Change in UK cities - Birmingham ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ (+ Barnt Green) Flashcards
Describe the location of Birmingham
central England
West Midlands
North West of London (2 hrs drive)
Importance of Birmingham in the wider world:
- industry always been important
- steam engine invented there
- alternative business hub to London
- HSBC - ยฃ200mil investment to new headquarters
- airport has 100,000+ flights yearly to 150 places
Importance of Birmingham to the UK:
architecture and buildings
shopping
transport
tourism
How is Birmingham important to the UK in terms of architecture and buildings?
- modern buildings
- self-ridges building
- library
- buildings nominated for awards
How is Birmingham important to the UK in terms of shopping?
- Grand Central new shopping centre
- 34 million visitors each year
- creates thousands of new jobs
How is Birmingham important to the UK in terms of transport?
- new trams and train station
- 300,000 passengers daily
How is Birmingham important to the UK in terms of tourism?
- fastest growing tourist destination in UK
- 37.2mil visitors each year
- new shops draw people
- repurposed buildings into destination
Population of Birmingham?
1,141,816
(1.14 million)
Birmingham has a lot of ethnic diversity. What is ethnic diversity?
a variety of different ethnic groups
Positive effects of ethnic distribution:
- provides services for different religions
- support for language/religion
- tackles racial/cultural conflict
What are the social opportunities in Birmingham?
- diversity allows people to experience different religions and food (Balti Triangle)
- St Paulโs Square is famous for music
- lots of museums and theatres (Birmingham Symphony Orchestra)
- 5 universities and over 50,000 students
What are the economic opportunities in Birmingham?
- Bullring centre includes 140 shops which generates employment and income for local economy
- Brindley Place is at the centre of development (bars, retail, offices) generates a large income
What are the environmental opportunities in Birmingham?
- canals have been cleaned up
- one of the greenest cities (500 parks)
- park and ride scheme, encouraging less traffic and pollution
What is an integrated transport system?
All of the different forms of transport link to one another
What has Birmingham done to create an integrated transport system?
Trams, Trains, Pedestrianisation and eliminated the ring road
What is the Midland Metro?
opened in 1999, made use of existing tram routes and links Birmingham city centre to outlying areas such as Wednesbury and Wolverhampton
2011/12- 5 million journeys
CO2 emissions are lower
How was New Street Station redeveloped?
ยฃ600mil redevelopment
will be able to deal with 300,000 passengers daily
reduce traffic and need for parking
What is pedestrianisation?
areas of central Birmingham are cut off from cars and vehicles to ensure the safety of pedestrians
What is urban greening?
to increase the amount and proportion of green spaces within Birmingham
What are the benefits of urban greening?
- studies show it improves mental health by being surrounded by plants
- trees clean the air and reduce impacts of global warming
- provide habitats for wildlife
- vegetated areas reduce flood risk by offering permeable surfaces
- green spaces can be used for recreation and physical activity
What are the strategies if urban greening?
- โgreen wallsโ created and planted on metal sheets which surround steel structures
- demolish unused buildings and convert the brownfield site into a new open space or park
- create green roofs
- link existing green spaces to new ones
- maintain existing green spaces and introduce micro ecosystems to more cities
Challenges in Birmingham
- urban deprivation
- housing inequality
- education
- healthcare
- employment issues
What is urban decline?
Birmingham used to have a large manufacturing industry
due to competition from abroad, most of the cityโs industry is now gone
this has led to urban decline as manufacturing buildings were left empty and become derelict
What is urban deprivation?
lack of basic materials needed for a decent quality of life, e.g. housing
How has deprivation impacted Birmingham?
with the closure of factories, this led to high unemployment and parts of the city have experienced a spiral of social and economic decline leading to depriavtion
What does this spiral of social and economic decline mean for residents?
- more depression/anxiety
- more homelessness
- increased crime
- less access to jobs and money
- less services, poorer healthcare
Where is poverty greatest in Birmingham?
places like Northern Nechells, Washwood
Where is the least deprivation in Birmingham?
