Birmingham Case Study

Question 1

Where is Birmingham?

Answer 1

Birmingham is located in the west of central England. It is north-west of the capital London. It is also situated between main roads such as the M42, M6, and M5.

Question 2

How does shopping make Birmingham important?

Answer 2

£1.64 billion spent each year shopping.
54,000 shoppers attended re-opening of Grand Central, with 25,000 in the first 4 hours.
Birmingham in the top 3 shopping destinations in the UK.
36 million footfall per year in the Bullring.
34 million people visit each year.

Question 3

How does tourism make Birmingham important?

Answer 3

Fastest growing tourist destination in the UK.
37.2 million visit each year.
Radisson Blu popular hotel to stay at.

Question 4

How does architecture make Birmingham important?

Answer 4

Nicknamed “UK capital of modern architecture”.
Many post-modern western designs, such as Grand Central, the Library, and the Selfridges building.
This attracts tourists to the area, generating more money for the economy.

Question 5

How does transport make Birmingham important?

Answer 5

New Street station, opened by the Queen, is the biggest station outside of London.
Other modes of transport include HS2 and the Birmingham metro.

Question 6

How much of Birmingham’s population identifies as non-white British?

Answer 6

Over a third

Question 7

What are the positive impacts of migration on Birmingham?

Answer 7

Large variety of cultures brings a rich food culture. For example, the Balti Triangle is the birthplace of the Balti curry, and contains Birmingham’s highest concentration of Balti restaurants.

Diverse range of religions brings new architecture, such as mosques, and new celebrations, such as Diwali.

Tolerance of other social/religious/ethnic groups.

Question 8

What are the negative impacts of migration on Birmingham?

Answer 8

Social segregation - the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in an urban area.

This can be seen in the location of where minorities live. In general, in central Birmingham, there is a high percentage of people from the BME group, while on the outskirts, there is a lower percentage of people from the BME group.

Question 9

How is cultural mixing a social opportunity for Birmingham?

Answer 9

Range of new experiences, such as the Balti Triangle.
People travel from all over the country to experience the different cultures.
Fashion and religions mix.
Greater variety offered to residents.
Enables people to learn about a greater range of cultures and beliefs.

Question 10

How is recreation and entertainment a social opportunity for Birmingham?

Answer 10

Many recreational buildings, such as Symphony Hall, the ICC, Central Library, and the Sea Life Centre.
Commonwealth Games 2022 brought 5 million people to the city, with 4.62 million visiting during the actual games period.

Question 11

How is recreation and entertainment an economic opportunity for Birmingham?

Answer 11

Commonwealth Games 2022 created 4,500 jobs.
The Games also generated a £1.2 billion economic uplift for Birmingham.

Question 12

How is transport an economic opportunity for Birmingham?

Answer 12

Integrated transport system of trains, trams, pedestrianisation and ring road.
Trams reduce congestion and emissions.
New Street station redeveloped to cope with 300,000 people per day.
Main shopping area pedestrianised to reduce traffic and pollution.
Ring roads designed to keep cars away from the centre.

Question 13

How is urban greening an environmental opportunity for Birmingham?

Answer 13

Combats air and noise pollution.
Soaks up rainwater, preventing flooding.
Creates habitats for local wildlife.
Lifts morale in people who see it.
Calms traffic and lessens urban crime.

Question 14

What are the social opportunities of Birmingham?

Answer 14

Wide range of cultures.
5 universities and over 50,000 students.
Many museums, theatres, sporting and music venues.
Building on brownfield sites increases number of cafes, restaurants, bars, and shopping areas.

Question 15

What are the economic opportunities of Birmingham?

Answer 15

Excellent transport links to the rest of the UK which are continually improving, which means that it is easy to access.
Building on brownfield sites increases number of cafes, restaurants, bars, and shopping areas.
Many museums, theatres, sporting and music venues.
Largest number of businesses and business start-ups outside of London.

Question 16

What are the environmental opportunities of Birmingham?

Answer 16

One of the greenest cities with over 500 parks and more trees than any city in Europe.
Building on brownfield sites reduces damage on environment.
Energy Recovery Facility converts 350,000 tonnes of rubbish into electricity per year.

Question 17

What are the social challenges of Birmingham?

Answer 17

Different ethnicities often segregated into different areas of the city, creating social tension.
Declining industry can lead to derelict sites.
Declining manufacturing industry causes rising unemployment, poverty, and urban deprivation.

Question 18

What is an economic challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 18

Declining manufacturing industry causes rising unemployment, poverty, and urban deprivation.

Question 19

What are the environmental challenges of Birmingham?

Answer 19

Increasing population increases the demand for housing, which is often built on greenfield sites. This reduces the amount of open space.
As it is a large city, Birmingham creates a lot of waste. Only 20% of all waste was recycled in 2015, creating more waste in landfills.

Question 20

How is urban deprivation a social challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 20

The centre of Birmingham has higher unemployment rates than the outskirts, which means that the centre has a higher deprivation. This causes social tension due to a lower quality of life.

Question 21

How is healthcare a social challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 21

The further north and south of Birmingham, the higher the life expectancy. For example, Four Oaks has a life expectancy of 84, while New Street only has a life expectancy of 77. This is because there is less deprivation in the north and south, so people have more money for better healthcare, so will have a better quality of life.

Question 22

How is housing inequality a social and economic challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 22

Population is growing 5 times faster than homes are being built.
Only 780 homes were built in 2016, while the population increased by nearly 10,000 in the previous two years.
This causes social tension due to the differing levels of housing quality.

Question 23

How is education a social challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 23

The centre of Birmingham has the highest proportion of pupils achieving below the Birmingham average.
The north and south of Birmingham have the highest proportion of pupils achieving grades which are at or above the national average.
The national average is 64.4%, while the Birmingham average is 61.1%.
These differing levels in education could lead to social tension as well as higher levels of unemployment, causing more dereliction.

Question 24

How is dereliction an environmental challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 24

Dereliction is the state of having been abandoned and becoming dilapidated.
Derelict buildings:
Look ugly, which deters companies and tourists.
May attract vermin.
Cause an increase in crime, such as vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Question 25

How are greenfield sites an environmental challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 25

Greenfield sites put too much pressure on the rural-urban fringe and cause damage such as destroying habitats, making it unsustainable.
New greenfield sites attract new companies to relocate, causing the centre to lose business, which increases crime rates.

Question 26

How is waste disposal an environmental challenge of Birmingham?

Answer 26

Birmingham’s average waste production is 695kg per person, compared to the national average of 409kg per person, which means that more waste will go to landfill.
In 2015, only 20% of the total waste was recycled.
However, recycling could be made easier by distributing recycling bins and encouraging people to recycle.

Question 27

Why was the Grand Central redevelopment needed?

Answer 27

Once voted the ugliest train station in the UK.
Designed for 60,000 passengers a day, but was dealing with **170,000* per day.
Busiest station outside of London.
Poor impression of Birmingham for passengers.

Question 28

How was Grand Central redeveloped?

Answer 28

Took 5 years and cost £600 million.
Can now handle 300,000 passengers per day.
1000 new permanent jobs created.
Large amount of concrete removed to let in more light