Paper 2 C2: Urban fieldwork

What is the geographical enquiry question and subquestion?

How does quality of life vary in Stratford?

How did the Olympics regenerate Stratford?

Why did we choose this location?

• Free for us to get to (via public transport)

• It was easy to walk to different areas

• Had different areas with varying qualities of life (some areas are impacted by regeneration, whereas others aren’t)

Describe the quantitative primary data collection methods and their advantages and disadvantages

• Environmental quality survey

A list of environmental factors with each factor given a score from a scale that goes from negative to positive. The scores are added up to give an overall eqs score; produces quantitative data

Advantages: simple and quick to carry out, provides quantitative data so is easy to compare locations, can measure multiple environmental factors at once to give an overall broad view

Disadvantages: subjective so may have varying opinions and scoring can be inconsistent, limited level of detail

• Index of decay

The same as an eqs but only focuses on negative features that show deterioration (eg. graffiti, broken windows, peeling paint). Higher score means more decay.

Advantages: simple and quick to carry out, provides quantitative data so easy to compare locations, doesn’t require specialised equipment

Disadvantages: subjective, only measures negative aspects, doesn’t explain why the decay exists, may overlook subtle signs of decay if the categories aren’t detailed enough

Describe the qualitative primary data collection method and its advantages and disadvantages

• Questionaire

Advantages: gives direct information from people who live there, can cover a range of issues so gives a broad view of the quality of life, allows comparison between areas, quick and inexpensive, doesn’t require specialised equipment

Disadvantages: subjective, sample may not be representative, low response rate, sensitive topics, may be complicated and time consuming to analyse

Describe the secondary data collection methods

• census data

Advantages: reliable, covers the entire nation, allows comparison overtime (effects of regeneration), easy to access

Disadvantages: data may be outdated, lack of local detail, difficult to interpret, may not cover all areas relative to the enquiry

• OS maps

Advantages: shows information for transport links, roads and green spaces to analyse, reliable and widely available,

Disadvantages: limited qualitative information on the area’s quality and conditions, may be difficult to interpret

• House prices

Advantages: easily available information, reflects socio-economic conditions, allows comparison, quantitative and objective

Disadvantages: doesn’t capture all aspects of quality of life, data may be outdated, house prices can be influenced by other factors, doesn’t show resident perspectives

Describe the different types of sampling

Describe the three different types of data presentation used and their advantages and disadvantages

• Bar graph for eqs

Advantages: shows clear comparisons, easy to interpret, can show trends

Disadvantages: doesn’t show the distributions of the scores or anomalies

• Radar graph for index of decay

Advantages: easy to compare sites, highlights strengths and weaknesses

Disadvantages: doesn’t show totals clearly so harder to make precise comparisons

• Pie chart for questionnaire

Advantages: easy to interpret, clearly shows the strengths and weaknesses of the quality of the environment

Disadvantages: cannot show exact numbers easily, not good for comparisons, oversimplifies data (does not show reasons why), only works for categorical or quantitative data

Explain relevant case studies and theories that link to the enquiry

• Urban regeneration: can improve services and environment but may cause gentrification

• Gentrification: explains the displacement of certain groups when the area is regenerate

Explain the conclusion/ what the data showed

Overall the quality of life in Stratford is quite good.

There is lots of green space with outdoor gyms and leisure facilities to promote good health. There were also many new, good schools for people to attend.

The quality of homes looked good in all areas, however in stratford new town maintenance was needed to be done. There was a very large divide in income. The area is becoming largely unaffordable for people who lived here before the olympics due to the regeneration that led to gentrification.

The new buildings and offices are attracting young professionals in the quaternary industry that is pushing up the cost of living.

Evaluate the fieldwork data and methods used

What went well:

• locations were close by to us so could complete all the fieldwork in one day

• free for us to attend to all students could come

• able to compare areas that went through gentrification and areas that did not

• data collections were easy and quick to complete

• weather conditions were suitable

Limitations:

• Collected more responses for the questionnaire

• Went during the day when many people were at work, impacting the results

• Bad weather impacted results

Methods impact the reliability and accuracy of data

Evaluate the conclusion drawn

Accurate:

• Conclusion was supported by multiple data sources

• was consistent with the trends identified

• conclusion answered the original enquiry question

Limitations:

• May not have been fully supported by evidence

• Conclusion may have been too broad or generalised

• May not have answered the original enquiry question