1.a. Places are multi-faceted, shaped by shifting flows and connections which change over time Flashcards
How does a place differ to a space
Places can have objective meaning e.g. map co-ordinated. They are given a subjective meaning by people. However spaces do not have subjective meaning
What are the 6 characteristics that form the identity of a place
- cultural e.g. religion
- political e.g. local government
- socio-economic e.g. income
- natural charactertistics e.g. road layout
- built environment e.g. age of imhabitants
- demography e.g. building materials
What is a place profile
-description of an area e.g. physical state, services, image of place, socio-economic
Where is Toxteth located
Inner Liverpool, 1.5km south of the city centre
What are the physical characteristics of Toxteth
- Undulating land rising from the River Mersey’s banks
- A stream flowing North East and splitting before discharging into the river
- The Mersey is fast, since its channel narrows before Liverpool Bay (little foreshore)
What is the demographic of Toxteth
- Fewer elderly residents, most are between 16 and 64 (75.5 per square hectare)
- Fewer children
- Immigrant population/descendants, due to post-war employment and housing
- Immigrants from Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean
- 78.6% white (much less)
What are the socio-economic characteristics of Toxteth
- 24.0% owner-occupiers
- 54.4% no access to a car/van
- 9.4% with bad health
- 14.1% 16+ with no formal qualifications
What are the political characteristics of Toxteth
- 1 of 30 wards forming Liverpool City Council
- 3 councillors per ward
- Part of an electorate of 73,000
What are the cultural characteristics of Toxteth
- Friday Prayers (Muslim community) different from Sunday Services (Christian community)
- Black African, Caribbean community have a different form of Christian worship from Anglican
- Cultural diversity as far back as a Greek Orthodox church built in the 19th century
- The Synagogue is evidence of Jewish culture
Visually, how could Toxteth be described
- Run down/derelict
- Terraced houses
- Densely populated
- Multicultural
- Disrepair/poorly maintained
- No green space
Where is Lympstone located
The east bank of the River Exe estuary, 15km south of Exeter
What are the physical characteristics of Lympstone
- In a small valley cut by Wootton Brook through the red breccia cliffs (edge of the estuary)
- Tidal mudflats extend into the 1.5km wide estuary
- Small pebble/gravel beach at the foot of the cliff
What is the demographic of Lympstone
- Top-heavy structure
- Ethnically homogeneous, due to lack of immigrant employment in the ’60s/’70s
- 98.9% white
- Smaller working population
- Population between 16 and 64 is 24.6 per square hectare
What are the socio-economic characteristics of Lympstone
- 66.1% owner-occupiers
- 12.7% no access to a car/van
- 4.1% with bad health
- 27.2% 16+ with no formal qualifications
What are the cultural characteristics of Lympstone
-Rhythm of the cultural year unchanged: based on Christian holidays
What are the political characteristics of Lympstone
- Parish council: 11 elected people, focuses on local matters
- District and county council sit above this (limiting parish council power)
- Elects 2 district councillors and 1 county councillor
- Part of an electorate of 72,000
What are the similarities between Toxteth and Lympstone
- Both situated by rivers
- Electorate of roughly the same size
Visually, how could Lympstone be described
- Calm
- Charming
- Seaside
- Picturesque
- Relaxed
- Rural
- Desirable
What was Toxteth like when it was established
- Established by the Saxons
- Domesday survey (1086) lists it as a coastal village
What was Toxteth like in the 13th century
- Taken into control by King John
- Used for royal hunting (stayed fenced of for 300 years)
What was Toxteth like in the 16th century
-Opened up for farming later in the century
What was Toxteth like during the industrial revolution (1700s/1800s)
- Major port
- Many industries
- Urban and industrial, with forges, copper works and ceramics factory
- Flour milling and brewing to feed rapidly growing population
- Residential developments
- Commuters from the service sector and managerial jobs
What was Toxteth like during the 19th century
- Areas behind villas used for cheap, poorly built housing
- Typhoid and cholera frequent
- Terraced housing for dock and industry workers
- Over 150 years it changed from a small rural community to an inner city suburb
When were the Toxteth riots
3 July 1981
What were the Toxteth riots
- Worst social disorder in the last century
- Up to 1,000 police injured
- 140 buildings destroyed
- Due to social deprivation, lack of work and being pushed around
- High unemployment and gangs
What was Lympstone like when it was established
