very busy due to the meeting of several pedestrianised roads. The council have invested heavily in seating, hanging baskets, trees and bins to make sure this area is appealing. This is because this will leave a positive impression on visitors to the town and encourage them and others to return bringing money into the town which will help support businesses and provide employment. This will help create a positive multiplier effect and avoid a spiral of decline.
The areas with low EQ scores we more towards the edge of the town centre, this is a less busy area and so there is less street furniture and greenery in this area. They are closer to main roads and so more noisy. Some of these areas e.g. 1 have a high number of vacant buildings which mean no investment is occurring in them also causing low EQ scores. These areas (Abbey Street ) are arguable a zone of decline in NTC.
Method 3
More females were asked than males and more people over 50 were asked, most were locals (71%). The main reason for visiting the town was shopping 43%, 19% were passing through and 16% were for another reason.
The ratings were quite varied, poor = 29%, ok= 48 %, good 23%, so 77% rating the town as ok/poor.
In terms of the need for regeneration most people thought it was needed 77% scored 6+ and 23 % scored it 5 or less.
In terms of areas that need regenerating 37 % thought area 1, 21% area 2, 11% area 3 and 13 % area 4. So Abbey street was most in need and the areas least in need was the railway station.
27% felt retail needed improving, then food and drink 20%, then equally greenery and leisure. The area least in need was other, then historic buildings and then office and industrial.
The main purpose for visiting the town was shopping because this land use is the most dominant and arguably there is a lack of other land use e.g recreation/ office space to draw people in from areas for other reasons.
Most people thought the town was ok, but only 23 % thought it was good this links to the areas that require improvement. Even though there is a lot of retail many feel this can be improved further, cafes could also be improved and there is the need for more leisure and greenery.
Abbey street was identified as most in need of regenerating, this is an area of the town that seems to be in decline, there is a lack of retail chain stores, most of it is cafes and independent stores which is not drawing high footfall, this means less trade and profit in this area and can cause businesses to fold causing a negative multiplier effect in this area.

4. GCSE GEOGRAPHY HUMAN FIELDWORK
ANALYSIS
Describe each set of data and explain what this tells you – link it back to your enquiry question.
Use PEEL and include data – can you put your numbers into percentages?
There is no need for regeneration in Nuneaton? Reject the hypothesis.
There is a need for regeneration as shown by the number of vacant building 10% many of which were located on Abbey Street. 77% of the public rating the town as ok/poor. 77% scored NTC 6+ showing that they feel it needs regenerating. 37 % thought area 1, Abbey street was most in need in need and this is also reflecting in low EQ scores . The sites with worst environmental quality were along Abbey Street (site 1 (-6) and 3 (-7) , and Newdegate Street, site 5 (-15)).
Does Nuneaton town centre offer a variety of land use?
Yes Nuneaton does offer a variety of land use but the public still feel that it needs improving and diversifying more. 27% felt retail needed improving, then food and drink 20%, then equally greenery and leisure. The area least in need was other, then historic buildings and then office and industrial. This shows that there is a need for regeneration to offer more variety and a greater quantity of specific land use.
Is there a core and zone of decay that can be identified in NTC?
Abbey Street is the worst area in NTC. High percentage of vacant building and lack of chain stores to draw people into the area, low EQ scores Street (site 1 was -6 and 3 was -7) . Identified by public as the area most in need of regeneration 37%. This shows that not all areas need regenerating. The main area in need is Abbey Street which seems to be in decline and is arguably NTC zone of decay.
Is there a high environmental quality throughout the Town centre?
No EQ scores varied and the overall trend was it decreased with distance from the fountain. The sites with worst environmental quality were along Abbey Street (site 1 (-6) and 3 (-7) , and Newdegate Street, site 5 (-15)). Again this highlights the need for investment into Abbey Street and support the fact that some areas Queens Road are doing well and are not in need of regeneration.
CONCLUSION
Answer your enquiry question! What do you think? Use the evidence you’ve collected to back up your conclusion
Overall the answer to the question Nuneaton does not need regeneration ’ the answer is a clear no . This is because land use map showed 1 / 10 shops vacant . Abbey Street Street has been identified by the public as the area in most need of regeneration and it also has a high number of vacant building and low EQ scores. ( in negative figures. The questionnaires showed that people felt the town needed more shops, food and drink, leisure and greenery.
EVALUATION
What problems did you experience during your fieldwork? How would this affect your investigation?
What would you do differently next time? How would this improve your investigation?
We could have recorded the other reasons why people were visiting the town centre on the questionnaire, rather than just stating other. This would enable us to see what is attracting people into the town centre.
If we had more time we could have surveyed the whole site and not been reliant on other group’s for data, e.g. land use and EQ scores. This would decrease error and improve accuracy making conclusions more valid.
We visited a range of sites throughout the town including the most recent regeneration – the Rope Walk. We did not visit the station as it was outside the ring road and more dangerous to access, this could have affected our results and the validity of our conclusions. The 3 sites on the Council’s plan were visited. A major disadvantage of the visit was the time of day and day of the week that we conducted the enquiry. We went on a quiet morning mid week as a result there were few shoppers due to people being at work and most young people were at school and college. This main the data unrepresentative and biased towards more elderly. This could affect our results especially in terms of landuse / improvements needed. The pedestrian count and EQ results could have also been affected by this as the areas would be busier, more noisy and there may be more litter at the weekend. Ideally random stratified sampling should have been used for the questionnaire.
USE THIS ONE!!