p4 Flashcards
Social and environmental problems for deindustrialised regions:
Global shift creates challenges for developed countries too.
Economic restructuring has brought a wave of economic and social problems to inner-city areas. These are also explored in detail in Chapter 16.
During the 1970s, many European and American factory workers lost their jobs.
Western factories closed in large numbers once Asia became the focus of global manufacturing.
As inner-city unemployment soared in places like Sheffield (UK) and Baltimore (USA), local communities abruptly ceased to be significant producers or consumers of wealth.
The worst-affected neighbourhoods were now home to ‘switched-off” communities who had become structurally irrelevant to the global economy.
Other cities remain caught in a spiral of decline (Figure 13.3). In the USA especially, the economic and social health of urban areas varies greatly
Particular challenges include:
High unemployment
Crime
Depopulation
Dereliction
High unemployment
Detroit has yet to replace large numbers of jobs lost when global shift led to the disappearance of many of the city’s automobile industries.
Crime
Rising gun crime reminds us that ‘losers’ of globalisation can be found in all nations, not just poorer ones.
In some low-income US urban districts, life expectancy is 30 years lower than in affluent districts.
Drug-related crime is now the basis of an informal economy in some poor neighbourhoods of failing US cities.
When areas are ‘switched off to legitimate global flows, they may instead become’switched on’ to illegal global flows of drugs and people trafficking.
Depopulation
Middle-class Americans have migrated out of failing neighbourhoods in large numbers.
Detroit has lost 1 million residents since 1950.
One result of this depopulation has been a catastrophic collapse in housing prices.
In Baltimore, which has lost one-third of its population, there are 20,000 abandoned properties.
Homes in some districts have been sold for just one dollar.
Those who stay become trapped in a state of negative equity (their home is worth much less than they paid for it).
Increasingly, depopulation in US cities has become linked with race. Dubbed ‘white flight’ by the media, the process of out-migration has left some districts populated mainly by African-Americans.
The economic problems triggered by global shift have, over time, reignited racial tensions in cities such as Baltimore and Jackson.
Dereliction
The combination of manufacturing industry closures, falling house prices and rising crime results in widespread environmental dereliction.
A ‘broken windows’ scenario develops (at first small acts of vandalism are tolerated; soon, more serious problems like arson become commonplace).
Rural-Urban Migration:
refers to the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas in search of better economic opportunities, improved living conditions, and access to services.
Push Factors
Economic factors: Lack of employment opportunities, low wages, poverty, and limited access to credit and resources.
Social factors: Limited access to education, healthcare, and basic amenities, as well as social inequality and marginalisation.
Environmental factors: Natural disasters, land degradation, drought, and limited access to water resources.
Pull Factors:
Economic factors: Availability of jobs, higher wages, access to markets and services, and better living standards.
Social factors: Access to education, healthcare, improved social status, and better quality of life.
Environmental factors: Availability of natural resources, favorable climate, and better environmental conditions.
Natural Increase:
refers to the population growth resulting from a higher birth rate than death rate in a specific area.
Factors contributing to natural increase include improved healthcare, access to sanitation facilities, higher life expectancy, and cultural preferences for larger families.
Case Study on challenges of urban growth: Mumbai
Social Challenges:
waste in mumbai:
1 million rubbish bags are collected daily in Mumbai
sanitation in mumbai
approximately 30% of its population has access to a sanitation system meaning that the remaining people have to leave sewage to flow straight into water courses
1 toilet per 1000 people
housing in mumbai:
Shortage of affordable housing means people are forced to live in:
Slum housing with many people sharing each room
Shanty towns where people build housing out of whatever materials they can find
Case Study on challenges of urban growth: Mumbai
Environmental challenges in mumbai:
Pollution: Rapid industrialization and population growth contribute to air, water, and noise pollution.
Waste management: Inadequate infrastructure and lack of proper waste disposal systems result in environmental degradation.
Deforestation: Urban expansion leads to the clearing of natural habitats, impacting biodiversity and ecosystems.
Vulnerability to natural disasters: Mumbai’s coastal location exposes it to the risks of flooding and cyclones.
Elite Migration:
the movement of wealthy individuals, often high-net-worth individuals or business elites, to global hub cities.
Elite Migration example: Russian oligarchs migrating to London:
- £7 billion goes into the UK economy each year
- 100,000 Russians call London home
- They came to the UK in the 1990’s after the fall of the USSR
- 20% of houses with a price of £5 million are brought by Russians
- They account for 2% of super - prime ‘core’ of the capital