- Established by the Saxons
- Transferred to French families post-Norman conquest
What was Lympstone like in the 13th century
- One of several small ports under Exeter
- Coastal and cross-channel trade links
What was Lympstone like in the 19th century
- Shipbuilding thrived, but ceased as ships became larger
- Estuary used for fishing and shellfish industry
- Boats in the North Atlantic
What was Lympstone like in the 1840s
- Attracted tourists from Exeter/East Devon
- Expanded to accommodate tourists, but remained a small village
What was Lympstone like in 1861
- Railway improved its connectivity
- Time-space compression gave a wider market to the shellfish industry
- Travel to Exeter easier
What was Lympstone like in the 20th century
- Dormitory settlement for Exeter
- Retains a strong sense of community
What can old maps of Toxteth tell us about the history of this area
- Thriving port with lots of industry/employment (stark contrast to today)
- Dock workers living in Toxteth
- Densely populated, with terraced housing (cheap and poorly constructed)
- Became an inner-city suburb
- Back to back housing (led to epidemics)
What can old maps of Lympstone tell us about the history of this area
- Railway/railway links (aided shellfish industry, connected to Exeter)
- Coastline (tourism and fishing)
- Estuary (shellfish industry)
- Less developed infrastructure
- Small village (strong community identity)
How is the built environment of Lympstone different to that of Toxteth
Lympstone is largerly semi-detached and detached, while Toxteth is mostly terraced with many derelict buildings
How do shifting flows shape a place
- changes to the people living in a place change its profile
- migration can change the demography
- stages in lifestyle influences where people live
- in AC’s there has been an increase in mobility, car ownership and improvements in transport
How do resources shape a place
- places posses different natural resources which help to shape its place profile
- the local availability of mineral resources can lead to the establishment of a community focused on mining
- if the resource runs out, the place undergoes change
- increasingly, technology is a resource which influences place profile
- if a place gains a new resource, development can occur
How does money and investment shape a place
- places require money to funtion
- governments are an important source of investment
- TNCs operate internationally
- changes can be brought when a TNC invests/leave a country
- the opening/closing of a shop can have an impact on a place profile
How do ideas shape a place
- the service sector is having an increasing role in people’s life
- places that can participate fully in the knowledge economy develop a distinctive place profile
What evidence is there of shifting flows of resources and ideas in Toxteth’s change in local employment
- 2015 survey showed a lack of skilled workers (need for socio-economic change)
- Unemployment and poverty led to the 1981 Toxteth riots
- Containerisation and migration of docks northwards and to the river mouth caused high unemployment
What evidence is there of shifting flows of resources and ideas in Toxteth’s global redevelopment
- EU funding in the form of the Structural Investments Fund Strategy, linked to the low carbon sector: the largest offshore wind farm is in Liverpool Bay
- In 2008 Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture (tertiary employment)
- The waterfront is a UNESCO world heritage site (employment)
What evidence is there of shifting flows of resources and ideas in Toxteth’s regional redevelopment
- Liverpool Science Park (2003)
- The Tate Liverpool (1988) (tertiary employment)
- Merseyside Development Corporation of the 1980s regenerated former docks
- SInce the 1980s, many initiatives have attempted to rebrand Toxteth
What evidence is there of shifting flows of resources and ideas in Lympstone’s local employment
- Part of the flow into the Exeter region
- Growing significance of the knowledge economy, with over 1/3 employed residents being managers, directors, senior officials or in professional occupations
What evidence is there of shifting flows of resources and ideas in Lympstone’s national redevelopment
- University with around 3,000 staff
- Major hospital
- HQ of many firms in service and tech
What evidence is there of shifting flows of resources and ideas in Lympstone’s regional redevelopment
- Strong economic stimulus (knowledge based jobs)
- The Met office moved from Reading to Exeter in 2003 (largest move of IT equipment at the time)
What are the differences between Toxteth and Lympstone
- Toxtheth is significantly more urban
- Lympstone has a much older and less diverse population
- Lympstone’s population is generally wealthier, healthier and better educated
