Birmingham And Lagos

Question 1

Lagos populations

Answer 1

15- 20 million (making it a mega city)

Question 2

Challenges within Lagos

Answer 2

• Ultra poor areas still lack educational facilities despite access for the wealthy
• Slum areas such as Makoko are dangerous with very high crime rates
• 40% of workers are in the informal economy which is unregulated, has low job security and doesn’t benefit the government through tax
• Only 1% of Lagos households are connected to sewers making sanitation in the city very poor
• Growing populations and trade has led to high levels of air and water pollution. Many of the city’s industries are highly polluting and release toxic chemicals into surrounding air and water.
• Traffic is becoming a growing issue as the areas road network is not designed to cope with the volume of vehicles,
- rapid population growth eg 600 000 growth per year in Lagos, when the resources available to meet demand are limited in poorer countries

Question 3

Opportunities within Lagos

Answer 3

• There are a total of 2500 secondary and 11200 primary schools in Lagos providing education
• Better healthcare in the area has enabled life expectancy to rise from 38 to 54 in Lagos
• Though only 10% have running water access to stand pipes and water vendors means supplies for all are better
• Access to fuel and generators and for some mains electricity
• Lagos has a GDP of $90 billion per year, it would be the 7th largest African economy if it was a country
• Very well connected for global trade due to large ports and major international airport
• 80% of West African flights now land in Lagos

Question 4

What are the plans in the future for Lagos

Answer 4

• a floating sustainable school (uses waste and recycled products and can support 100 pupils)
• however the prototype school was destroyed in a school and is yet to be replaced

Question 5

Population of Birmingham

Answer 5

1 million

Question 6

Challenges to living in Birmingham

Answer 6

• industrial decline
• racial tensions
  -Transport remains a major challenge as the ring roads have gone
• Employment inequality for migrants is another issue. Migrants, mainly concentrated in the inner city (e.g. Sparkbrook) have a far lower chance of being employed. Leading to economic segregation
  -social separation which can make tension worse
• Health inequality is clear, wealthy areas such as four oaks have a life expectancy of 84, compared to 76 in Sparkbrook
• housing inequality

Question 7

Opportunities in Birmingham

Answer 7

• 5 universities which educate 50000 students
• 500 parks
• new investment creating jobs (20000 jobs created by HSBC)
• waste recovery system which turns 350,000 tonnes of waste into energy each year
• cultural diversity
• state of the art recreational fascilities
• great transport links

Question 8

Redevelopment in Birmingham

Answer 8

600 million pound revamp of new street station to create a world class shopping facility.
Created 1000 permanent new jobs and increase rail capacity to 300,000 per day.
Materials were largely recycled and rainwater is used