Changing Cities (Human Geography) Birmingham Case Study Flashcards
Name the 6 projects that Birmingham is doing for sustainability
- HS2
- the cube
- green transport
- trees for life
- library of Birmingham
- Veolia waste factory
Why has retail changed over time in Birmingham?
- transport: everyone has cars
- technology: online shopping
- food storage: food stays fresh for longer
- increase in cost of living
- overconsumption (for retail)
What is the spiral of decline?
Factories close — workers made redundant — some factories relocated — large scale unemployment — many brownfield sites — large scale pollution
Describe the project of the cube in Birmingham
Regeneration scheme, turning an old Royal Mail sorting office into 17 story 244 luxury apartments
Cost - £100 million
Describe the HS2 project in Birmingham and state the advantages and disadvantages.
It’s high speed railway system planned to run between london and Birmingham (also from birsimham to Leeds and Manchester) in 2026.
Advantages:
This takes pressure and congestion on current railway systems.
Reduces journey times.
Jobs open up for many.
Encourages train travelling.
Disadvantages:
People will commute to london
Total cost - £42.6 billion
Could potentially increase CO2 emissions due to it needing more power
What is the aim of Trees For Life in Birmingham?
To improve urban life and make it sustainable by planting trees all over the city
Promotes value of trees
Encourages residents to be involved
It decreases chance of flooding due to interception
Shade, shelter and habitats for animals.
Aims to be carbon neutral by 2030
What is Green Transport in Birmingham?
A huge project:
Lots of buses becoming electric
Pedestrianises the entire city centre
Charging vehicles money to pass through the clean air zone (cars £8, lorries £50).
First tram system in the uk to run on battery power and not need overhead cables
Reduces carbon footprint and looks aesthetic
Encourages people to use public transport
What is the Library of Birmingham?
Main port of sustainability in the city.
Opened 2013, built on a brownfield site costing around £190 million.
10th most popular tourist attraction that year.
During construction, it recycled 95% of its waste from the site.
Employed 250 people
Aims to cut carbon emissions by 60%
Lots of open green spaces
What is the veolia waste factory?
Context - 550,000 tonnes of waste produced each year and only some is recycled, the rest is thrown to landfill.
- factory burns waste that can’t be recycled so that it can produce electricity.
- 23.5 tonnes of waste is burned per hour
- creates enough electricity to power itself and the city
What are the causes of deindustrialisation in Birmingham?
Globalisation - cheaper imports. Example: cars were cheaper to get from japan and west Europe so car manufacturing decline
Decentralisation - in the 1970s Birmingham’s inner city was redeveloped so factories were closed/demolished
Technology - new tech to assist in manufacturing meant that some businesses closed as goods were more expensive to manufacture
Transport - inner ring road meant old factories and housing were demolished and never reopened.
Why is there inequality in Birmingham
National migration - large no of people arriving in a short time makes it difficult to provide adequate services (eg education, housing, health etc)
International migration - discrimination
Housing - 18th century housing can be damp and hard to heat which leads to health issues
Economic change - new jobs are in tertiary/quaternary industries and require skills and qualifications many people don’t have
Deindustrialisation - closure of factories and lots of local job opps commuting farther away
What are the QOL factors
Housing eg type, density, rented/owned
Environmental
Social eg leisure, support, education, health, community
Services eg public transport, shops
What’s the structure like in the CBD of Birmingham
Buildings - modern architecture
Building density - high
Land use - transport, retail, hotels, theatres
Functions - commercial
Environmental quality - low, high pollution, little - no greenery
Issues - congestion, overcrowded, expensive
What is the structure of Birmingham in the inner city (small heath)
Buildings - tower blocks, small apps, Industrial Revolution
Building density - hig.
Land use - housing, factories, churches, few shops
Functions - residential
Environmental quality - low, gardens and parks
Issues - small housing, overcrowded
What is the structure of Birmingham in the suburbs (hall green)
Buildings - old housing (Victorian)
Building density - low
Land use - council estates, open space
Functions - residential
Environmental quality - high, not many people, open space gardens
Issues - little-no shops
What is the structure of Birmingham in the rural-urban fringe (walmley)
Buildings - town-meets-country, not too old, bungalows
Building density - low
Land use - housing, golf, airports, business parks
Functions - industrial
Environmental quality - very high, biggg open spaces, no people
Issues - no shops at all
What are the challenges in Birmingham
Education - students get older so there’s lots of pressure on them from healthcare and college to do a better job
Language - some people don’t have access to certain things which creat a language barrier
Employment - there may not be lots of jobs available that people actually want to do
What are the opportunities in Birmingham
Education - school provides opportunities for better work along with college and uni
Language - learning new languages is good for certain jobs and looks good on CV - stimulates the mind
Employment - more educated youth leads to higher ranked jobs which increases the economy
Fun facts about Birmingham
West Midlands in England
Second largest city in the uk (1.1 mil)
B4 19th century Birmingham was a small market town with a pop of 20,000 main function was trading
Birmingham developed its own industries of jewellery, gun making and grass trade, then it began to spread rapidly outwards
