Editing Ribbon development (section)

{{Short description|Development along a single road}}
[[File:Stadskanaal (lintbebouwing).jpg|thumb|Ribbon development in [[Stadskanaal]], [[Netherlands]]]]
'''Ribbon development''' refers to the building of [[house]]s along the routes of communications radiating from a [[human settlement]]. The resulting [[linear settlement]]s are clearly visible on [[land use]] [[map]]s and aerial [[photograph]]s, giving [[City|cities]] and the [[countryside]] a particular character.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the City|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediacity00cave|url-access=limited|last=Caves|first=R. W.|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=9780415252256|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediacity00cave/page/n609 569]}}</ref> Such development generated great concern in the [[United Kingdom]] during the 1920s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org/timeline_20Cearly.html|title=Trumpington Local History Group, Trumpington Timeline: 1901–1950|website=www.trumpingtonlocalhistorygroup.org}}</ref> and the 1930s as well as in numerous other countries during the decades since.

Normally the first ribbons are focused on [[road]]s. Following the [[Industrial Revolution]], ribbon development became prevalent along [[railway]] lines, predominantly in [[Russia]], the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]]. However, the investment required to build railway [[Train station|station]]s, the ensuing attractiveness of easy rail access, and need for accompanying roads often led to new small settlements outside of the center city. Ribbon developments yielded attractive home locations on isolated roads as increasing [[motor car]] ownership meant that houses could be sold easily even if they were remote from [[workplace]]s and [[urban centre]]s. Developers were pleased to not have to construct additional roads, thereby saving money and plot space. Ribbon developments also filled spaces at the interstice between urban areas, and resultingly appealed to potential buyers needing to access one or more of these locations.

The extent of this development practice around roads led to several problems becoming more intense. Ribbon developments were ultimately recognized as an inefficient use of resources, requiring bypass roads to be built, and often served as a precursor to untrammelled [[urban sprawl]]. Thus a key aim for the United Kingdom's [[town and country planning in the United Kingdom|post-war planning system]] was to implement a presumption and convention that rendered new ribbon developments undesirable. [[Urban sprawl]]/[[suburbanisation|suburbanization]] of large areas led to the introduction of [[green belt]] policies, new [[towns]], [[Planned community|planned suburb]]s and [[Garden city movement|garden cities]].