CS - Birmingham - H Flashcards
what is the population of Birmingham
1.2 million people
how populous is Birmingham
the 2nd most populous city after London
where is Birmingham located
in the West Midlands region of the UK
When did Birmingham grow in size and importance
during the industrial revolution of the4 18th - 19th centuries
how many manufactured exports are from Birmingham today
around 25% of all manufactured exports originate from Birmingham
when was Birmingham first developed
when the de Bermingham family purchased a royal charter in 1166
what is the black country
areas of the country where industries caused there to be black smoke and smog
where was Birmingham located near
Wolverhampton and Dudley (part of the black smoke) who provided raw materials for industries to grow
which two big companies originated in Birmingham
Cadbury’s and Lloyds bank
what infrastructure supported trade in Birmingham
road and canal networks and eventually railways.
what happened to Birmingham in WW2
it was an industrial powerhouse so it was targeted by bombers - around 5,000 bombs were dropped in Birmingham
what was employment like before economic change
still had high employment and manufacturing employment
what did the 1951 census say about Birmingham
population of 1.1 million with 95% born in the UK - although ethnicity data wasn’t collected a study suggests that 1% of the population were non white - employment was dominated by males with skilled jobs
what was the major industry in Birmingham
car manufacturing
what percentage of UK automotive exports did Birmingham provide
40% of automotive exports
which factories in Birmingham had to do with car manufacturing
Austin factory (made famous Mini) - employed 22,000
Dunlop tyre factory - employed 10,000
what was the culture like in Birmingham before economic change
majority were Christian but the catholic population was growing due to Irish immigration post WW2
what was the music like in Birmingham before economic change
1950s rock and roll, jazz and rhythm and blues were all popular music types - following America
what was the housing like before economic change in Birmingham
high density terraced housing for people moving to the city to work in factories - 110,000 homes were sub-standard
what happened after the bombing of Birmingham to homes
5,000 homes were lost leading to overcrowding for 1/3rd of the population.
how polluted was water in Birmingham
there were high levels of industrial waste in canals and waterways to the point that maps were made showing toxic locations
what was a leading factor in the pollution of water (Birmingham)
white phosphorous from a factory making Matches
what was the air in Birmingham like
highly polluted with often blankets of smoke or smog engulfing the city.
which network caused Urban sprawl in Birmingham
the bus network - as people could live further from Birmingham and still get to work causing Urban Sprawl.
what happened between 1960s and 1990s in the UK
deindustrialisation
what happened in 1973 in the Middle East
there were fragile geopolitics resulting in an Arab-Israel war - the USA supported Israel and so the UK followed their lead
what happened when the UK supported Israel in the war
the OPEC decided to have an embargo (ban) on oil supply to the UK
what is OPEC
the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries - which were mostly Arab states
what did the ban on oil cause in the UK
the 1973 oil crisis - prices increased by 10 times - manufacturing relied on cheap energy pries so jobs had to be cut as companies couldn’t keep up with costs.
what started to increase for UK car manufacturers
competition increased - as foreign car manufactures got better
why were foreign cars more popular than UK manufactured cars
they were seen as cheaper, more reliable and more efficient e.g. Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan etc.
what happened when British Leyland made people redundant in Birmingham due to high costs and low sales
trade unions such as the AEU( amalgamated engineering union) encouraged strikes
what unexpected effect did worker strikes have in Birmingham
it reduced investors confidence leading to further decline in the car manufacturing industry
what did the government do to support low employment areas
foreign TNC’s were supported if located in low employment areas:
- Nissan, Sunderland (1986) - shipbuilding declined after WW2
- Honda, Swindon (1985) - railway declined in early 1900
however no TNC’s were attracted to Birmingham
what did the Birmingham city council do in 1970s
decided to clear slum housing as part of “Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme”
what did clearing slums cause in Birmingham
means SMEs(small & medium enterprises) were lost which were vital to employment base - were offered new buildings but many couldn’t afford the higher rent so had to close
what happened after economic change in Birmingham
deindustrialisation occurred causing a decline in population - over 100,000 people left in 50 years
what happened when the manufacturing sector declined
the service sector increased which fuelled immigration from abroad into Birmingham due to increased opportunities in low skilled jobs.
what happened to the population of white people in Birmingham
in 1981 it was 84.8% but in 2001 it had dropped to 65.6%
where did immigrants tend to move to in Birmingham
the inner city (due to cheaper housing) creating spatial variation in demographics of the city that still exist
what is the white flight (Birmingham)
when white families move out of run down or undesirable areas
what happened to the age structure of Birmingham due to immigration
immigrants tended to be very young so the age structure is very youthful - 38% under 24 years (UK average of 31%)
what was the employment rate in the 1980s in Birmingham
unemployment rate was over 20% (UK average - 12%)
how many jobs were lost in Birmingham between 1961 & 1971
an estimated 50,000 jobs in just 10 years
what happened when the manufacturing industry declined in Birmingham
some new sectors and businesses had a chance to grow like services industry which from 1981-2005 grew by 46%
what happened to culture due to immigration to Birmingham
since 2001 - Christianity fell from 59% to 34% - Muslims rose from 4% to 30% - the percentage of no religion also increased.
what two buildings in Birmingham were built for religions
Smethwick Sikh Temple( built 1961)
Birmingham Central Mosque(1969) - 2nd purpose built mosque in UK
what is the Balti triangle in Birmingham
an areas in Birmingham famous for its Indian and other ethnic restaurants - Balti curry was invented here
what caused social conflict in Birmingham
the loss of jobs (especially for white British) and the rise of immigration
what two events happened in 1981 - Birmingham
- Far-Right rally in protest of immigration
- Handsworth riots - where mostly black men protested against the police stop and search powers.
what happened to abandoned industrial buildings in Birmingham
Argyle Works in Digbeth - was vandalised
Lucas Battery works in Sparkhill - had soil contamination from asbestos till 2013
what happened when people got higher incomes in Birmingham
they wanted higher quality housing - Birmingham city council built 400 tower blocks - total of 81,000 houses from 1945 to 1970 built on the urban rural fringe
what happened when families started to move out of Birmingham to the countryside
worries the city would expand to the countryside meant a Greenbelt was formed
what happened to land value of houses near the greenbelt
the value increased for houses near the green space but close enough to commute to Birmingham e.g. Solihull - one of the most expensive areas in Birmingham
