Fieldwork key terms

Accessible

easy to get to and from

Affordable housing

cheaper housing

Ageing population

when the proportion of older people in a population rises, due to longer life expectancy and/or falling fertility rates

Brownfield sites

land previously used for industrial purposes that has become vacant

Business parks

areas specifically designed for business offices and small factories

Connectivity

how easy it is to travel to or connect with other places

Conurbations

a continuous urban or built-up area, formed by merging towns or cities

Core regions

urban areas that drive the economy

Counter-urbanisation

when people leave towns and cities to live in the countryside

Culture

the ideas, customs and social behaviours of a group of people

Decentralisation

shift of shopping activity and employment away from the Central Business District (CBD)

Deindustrialisation

decreased activity in manufacturing and closure of industries, leading to unemployment

Depopulation

decline of the total population of an area

Deprivation

a lack of wealth and services. It usually means low standards of living caused by low income, poor health, and low educational qualifications

Diversification

when a business (e.g. a farm) decides to sell other products or services in order to survive or grow

E-commerce

buying online

Electrification

making something operate using electricity when it did not before

Enterprise zones

areas where the UK government offers companies help with start-up costs, reduced taxes on profits, and access to superfast broadband in order to attract them to the area

Environmental quality

environmental conditions in an area that affect humans and their quality of life, such as the amount of green space and quality of housing

Ethnicity

a person's national, racial or cultural origin

EU grants

funds to help the poorest regions of the EU whose GDP is below 75% of the EU average

Flexible working

giving employees flexibility on how, when and where they work, such as working from home

Footloose companies

not tied to location, such as many high-tech companies

Foreign direct investment (FDI)

investment by one country into another country

Free trade

the free flow of goods and services, without the restriction of tariffs

Gentrification

high-income earners move into run-down areas to be closer to their workplace, often resulting in the rehabilitation and regeneration of the area to conform with middle class lifestyles

Globalisation

increased connections between countries

Green belt

undeveloped areas of land around the edge of cities with strict planning controls

Immigration

people moving to another country to live there permanently

Index of multiple deprivation (IMD)

a government measure of how deprived areas are based on factors such as employment, housing and education

Infrastructure

the basic physical and organisational structures and facilities (i.e. buildings) a country needs to operate, such as roads and power supplies

Knowledge economy

an economy based on specialised knowledge and skill

Migration

movement of people from one place to another

Multicultural

a variety of different cultures or ethnic groups within a society

Multiplier effect

when people or businesses move to an area and invest money in housing and services, which in turn creates more jobs and attracts more people

Net immigration

the difference between the number of people who move to an area (immigrants) and those who leave (emigrants)

New economy

economic activities based on knowledge and information, rather than more traditional industries such as manufacturing

Northern powerhouse

a major core region of cities (with a similar population to London) that has the potential to drive the economy of northern England

Old economy

an economy based on traditional industries

Out-migration

people permanently leaving one place in order to live in another

Population density

the average number of people in a given area, expressed as people per km2

Primary sector

sector of the economy involved with getting raw materials from the natural environment, such as farming, fishing and mining

Privatisation

the change in ownership of services from the public sector (run by the government or local councils) to the private sector (owned by shareholders)

Quality of life

a measure of how 'wealthy' people are, but measured using criteria such as housing, employment and environmental factors, rather than income

Quaternary sector

sector of the economy that is based on specialised knowledge and skill

Radial network

a network of roads that meet in the middle, like spokes in a wheel

Rebranding

a change of image

Recycling

collecting materials such as glass, paper and plastic and making them into something new, helping to reduce waste

Regeneration

redeveloping former industrial areas or housing to improve them

Regional development grants

grants and advice to help businesses start up. Most are targeted at peripheral areas, but funds are small

Retail park

a shopping area on the edge of a town or city, usually having several large chain stores

Re-urbanisation

when people who used to live in a city and then moved out to the country or to a suburb, move back to the city

Rural periphery

areas away from the urban core

Rural-urban fringe

the area where a town or city meets the countryside

Secondary sector

sector of the economy involved with manufacturing and assembling

Studentification

communities benefit from local universities which provide employment opportunities and a large student population which can regenerate pubs, shops and buy-to-let properties

Suburbanisation

the movement of people from the inner suburbs to the outer suburbs

Sustainable

causing little or no damage to the environment so can continue over a period of time

Tertiary sector

sector of the economy involved with providing services, such as insurance, teaching and health care

Tourism

the business of providing services to people on holiday

Trans-national corporation

companies that operate in more than one country

World city

a city that plays a disproportionate role in world affairs and is a centre for finance and trade, e.g. London