Case study - Birmingham

Question 1

Where have migrants migrated from

Answer 1

Wide range of cultures
- during WW2 Jewish people from Tsarist Russia + Nazi Germany + Polish refugees

Places suffering conflict - Sudan, Iraq + Afghanistan

Question 2

How many migrants were there between 2012 - 2013

Answer 2

12,000 international migrants

40,800 UK migrants

Question 3

Advantages of migrants in Birmingham

Answer 3

rich cultural heritage - development of many successful multi-cultural communities e.g ethnic restaurants + cultural events

Improving level of skill where shortages - Jewellery Quarter + Polish Catholic Centre in Digbeth

Mainly young people balance out the ageing population

contribute to local + national economy

Question 4

Disadvantages migrants in Birmingham

Answer 4

Increase in population - pressures on housing + employment

Challenge of integration into a wider community

Need to provide education for children whose 1st language is not English

Question 5

Challenges of growth - Urban deprivation

Answer 5

Industrial decline - businesses left the city + moved to countries where labour was cheaper

Created a ‘spiral of decline’ that contributed to urban deprivation in Birmingham due to loss of industry

Question 6

Challenges of growth - Urban sprawl / housing

Answer 6

2015 - 89,000 homes needed + only space for 50,000
- Brownfield + Greenfield sites were used

Brownfield - Expensive as area needs to be cleared first
Greenfield - Cheaper - not good for the environment = urban sprawl

Demand on rural - urban fringe - new retail parks, new suburbs, leisure facilities + industrial estates.

Last 10 years - 42,000 moved from city - outskirts
200,000 commuters - strain on transport + environment

Question 7

Challenges of growth - Environmental challenges

Answer 7

Derelict buildings e.g closed factories + shops - poorer environmental conditions due to vandalism + graffiti

Modern heating systems - air pollution

Question 8

Challenges of growth - Waste disposal

Answer 8

2015 - 30% waste recycled
2026 - aim 40%

Rest is landfill - large amounts of methane

Birmingham ERF - burns 350,000 tonnes of rubbish per year + converts to electricity - release lots of CO2

Question 9

Challenges of growth - Inequalities in housing

Answer 9

Deprived areas have poorer quality housing - often located where industrial decline has occurred, leading to many boarded up factories and shops - increase in crime and vandalism

Loss of employment people can’t afford to buy a new home or to improve their current home.

Question 10

Challenges of growth - Inequalities in education, health + employment

Answer 10

People living closer to the centre may suffer from greater air and noise pollution

Smoking and drinking are more common in deprived areas

People on higher incomes may have better access to facilities such as gyms - higher standard of living

Question 11

Opportunities

Answer 11

• Five universities and over 50,000 students
• Largest number of businesses outside of London - Retail, Finance, R+D, Leisure + Tech

Excellent transport links:

• New Street Station
• Birmingham Airport
• Motorways (M5, M6, M42)
• Integrated bus, metro and rail system
• Birmingham Hippodrome – the most visited theatre in the UK
• Bullring shopping centre has over 160 shops and an average of 750,000 visitors each week

Question 12

Urban Regeneration Plan - Longbridge car assembly plant

: Before

Answer 12

• Own Rail link
• 25,000 employed
• 100 years of production
• Peak = 1965 - 1/3 million cars produced

Question 13

Urban Regeneration Plan - Longbridge car assembly plant

: Cause

Answer 13

1970s - decline due to overseas competition

Huge job losses
2005 - closure = derelict site

Question 14

Urban Regeneration Plan - Longbridge car assembly plant

: After

Answer 14

• Building over 2000 new homes and creating 1000 jobs
• Technology park, including an innovation centre
• £70 million new town centre
• Hotels and leisure developments such as restaurants and cafes
• Bourneville College, a new £66 million learning facility
• Residential developments for a variety of age ranges
• Large industrial and distribution centre buildings (warehouses) with easy access to the road network

Question 15

Importance - nationally

Answer 15

• New Street station is the busiest UK station outside of London
• Birmingham is one of the ‘greenest’ UK cities - over 8,000 acres of parks and open space.
• Excellent job opportunities - 200 law firms, 50 major property services and other companies - BBC and Jaguar Landrover.

Question 16

Importance - globally

Answer 16

• Birmingham Airport - 9 million customers in 2014
  has been extended to connect to more places in Africa, South America, China and the USA.
• Provides space to more than 300 companies from outside of the UK