ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the pattern of land use and the resulting distribution of leisure facilities in urban and rural areas. Understanding this pattern of leisure activities and facilities is necessary for a wider comprehension of the context of leisure provision within an urbanised society. The diversity of activities, behaviour, and functions which can be regarded as ‘leisure’ presents problems when attempting to make sense of its spatial distribution. Leisure in industrialised societies is increasingly being advertised, sold and packaged as a commodity. The concept of ‘bid-rents’, where different land users competitively attempt to rent space within city areas, is a useful way to begin thinking about leisure’s place in the pattern of urban land use. The bid-rent model highlights the fact that within the urban setting, recreational spaces and facilities may be subject to commercial pressures, and that re-development when it occurs, will usually lead to a more profitable, often non-leisure, use.