Northern Birmingham
What is housing inequality?
the difference in the quality of housing that exists in a given area/society
Why is housing an issue for Birmingham?
- population is increasing 5 times faster than homes being built
- current housing crisis will only get worse
- house-building is lagging behind
Why is education an issue in Birmingham?
the quality of education is poor particularly in the inner city areas (e.g. Aston)
Many people in these areas are ethnically diverse and many kids struggle to access and succeed in education
What is life expectancy like in Birmingham?
lowest is 76 in places like Handsworth
highest in Four Oaks at 84
What are the environmental challenges in Birmingham?
- dereliction
- building on Greenfield sites
- waste disposal
- pollution
What is dereliction?
the state of having been abandoned and become dilapidated (run down)
Why is there dereliction in Birmingham?
due to many factory buildings being abandoned and not taken care of
What is a Greenfield site?
an area of land that has not been built on before
What is a brownfield site?
an unused or derelict area of land that has been built on previously
Advantages of building on Greenfield sites
- more space
- attractive setting
- donโt have to demolish anything
Disadvantages of buildings on Greenfield sites:
- protests
- loss of green space - urban sprawl worse
- more expensive ground work
- loss of habitats
Advantages of buildings on brownfield sites:
- improve derelict site
- easy access to transport
Disadvantages of building on brownfield sites:
- vermin
- left over waste
- pollution
Why is waste disposal an issue for Birmingham?
large population produces lots of waste which creates challenges for how to dispose and collect it all
What is urban sprawl?
the spread of city buildings and houses into an area that used to be countryside
Why has Birmingham experienced urban sprawl?
- increasing population
- industrialised city = more jobs
- investment from large companies
- more transport links
- more space
What is a โgreen beltโ
land where urban development is not allowed to prevent relentless urban sprawl
What are the benefits of green belts?
- keep habitats
- recreation
- reduce flood risk
- locally sourced food
- reduce inequality
- encourages use of brownfield sites
How has Birminghamโs green belt changed?
shrunk by 10%
What is a commuter settlement?
a settlement whose residents live there but work elsewhere, usually travelling into a city to get to work each day
What is the commuter settlement we use?
Barnt Green
What services make Barnt Green a good commuter settlement?
- railway
- M5 and M42 motorways
- A38 roads
- primary school
- sports school
- cricket club
environmental impacts of urban sprawl on Barnt Green?
- more air pollution
- more water pollution
- more traffic
- less habitats
social impacts of urban sprawl on Barnt Green?
- higher costs
- inequality
- increased traffic
- increased waste
- unplanned housing
What may happen to Barnt Green going forward?
Birmingham will keep expanding, and BG will merge with it
BG will lose its commuter settlement name
What is urban regeneration
when an urban area is redeveloped/made better
What parts of Birmingham have been regenerated?
Grand Central Station
What is the Big City Plan?
plan involves the development of five key areas in Birmingham
What parts of Birmingham are included in the Big City Plan?
Grand Central Station, Library, Bull Ring, Midland Metro, Snowhill
Give some facts about the Big City Plan
- came up with idea in 2007
- expanding city core by +25%
- it will bring ยฃ2.1bil to economy every year
- 50,000 new jobs
- 1.5mil square meters of floor space
- ยฃ600mil on new train station
- pedestrianised areas
- areas linked by walking routes
Why did New Street/Grand Central Station need redevelopment?
- old-fashioned
- dirty
- unsafe
- low ceilings
- ugly
- unsustainable
- unaesthetically pleasing
- dark
What did Grand Central Redevelopment involve doing?
- ยฃ600 million
- car park converted into new concourse space, with escalators, retail and offices
- more glass, more light
- 450,000 sq foot shopping hub
What made the redevelopment of GCS more environmentally friendly?
- low energy and high efficiency LED lights
- 60% of toilet water provided by rainwater
- efficient water spray taps
- energy efficient lifts and escalators
- natural daylight and ventilation
