Birmingham Case Study Flashcards
Describe the significance of Birmingham’s site.
Overlooks the river Rea.
There was an area that was originally forested nearby.
This provided the original inhabitants with water, timber and fuel.
What is Birmingham’s situation?
Centre of England.
Explain why Birmingham’s situation is significant.
It allowed raw materials to be used in manufacturing, and the products made to get to markets easily.
Explain why Birmingham has developed so well.
It is situated near to the coal fields of Staffordshire and iron deposits in Wales.
It was the heart of the canal and rail networks.
Historically, what was Birmingham famous for?
- Jewellery
- Brass
- Guns
Regionally, why is Birmingham important?
Birmingham is a regional hub for transport & manufacturing and is a major shopping location (e.g. the Bullring & Grand Central) and sports (Aston Villa football team).
Globally, why is Birmingham important?
Consider global events and meetings.
Birmingham is recognised due to its trade, having Europe’s largest public library, hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022, having international banks (e.g. HSBC & Barclays), holding the G8 Conference and all of the Birmingham universities.
Compare the age of buildings in Birmingham’s CBD, inner city and suburbs.
CBD: mostly new as many have been redeveloped; some are old.
Inner city: old; some derelict factories due to deindustrialisation & decentralisation; buildings first built in 19th century; some redevelopment from CDAs.
Suburbs: relatively old; some built in 19th century; most built in the 20th century.
Define a CDA.
Comprehensive Development Area - an area where the whole urban landscape is demolished and rebuilt, usually in the inner city.
Compare the density of buildings in Birmingham’s CBD, inner city and suburbs.
CBD: high.
Inner city: relatively high.
Suburbs: low(er).
Compare the land use in Birmingham’s CBD, inner city and suburbs.
Give examples of what buildings you might find in each area.
CBD: commercial (e.g. shopping centres like the Bullring, banks like HSBC/Barclays).
Inner city: housing (e.g. blocks of flats) and some shops.
Suburbs: housing & industry, some shops.
Compare the environmental quality in Birmingham’s CBD, inner city and suburbs.
CBD: good quality (some green space).
Inner city: lower quality (little green space).
Suburbs: good quality (big areas of open green space).
Describe the rural-urban fringe.
Include a specific fact.
The rural-urban fringe is protected by a greenbelt and has some villages (e.g. Shenstone).
Name 3 areas where lots of migrants have moved to.
Inner city areas e.g:
* Small Heath
* Aston
* Sparkbrook
* Handsworth
SASH
Name 3 countries where migrants have emigrated from.
- Pakistan
- India
- Bangladesh
Give 3 push factors for people to migrate from other places in the UK and abroad.
Any 3 from:
* War/conflict
* Poorly paid jobs
* Lack of employment opportunities
* Lack of facilities
Give 3 pull factors for people to migrate to Birmingham.
Any 3 from:
* Peace
* Well-paid jobs
* Employment opportunities
* Better & more accessible facilities
* Cheap housing
How has Birmingham’s age structure been affected by immigration?
National and international migration of students to areas such as Aston has led to studentification.
Migrants are often young, so are more likely to start families and have children.
Studentification
An increase in the number of young adults in an area. The services begin to reflect this and houses of multiple occupancy (where people from different households live in a building with common areas e.g. university accommodation) develop.
How has Birmingham’s ethnicity been affected by immigration?
Include a specific fact.
Areas where migrants have located are more ethnically diverse.
For example, the Balti triangle has a large number of balti restuarants - a new culture which allows other people to eat new foreign foods.
How has Birmingham been culturally affected by immigration?
Include a fact.
Areas where migrants have located have a greater cultural mix.
Birmingham is one of the most diverse cities in the UK.
How has Birmingham’s housing been affected by immigration?
Areas where migrants have located generally have high density terraced houses and tower blocks, which are cheaper and so more affordable.
How has the quantity of Birmingham’s services been affected by immigration?
Areas where migrants have located require a lot more services (e.g. health, education and employment) due to the high population.
Give an example of how migration has affected the services Birmingham provides.
There are large scale Diwali celebrations in the south and west of Birmingham.
Number of languages spoken by students in Birmingham schools.
108.
Give 3 reasons for the inequality within Birmingham.
Any 3 from:
* Poor housing
* Rapid population growth
* Poor education
* Lack of services
Where are the most affluent areas in Birmingham?
The most affluent areas are found on the periphery (e.g. Sutton Coldfield).
Where are the most deprived areas in Birmingham? (2)
The most deprived areas are found in the inner city and the south-west suburbs.
Explain why there are lots of deprived areas in Birmingham.
Inner city areas have lower employment levels (partially due to de-industrialisation) increasing pressure on ageing services and fewer qualifications, leading to a spiral of decline.
Lower income levels and old housing leads to increased health issues.
Explain why some areas in Birmingham have little deprivation.
Affluent areas have lots of economically-active people working in management.
Higher incomes and newer/improved housing stock, leisure services and big parks leads to improved health.
There is good quality education (including private schooling).
Give 3 reasons why parts of Birmingham have experienced decline.
Which parts of Birmingham in particular?
- De-population
- De-industrialisation
- De-centralisation
The inner city areas.
What % of housing in Birmingham was deemed unfit for being lived in?
In the 1950s, over 70% of housing in the inner city was deemed unfit for habitation.
How did Birmingham
(in general) attempt to renovate the inner city?
Give 3 ways.
- CDAs removed slums and demolished whole areas.
- New tower blocks with modern amenities were constructed.
- More open green space was introduced.
Why did Birmingham’s inner city redevelopment cause the area to experience decline?
Include a statistic.
The residents had to move away during the renovations, and over 500,000 people between 1951 and 1971 did not return.
What caused de-industrialisation in inner city Birmingham?
Include a place and a statistic.
There were too many small, inefficient and overcrowded factories that were suffering due to competition abroad (e.g. in Digbeth).
50,000 jobs were lost between 1961 and 1971.
Statistic about UK’s secondary sector.
Manufacturing decreased from ~50% of the UK economy in 1948 to ~10% by 2010.
Define decentralisation.
The movement of people, factories, offices & shops away from the city centre to the suburbs.