2.2 Case studies Flashcards
North of England economic growth
- 3.8%
- 4.3% for rest of England
reasons for rapid population growth in south east
- international migrants drawn to areas with job opportunities and growing economies
- migrants of working, child-bearing age
- physical location means easy access to continental Europe, which increases trade
- bigger population = multiplier effect = increased investment and more services
reasons for slow population growth in North East and Wales
- internal migration to south east
- not as attractive to international migrants
- perceived higher standard of living in south
- loss of heavy industrial activity
- fewer people on NE = loss of investment and service = spiral of decline
Why has London grown more rapidly than Northern England? - demographic reasons
booming economy has led to rapid internal and international migration, particularly of young graduates
Why has London grown more rapidly than Northern England? - economic reasons
- population growth resulted from London’s expanding knowledge economy, which led to an influx of highly-qualified workers
- in NE, slow population growth has resulted in collapse of traditional industries so many workers leave to find work elsewhere
Why has London grown more rapidly than Northern England? - social reasons
- falling mortality rate of over 65s and improved care of elderly mean longer average life expectancy
- in London, life expectancy rose from 73.3 in 1993, to 80.0 in 2013
Why has London grown more rapidly than Northern England? - migration
- in 2004, government signed agreement with EU members to open borders and allow free flows of people
- key driver of population change from 1990s has been net international migration (has contributed to 69% of population growth)
East Devon - population and services
- low population density
- more older people as is a popular retirement location
- limited public transport (1 bus every half hour) - connected to Exeter
- jobs based in tourism, agriculture, etc.
Tower Hamlets - population and services
- UK’s lowest proportion of over 65s
- better public transport connections - connected to all parts of the UK
- greater ethnic diversity - 33% of population from Bangladesh
- more expensive to live
- expanding knowledge economy (finance, law, advertising, media etc.)
- greater job vacancies
Brent population structure
- average age: 35
- 36% white British
- 63% English speaking
- most common second language is Gujarati
- 35% of children in poverty
- negative net internal migration
- positive net international migration
Bromley population structure
- average age: 40
- 78% white British
- 94% English speaking
- most common second language is Polish
- 18% of children in poverty
- positive net internal and international migration
Why is Brent more ethnically diverse than Bromley?
- higher international migration as migrants attracted to employment opportunities and services of central London
- social clustering of ethnic groups
Why is Bromley less deprived than Brent?
suburban area with wealthier residents that commute to London to work
Oxford housing crisis - problems
- avg house price over 11 times the local wage
- needs 24-32000 homes by 2031 to meet demand
- recruiting for jobs difficult due to lack of affordable homes, affecting local economy and quality of services
- universities held back in global competition for research talent
- over half of Oxford’s workforce commute into the city
- commuting distances are increasing
- pressure on infrastructure not sustainable
Oxford housing crisis - solutions
- in 2014 council set up review of the green belt and 6 sites may be released for new housing
- government tried to encourage building of more affordable housing
- planning permission granted for new developments must include affordable dwellings
- rents and sale prices subsidised
Oxford housing crisis - stakeholders
- residents
- Oxford university, students
- NGOs: Heritage NGO, Homes for Oxford
- Large city employers: Oxford Bus Company, BWM mini Oxford
- Governance: council, social services
Oxford Stakeholder: Oxford city council
- Called for more greenbelt land to be built on because there is no room for new homes
- Families with several generations are forced to live in one house
- 3,300 households on the waiting list for social housing
- Reason why 1 in 4 children live in poverty
Oxford Stakeholders: Oxford University
- Need to build 16 more units of affordable housing for all of their staff
- Only way to build more housing to build more houses to accommodate everyone
Oxford Stakeholders: Heritage NGO
- Issued a last minute plea to councillors to reject plans for nearly 4,000 homes on greenbelt land
- Protests been planned to make and preserve oxford and its rural identity because it’s such a beautiful county to live in
London today - perceptions
- wide range of employment opportunities
- range and quality of commercial and social services
- variety of entertainment and other leisure activities
- diversity
London today - reality
- high living costs
- social isolation
- poor environmental quality
- crime
- ethnic diversity
- pace and stress
- social polarisation
Notting Hill - History
- Post ww2 - British Empire was encouraging caribbean people to migrate; they were attracted to Notting Hill by cheap housing
- 1950s - infamous for its sum of landlords and inner-city deprivation
- 1958 - race riots due to racial tension
- 1960s + 1970s - gentrification begins as young professionals and managers began moving in
- 1990s - pioneers increasingly replaced by very wealthy individuals - property prices rocket
Media representation of Notting Hill
- Notting Hill film presents it as busy, lively, and vibrant, with a variety of people
- working class people written out of media accounts
- Notting Hill carnival presented to be both lively and vibrant as well as full or violence, crime, and drug and alcohol use
- news suggest that little has changed in terms or racism and inequality since 1958 race riots
Notting Hill population
- has previously had a large West Indian population following Windrush