Decline and Deprivation in the Inner City

Urban decay and decline occur when part of a city falls into disrepair and abandonment. Characteristics of urban decay include high unemployment rates, high crime rates, depopulation, desolate-looking landscapes, abandonment of buildings and split  family groups. Urban decay does not have one single cause, but rather a combination of many, including poor urban planning, redlining, poverty, suburbanization and racial discrimination.



Urban decline is the deterioration of the inner city often caused by lack of investment and maintenance.  It is often but not exclusively accompanied by a decline in population numbers, decreasing economic performance and unemployment.

Urban deprivation is a standard of leaving below that of the majority in a particular society that involves hardships and lack of access to resources. Places suffering from urban deprivation have visible differences in housing and economic opportunities been the rich living alongside poor people.

Decay and deprivation is a relative concept depending on how deprived the area is in relation to more prosperous areas.

Decline and Deprivation in the Inner City

Inner city areas suffer

• Poverty
• Pollution
• Crime
• Overcrowding
• Poor housing conditions
• Unemployment
• Racial tension

Inner city areas were once thriving communities with a mixture of land-use and rich living alongside poor. They developed in the nineteenth century around transport developments and heavy industries and were characterised by high density housing.There were shops and houses, services, community spirit and little crime. However there were high levels of pollution – land, air and water. Poor sanitation led to a high death rate (c.f. cholera outbreaks in Soho, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol).

After the industrial revolution people became increasingly affluent. This led to social segregation – rich move out of inner city suburbs. People left in the inner city:

• Older residents
• Single parent families
• Students
• Poorer families
• Ethnic minorities left behind – formation of ghettos.

Decentralisation increases the problem: -

Movement of businesses out of inner city – unemployment – Dead Heart.
Removal of businesses causes a loss of money from the area so there is little money available to invest in improvements.

Out-of-town shopping centres means less wealthy are deprived of better shops – less mobile.

The main cause of inner city problems is the decline of its economic base and the resulting loss of jobs. Since 1951 inner city areas in the UK have lost over 50% of their jobs. Three key changes in industry are evident and attribute to these changes:

I) Deindustrialisation (decline in manufacturing employment).

ii) Growth in service sector employment failed to replace manufacturing loss and much of modern day cbd and inner city employment is filled by commuters from outside inner city areas.

iii) The majority of new employment has been in part-time and low paid jobs, many of which employ women. Many inner city areas are characterised by outflows of capital and labour resulting in little inward investment.

The reasons for industrial decline include:

•      increased competition from overseas
•      reduced demand
•      increased mechanisation and use of technology reducing manpower
•      globalisation 

TASK

The Causes of Inner City Decline:

Read Section IV in this linked pdf and make notes on:

 The Causes and Consequences of Urban Decline.

http://www.jrf.org.uk/system/files/1859353223.pdf

Use the Barker, Redfern and Skinner  textbook 148-153 to support your notes.

Conflict on the Edge

In 1955 the national Green Belt system was established to prevent urban sprawl (London had restrictions in place prior to WW2). Subsequent Planning Acts have continued to preserve Green Belt land, however, increasing pressure, particularly in the south east have resulted in ministers lobbying for change to the Town and Country Planning Act to permit house building on Green Belt land.

Have a look at the following links for background and local issues on this matter.

http://leeds-list.com/leeds-greenbelt-at-risk/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10527031/Green-belt-half-of-local-councils-plan-to-build-on-rural-build-National-Trust-warns.html

http://londongreenbeltcouncil.org.uk/lgbc%20website/the%20green%20belt%20story.html


Get GeoFile 414 from Intranet - Pressure on the UKs Green Belt from Counter-urbanisation

Notting Hill

GentrificationGentrification is the rehabilitation/renewal of a deteriorated neighbourhood by new residents who are wealthier than the long-time residents. This can cause an increase in house prices and lead to the displacement of the long-time residents. It is often small scale and incremental, usually instigated by individual people and is often accompanied by landscape and street furniture improvements.§
An example of Gentrification is that of Notting Hill. Although the place is now a bustling urban area, in the mid-eighteenth century a country hamlet that was known for it's gravel pits and roadside inns had proved to be a magnet in attracting highwaymen. The unpopular tollgate, which gave the main road it's name appeared during this time. The Industrialisation brought many workers in from the countryside (urbanisation), with the landlords building tiny terreced houses to rent to the poor. During the Victorian Times Notting Hill was a rough, working class area and by the 1950's the area had become synonymous with slum landlords and inner-city deprivation. In 1958, it was the scene of many race riots after the tensions arose between the newly arrived afro-caribbean community and the teddy boys of the facist British Unioon, a secound riot then took place during the infamous Notting Hill Carnival in 1976.

The past 30 years have seen a steady northwards swarm of gentrification, with estate agents coining names like 'Hillgate Village' for the previous working-class neighbourhoods which then sent the property prices rocketing, to a point where houses can now cost more than in the ultra-upmarket Mayfair. Notting Hills secluded communal gardens, sandwiched between the rows of houses and scarcely visible from the street, make it today London's most desirable area for families.

Notting Hill: The Movie, helped to popularise the area in households around the world and area, but Gentrification had already being underway a long time before this. This tempted Movie Stars, Rock Singers, Media Types and Fashion Designers to flood into the area which has now acquired a similar atmosphere to that associated with King's Road, Chelsea in the 1960's. The Canal Way branch of Sainsburys near the Ladbroke Grove tube station is now said to be one of the best places in London to spot celebrities.
It has also become one of the best places to eat and drink with such places as Veronica's that is a place that devotes itself to reviving Britains culinary heritage, by serving historical dishes derived from 2,000 year old menu's.§
Portbello Road, is the world's most famous market, although it is really several markets just after one another it is said you can buy just about anything there and people have being doing just that since 1837, the market is known locally as 'thelane' serves up 3 different experiences: antiques to the south, vegetables and fruit in the middle with secound hand clothing, bedding and random bits and bob's to the north. Notting Hill is also home to the biggest street festival outside of Rio de Janiero, their is a large percentage of Caribbean in the area and the 3-day carnival is held over the last Bank Holiday Weekend of August and is attended by over 1million people with the revellers being drawn in by the colour, people, food, large sound systems pumping out Caribbean music, dancing and a riotous all-day street party during the grand parade of floats.

However despite Gentrification being mainly positive as it does such things as: the stabilisation of declining communities, increases property values, reduces vacancy rates and the refurbishment of property. It can cause displacement of local people through the rent/prices increase, it can also cause community resentment and conflict and speculative property price increases along with changes of the local services to higher upper class services.

Check this Link
http://www.saunders1865.com/relocation-reports/relocating-to-london-area-report-notting-hill-and-westbourne-grove.html

Population Change - using today's data to see tommorrow's world

The glocal population is changing at a pace some demographers could not predict thirty years ago. Hans Rosling takes a look at the future uding today's data. Watch the video and make notes which you can use to augment your work using the Population Reference Bureau Data and Gapminder,