Case Study: Challenges in London

Where is London?

South-east England on the River Thames

What is London’s influence worldwide?

- Most visited city in the world

- It has more international retailers than anywhere else

- Most frequent city that global money passes through

- It has the highest concentration of Further Education facilities in Europe

What is London’s influence nationally?

- It is the UK’s capital & biggest city

- It is home to the UK’s government

- It accounts for 22% of the UK’s GDP

- It contains the Head Quarters for many big firms (e.g. The Bank of England)

What is London’s influence regionally?

- It is a magnet for employment & 3.7 million people commute there every day for work

- It affects housing prices in south-east England as they follow London’s house prices as they fluctuate up & down

What is migration like in London?

London has the largest proportion of migrants among UK regions

Many migrants are attracted to London due to its variety of job opportunities & diverse culture

How has migration impacted the growth & character of London?

London’s population has increased due to immigration as over 40% of its residents were born abroad

Immigration has also caused some areas of London to take on a distinct ethnic character. This is shown by all the diverse markets, festivals, places of worship, shops & clubs that are found in London

What is segregation?

When people are kept apart

Why do migrants tend to segregate in ethnic groups?

- They feel safer in large groups

- They can speak their native language

- It is easier for them to find a partner if they are looking for someone with the same ethnicity as them

- They can open shops which sell food, drink & newspapers from their home country

What are some examples of ethnic groups that have been segregated in London?

Jews in Golders Green

Somalis in Stratford

Pakistanis in Waltham Forest

South-east Asians in China Town

What contemporary challenges does London face?

Housing availability

Transport provisions

Waste management

Why is housing availability a challenge for London?

The demand for housing is much greater than the supply due London’s growing population of around 9 million as well as continuous immigrants moving to London

Because of this, London’s house prices are continuously increasing & people struggle to afford them, causing many to ‘sofa surf’

London’s lack of affordable housing also means that poverty rates are high, taking over 25% of the population

Why are transport provisions a challenge for London?

London experiences some of the worst traffic congestion as only 37% of journeys are made by public transport

This means that the roads are overcrowded, resulting in poor air quality & pollution which causes 4000 premature deaths each year

Furthermore, 2.6 million cars clog London’s roads & their exhaust fumes release CO₂ & NOX into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming

Why is waste management a challenge for London?

London produces 22 million tons of waste each year but only 22% gets recycled

Additionally, 1/3 of all food bought in London ends up in the bin

Most of this waste goes to landfill where it rots & releases greenhouse gases such as methane, contributing to global warming

However if London stopped wasting this much, it would save the equivalent of 36 million tons of green house gas emissions

How has the challenge of housing availability been combated?

Gentrification → Areas once considered as slums have been done up, creating more housing that is now ‘fashionable’ (e.g. Notting Hill)

Brownfield sites → Unused land (e.g. London 2012 Olympic village) have been used to build new housing which has then been sold at a more affordable price, helping those who would otherwise never be able to afford housing in London

How has the challenge of transport provisions been combated?

Boris Bike scheme → Allows people to hire a bike, reducing the number of vehicles on the road

Transport for London app → Makes it easier to arrange & pay for public transport, encouraging people to use it instead of their own private vehicle

Low emissions zone → Charges diesel vehicles that do not meet the exhaust emission standards, promoting people to use ‘cleaner’ vehicles such as electric cars

Congestion charge → People want to limit going into London by car because if they do they must pay a charge

How has the challenge of waste management been combated?

Closure of landfills (e.g. Mucking Marshes) → Forces London to find new & more sustainable ways to dispose of their waste

More recyclable packaging → Increases the percentage of London’s waste that is recycled