4B.C Flashcards
What are suburban and inner city areas are perceived as differently
In terms of their desirability as places to live and work by contrasting demographic groups (by age, ethnicity, life-cycle stage)
Who perceives suburbs positively
Families and older groups, employers and businesses
Why do families and older groups positively perceibe suburbs
safer in terms of crime and better in terms of services – especially schools; the costs of high house prices and large distances to travel are less significant due to higher incomes in the later life-cycle stages
Why do employers and businesses positively perceive suburbs
e.g. retail, offices benefit from increased ‘market’ – BUT increasingly online work and shopping mean workers can restrict their time and activities to the suburb and disengage with the town
Who perceives suburbs negatively
- However… if these groups are existing residents of the town they might be concerned about congestion and pressure on existing infrastructure and services.
- Immigrant groups may perceive suburbs as unwelcoming as well as very expensive. BIDO on what generation of migrants, as no clear religious identity can be welcoming to everyone…
Why do perceptions vary
Inner-city areas are perceived differently in terms of their desirability as a place to live and work by contrasting demographic groups.
Contrasting age, ethnicities and life cycle stage groups may feel differently about a place.
Migrants lacking in confidence with language or knowledge of the legal system, and with low incomes, may be unable to challenge private landlords over quality of housing.
Shortage of housing may mean their options are limited, so people stay in substandard housing.
Some inner-city areas have been gentrified with young working people able to pay high rental prices, contributing to the out-migration of long- term residents and their children, e.g. Newham.
Many choose to live in the inner city, excited by the diversity of culture and accessibility of social activities and work.
Whos in inner city
Recent graduates
Moved out of family housing, and need cheap property
Happy to live in small inner-city (excitement / less transport)
Don’t want suburban boredom
Whos in suburbs
Families have children
Want residential space / good schools, shops
Move to suburbs, use transport
Reasons suburbs might be desirable
Creates (and sustains) job opportunities
There’s not enough housing
More colourful, varied – ersatz
‘Mixed’ community housing
Car (and pedestrian) friendly design – driveways, garageways, curved roads.
People connect on social media
Mixed ethnicity – but atheistic
No formal places of worship.
No racial segregation
Close proximity to schools - well planned
Digital enthusiasm
Ethnic complexity
Lack of high-street shops / formal institutions
Why is subrubs not desirable
Fields are turning into housing…
Growth is faster than infrastructure can keep up with
There’s too much (densely populated) housing (prices dip)
Green belts restrict growth in London – so the suburbs of towns in the home counties grow
Encourages over-reliance on cars
Not enough space for decent sized gardens.
Predominantly middle class
No purpose built religious buildings or food shops
Cult of child-worship
Child orientated ‘national nurseries’
Incoherently bolted on to the rest of Aylesbury
Increased road pressure and GP surgeries
Irritating to existing residents of Aylesbury
