Places and buildings are shaped by the landscape. Port towns develop next to safe, natural harbours for ships. Houses built in valleys are often in long rows because of the steep valley sides.

Towns and villages grow up where there is work for people to do. Places that are easy to reach often grow more quickly because more people want to live there. Places are constantly changing, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse.

We can all help to make our locality a better place to live. Agenda 21 is an international plan to improve the world we live in. Local councils in the UK agreed to produce their own Agenda 21 plans to suit local people and places. It is not just the job of governments and environmental organisations to decide how the future will be. We all have a part to play.

Think about how places have changed and why. Can you think how they might change in the future?