Bristol case study

Bristol’s importance - regional, national, international

Bristol’s importance - regional, national, international

Regional

• Bristol Airport is the biggest in the south west

National

• UK’s most centrally located seaport - 700,000 cars are imported to Portbury each year

International

• Bristol University attracts students and researchers from all over the world

Patterns of migration - national, international

National

• National migrants arrive for job opportunities (e.g Airbus, Rolls Royce) and to study and university

• A higher proportion of internal migrants tend to stay in Bristol compared to other cities

International

• Accounted for half of Bristol’s population growth

• Large numbers are from EU countries, such as Poland and Spain

Migration’s impacts - growth, character, other

Growth Of The City

• Population has grown to just under 500,000 people

Character Of The City

• Bristol’s large African and Afro-Caribbean population has had a significant cultural impact (e.g St Paul’s Carnival attracts 40,000 people every year)

Other Impacts

• Increase in housing prices - Southville house prices £500,000 on average

• Increase in social tension

• 9% of children cannot speak English - extra lessons costs money

Ways of life in Bristol

Culture

• Old Vic, Hippodrome

Ethnicity

• 50 nationalities represented

Housing

• As the city has grown new housing areas have been developed (e.g Bradley Stoke)

Leisure

• Planet Ice, Ashton Gate

Consumption

• High petrol consumption as a result of high car usage

Contemporary challenges - housing availability, transport provisions, access to services and inequality

Housing Availability

• Social housing found on outskirts of the city in areas such as Lockleaze and Filwood

• House prices amongst the highest in the county in postcodes such as BS9 and BS8, in the suburbs of Bristol

Transport Provision

• Issues with the lack of public transport in certain areas (e.g Hartcliffe)

• Electric scooters introduced to reduce congestion

Access To Services And Inequality

• In lower income areas there are poorer quality services such as medical centres and schools

• In 2013 in Filwood only 36% of GCSE students got top grades

• Life expectancy in Filwood is 78 years - the average in Bristol in 80 years

One initiative to improve sustainability - transport improvements

Clean Air Zone

• Introduced in central Bristol in November 2022

• £9 charge for cars to travel through the zone if they are older + more polluting

• This should reduce the use of polluting vehicles and encourage walking and cycling