Topic 4 - EQ2 - Regeneration Flashcards
What are the stages of the spiral of decline?
1 - Closure of industry
2 - Loss of jobs and long term unemployment
3 - Out migration of people with transferable skills (brain drain)
3 - People that stay have less money to spend
4 - Closure of services due to loss of customer base and demand (schools, shops…)
5 - Crime increase, environmental decay (redundant buildings), depression
What is Myrdal’s accumulative causation model (spiral of improvement)?
1 - New industry or expansion of existing firms
2 - More jobs and purchasing power
3 - Enlarged pool of trained labour (due to inward migration of professionals) = population rise
4 - Service demand increase
5 - Tertiary sector grows and more is developed
6 - Even more local wealth
7 - Spending power, tax revenue and consumer base all increase
8 - Area functions as a growth pole
9 - Further innovation and more new industry
What is an example of a new industry and Myrdal’s accumulative causation model in action?
The M4 corridor (specifically Berkshire and Reading) and the movement of attractive tech jobs into the area
Why did tech jobs move to M4 corridor?
Great connection to London via M4 and trains (Great Western), close to airports, pre-existing wealth and jobs of area, naturally beautiful (green spaces) but just outside of London, nearby unis (Bath, Reading, Bristol…) to supply workers to companies…
What has been the result of tech moving in?
Major IT companies like Microsoft moving in = Myrdal’s model kicked in.
Reading and Bracknell rank consistently high for growth with strengths in job creation, salaries, health…
New business moved in now such as Waitrose HQ.
Berkshire now one of Britain’s fastest growing regions.
What are the weaknesses of the M4 corridor?
- Protected land has led to limited growth
- Demand for land and housing has made house prices ridiculous for OG residents (40-50% increase 2005-15)
- Lack of community spirit and support for local business
- Pockets of deprivation
- Over reliance on IT jobs in Reading, what if they dip?
What is an example of a loss of industry and the spiral of decline in action?
The Rust Belt (especially Detroit the home of Ford) USA and the loss of manufacturing, automobile industry and mining
Why did Detroit lose its automobile industry (and the rust belt and its wider industry)? How much did it lose?
- Rust belt lost industry because of cheaper manufacturing and coal in China, mechanisation of mining and lower wage costs in SE USA
- Detroit lost over 80,000 jobs in 90s and 2000s in automobile manufacturing (same time 90,000 auto jobs gained in SE)
What happened when Detroit lost its automobile industry?
- Lost over a quarter of its population in 2000s (brain drain)
- 2013 had highest violent crime rate in USA
- Consistently rank as US’ murder capital (competes with St Louis)
- High unemployment
- Average salary about half national average in 2000s
- Loss of council revenue as loss of taxes
- Overwhelming welfare costs
- Hard to regenerate without gentrifying community
-2014 highest poverty rate of US cities at >40%
-Top 50 in world for murder rate
What is an example of rural rust belt industrial decline? What happened?
Beatyville KY (Appalachian mountains). Loss of coal mining industry. Salary 1/5 of US average, life expectancy below 70 and high opioid drug using rate (opioid epidemic).
What are priorities for regeneration due to significant variations in economic and social inequalities?
- Gated communities (fortress settlements of the rich to segregate between rich and poor, often in gentrified American neighbourhoods) to tackle inequality in residential areas
- Rural local business in declining rural settlements (village shops and rural pubs of which over 1000 rural local shops/pubs closed in 2010 alone) to tackle urban vs rural inequality
- Sink estates (British council estates characterised by social and economic deprivation) to tackle urban inequality
- Commuter villages (need to focus on affordable housing and boosting service provisions) to boost local service industry and limit inequality
What should be the regeneration priorities for Berkshire and the M4 corridor?
Berkshire needs affordable housing, support for local services and diversification of business.
-Demand for housing from newcomers has driven up house prices in towns and in villages which has made it more expensive for original residents - plan for over 10,000 new homes mainly on brownfield land could make a huge difference AND could tackle pockets of deprivation (e.g. Slough)
-New business needed to tackle over reliance on IT which could leave at any moment - local service industry development could help with this and could also provide employment to residents not involved in the IT sector
-Public transport needed to cut carbon emissions and connect rural areas with growing towns
What should be the regeneration priorities for Detroit?
Detroit needs social investment and attracting new industry to tackle urban decline and inequality.
-Investment in deprived inner city neighbourhoods to tackle rampant poverty and extremely high crime rates with gangs running areas of inner Detroit - investing in public schools (and other public infrastructure) can be key in breaking cycle of poverty + redevelopments should be devised but with local community input as in complex areas like Detroit the ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work
-Detroit needs to be made more attractive to business via a revitalised downtown, investment in neighbourhoods surrounding city… and also efforts should be to make it more attractive to tourism (has Great Lakes?)
Why is place identity important?
An individual’s sense of place can be a source of strength or cause people to feel cut off.
It effects how people engage with their place and varies greatly between individuals and between social groups on basis of age, ethnicity, gender, overall quality of life…
What are the reasons for wide variations in levels of political engagement in communities?
- Local election turnout lower than national election (about 50 vs 75%)
- Turnout higher in rural communities
- Turnout lower amongst lower social classes (more politically apathetic due to feeling disillusioned)
- Older people more engaged, younger people feel more disillusioned with political establishment
- New migrants and students as they lack attachment
