Topic 4 - Regeneration EQ3 Flashcards
Explain the job of the government regarding inequality?
The uk government is responsible for considering the level of inequality across the country, as disparity between places and regions does not aid overall development of the country - for example there is a widely perceived and evident gap between the north and south of the UK
- plans to address this by developing a ‘northern powerhouse’
Explain why there is a perceived and evident gap between the north and south of the UK?
The south is dominated by the metropolitan region of London, but lack of investment in rail infrastructure in the North East has led to some large inequalities and lack of labour mobility
Give evidence for the north and south divide in the UK?
A 65km journey from Middlesbrough to Newcastle takes 90 min, a journey of the same distance from Essex to London takes only 36 min - this is due to better infrastructure
Spending on infrastructure is £2595 per person per year in London compared to £5 in the north east
Explain some schemes to increase development in the UK by improving and building new infrastructure?
- expanding capacity at Heathrow and Gatwick
- building crossroad to ease congestion in central London
- building HS2 railway
Explain what the northern hub is and the aim of the project?
Is a series of railway improvements of the rail network around Manchester - track has been added to connect manchesters towards main railway station and the airport station south of the city - journey times have been decreased
- government planning for new cheaper,faster electric tracks around the area
Explain the benefits of the northern Hub project in Manchester - give 3?
- implementation of cheaper,faster and longer electric trains
- expected increase in business
- hoped that the £600 million investment will eventually yield economic growth of £2.4 billion
Explain who has the role of making planning descions?
The uk government can make descions that affect the rate and type of development (planning laws,house building targets or permission for ‘fracking’) which in turn affect the economic regeneration in both urban and rural regions
Explain what economic infrastructure is?
economic infrastructure - includes highways, energy distribution, water and sewage facilities and telecommunication network
Explain what social infrastructure is?
social infrastructure - includes public housing, hospitals, schools and universities
Explain the controversy around permitting fracking in the UK?
The UK will be forced to import nearly 70% of its gas by 2020, government regulations are being loosened to make it easier for fracking to be approved - estimates suggest there’s huge amounts of shale gas in the north of England and £300 billion pounds of oil and gas was discovered close to Gatwick airport, this has resulted national interest into investing into these sources however there are complications
Explain 3 problems around shifting to fracking?
- Potential mining sites are often found beneath large cities, valuable farmland and national parks - drilling in Blackpool led to minor earthquakes causing a temporarily suspension
- national parks are mainly owned by the crown - compensation for these using the land is unlikely
- also problems around the. chemicals used polluting waterways
Explain 4 benefits of fracking?
- most fracking sites are in the north - will help with north-south divide
- reduces dependency abroad - produce our own gas
- natural gas is environmentally better then coal
- natural gas spills cause little damage compared to oil spills
Explain the process of fracking?
well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid (mixture of water,sand and chemicals)The process involves the high-pressure injection of “fracking fluid” into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely
Explain what HS2 railway is, give the aim of the project?
new high-speed railway which trains will provide zero-carbon journeys between the UK’s two largest cities, Birmingham and London, with services continuing on to Manchester, the North West and Scotland using the conventional railway network, cutting journey times
- aim of the project is to overcome the north-south divide
Explain the benefits of HS2 talk about congestion?
congestion on the roads reaching an all time high (UK has some of the most congested roads in Europe) so upgrading roads can no longer keep up with the growing vehicle ownership
- costs the uk £22 billion a year in lost time - railway could allow people to work on their laptops
Explain the benefits of HS2, talk about passengers and jobs?
Railway needs upgrading as the passenger count has grown from under a billion in 2002 to 1.65 billion in 2014 - and upgrade will help provide an estimated 60,000 construction jobs and will cut the journey time from London to Birmingham from 80 to 49
Give and explain 3 arguments for HS2 railway?
- existing railways are poor,inefficient and lack the capacity and technology this country requires now and will require in the future - advanced infrastructure is important to keep the economy growing
- need a more aggressive approach to reduce cars and congestion on the roads - to free up the motorways
- can be used to transfer freight more efficiently then on roads
Give and explain 3 arguments against HS2 railway?
- a lot of money spent just to reduce journey times by 40 minutes
- should leave the idea until we are out of financially trouble
- we should focus on other priorities at the moment
Explain the benefits from the deregulation of the UKs financial centre?
- Instead of the London Stock Exchange having a monopoly on all share dealings,
any bank, financial adviser or even individuals could trade in shares - Barriers stopping overseas banks and other financial institutions from setting up
offices in London were also removed. Until then, only UK banks could trade there.
Explain what deregulation allowed and how it benefited the UK economy?
allowed foreign investors to invest in the UK without seeking government approval - results transformed the UKs economy to the extent that banking,finance and business services now account for for 30% of the UKs GDP
- made it easier for companies to locate to the UK and for FDI into infrastructure
- reason why Londons lawyer,accountant and consultant industry is worth 95 billion
Explain the UKs importantce of being in the European single market, with reference to free labour movements?
When the UK joined the European single market in 1992 it allowed free movement of labour within the EU - UK membership allowed people seeking work from other member countries to enter the UK (and vice versa) - helped balance ageing population
Explain how free labour movement policy has benefited a rural uk town?
lots of migration to rural market towns which have since seen fast growth for example Corby a town with an ageing population and poorly skilled workforce which has since seen many east European entrepreneurs set up businesses including restaurants,bakeries,construction firms and marketing agencies
Give two negatives of deregulations and free labour movement in the UK?
• increasing population could put strain on the NHS and housing
• Builds reliance on companies that may leave
Give two positives of deregulations and free labour movement in the UK?
• allowed FDI without government approval - more wealth coming into the UK
• improved the economy - 15% growth in banking,finance and business serves
explain how a government proposed levy created regeneration in the docklands?
Financial regulation is now tighter which makes it hard for banks to make risky business investments, however when some banks like HSBC threatened to leave London for Asia, the government decided to halve a proposed banking levy - some of this wealth has created regeneration in the former docklands which has developed as a financial centre
Explain the role of local governments within an areas development?
Local governments are keen to encourage innovation and investment both from within and by overseas companies, often in partnership with major stakeholders in the area, may use a range of incentives to attract and keep companies that might improve the reputation of the town
Explain the link between local governments and major universities, give an example?
Cities and towns have worked with major universities like Cambridge to focus on the commercialism of research, by ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place to allow for established technology companies and innovative start-ups
- eg telecommunication and power supply,banking services
