Diverse Places Examples

What happened in 2004 in the UK?

Opening of EU boarders, attracting large numbers of Eastern European migrants

Contrasting areas in Liverpool

City Centre

• Close to amenities, places of work, night life, cafés and a rich diversity of people. Attracts people between 20-29 mainly. Main negative in anti-social behaviour

Knotty Ash

• Elderly people mainly, low ethnic mix, semi-detached housing, low community spirit, peaceful, good amenities. Negatives include poor maintenance of roads and gardens and traffic.

Newham

• Population becoming more stable and reduced migration

• 87% seeing a cohesive community

• People feeling safer, racially motivated attacks declining

• Area is aiming to become a major business location for people to live, work and stay

Changes to rural areas in the UK

• Some becoming commuter towns (better transport links and increasing car ownership)

• Dormitory settlements - Aging population and often popular retirement places. More mechanism in farms and better opportunities elsewhere for young people

• Increasing international migration (eg. Boston, Lincolnshire)

• Internet - more people able to work from home - more families?

Characteristics of a remote rural location:

Highlands of Scotland

• Main industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing, construction and tourism

• % of retired people increasing

• Low deprivation, high Q of L

• Due to immigration, the predicted population growth is 15% between 2010 and 2035

• Little variation in population

Characteristics of a rural location: Norfolk, East Anglia

• Has developed due to its good rail links to London

• Strong tertiary and expanding quaternary sector

• Influx of international migrants to work on farms between 2012 and 2023

Local perceptions of a rural area: Holbrook, Suffolk

Holbrook is an intermediate rural district with a range of services and travel links

Positives

• Village hall and playing fields

• 57% feel that the council is aware of local concerns and feelings - priority to clear up the shore of local estuary

Negatives

• Travel issues reaching Ipswich hospital (30 min drive)

• Desire for more frequent, cheaper transport

• Locals want safer roads

• Concerned about poor coverage of the area by police and phone/internet signals

Against large-scale house building and in favour of converting redundant buildings

Happisburgh, Norfolk

• Sparsely populated village with high levels of deprivation levels and little services

• Rapid coastal erosion has lead to negative media reports about losing the village. The effects of this are: reduced property prices and less people wanting to move in and lower tourist levels

• Residents concerned about the No active intervention SMP which could lead to no assistance for those who lose their homes. It is believed there is no social justice and the government is not listening to their views

Examples that London has a diverse population

• Ethnoscapes - Chinatown in Soho and Banglatown in Brick Lane

• Gastronomy - Residents eg. curry houses along Brick Lane

• Cultural events - Eg. Notting Hill Carnival celebrating Caribbean culture

• Language - Turnpike Lane (Tottenham) has the highest linguistic diversity in London

Beddington, Sutton, London (sustainable community that has improved the area for residents)

• Developed in 2002, eco-friendly community, affordable, with 100 homes

• Brownfield site, which attempts to be carbon neutral

• Well insulated buildings that retain and recycle heat

• Water consumption half of the London average

• Recycled/renewable building materials used

• Energy + water saving devices as well as photovoltaic cells to generate electricity

• Strong sense of community - car club for sharing

Ways in which local residents helped improve the Angell town estate in Brixton

Socio-economic problems , house deterioration, high crime rate (gangs+knife crime) meant the Angell town needed improvement.

Local residents helped improve the town by:

• Converting garages into local shops and installing CCTV

• Organising local meetings with the main emphasis on improving the area for young people

• Schemes included facilities such as all-weather football pitch and business start-up training

• Police operate a community payback scheme

Tensions in Boston, Lincolnshire

Tensions have risen in Boston due to large numbers of Eastern European immigrants moving in, working in the agricultural sector or in food packaging industries (where a lack of English language skill doesn’t matter)

However, locals feel their jobs are being taken. Immigrants are also often happy with lower wages which reduces wages and hours for others. Some immigrants also send money back home instead of spending it in the local area.

Reasons Russian oligarchs are attracted to London

Russian embassy is near

Private schools for their children

They trust British property for investing their money which they perceive as more secure than keeping their money in Russia as London is considered a stable world financial market

Flight time to Moscow is 4 hours

Eden Project, Cornwall

Positives:

• Jobs in an area of high unemployment

• The Project tries to buy from local suppliers so there is a knock on benefit for the area

Negatives

• Traffic has caused congestion on narrow rural lanes

• Areas further away have lost investment and tourism

Superfast broadband in Cornwall

It benefits Cornwall as it encourages business, particularly knowledge economy companies and those working from home

Breckland - rural location, in the South of Norfolk. It has a forest which is planted for timber supplies

Contrasting perceptions

Internal stakeholder views:

• Pensioners find it a pleasant place for retirement although declining services make day to day life harder

• Tourism Good accessibility from London

• Students - not much entertainment, have to commute to education

• Working families - limited jobs, affordable housing, poor public transport

External stakeholder views:

• English tourist board - keen to promote tourism, infrastructure and improve visitor experience

• Norfolk County council - want to reduce deprivation, encourage development of more affordable housing and protect social services

Challenges for locals

• Older people living alone

• Agriculture and tourism - Low paid manual labour

• Migrant workers working for low wages in poor housing in seasonal jobs

Solution

• Expansion of day trip tourists who can enjoy the physical landscape and wildlife. This would increase the local economy as more tourists would be spending money in the area, also providing more jobs and services for the locals

Bradford

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