Birmingham

Birmingham 1940

City heavily bombed in ww2

Birmingham 1970

Declining in manufacturing in city

Job losses reach 50,000 during deindustrialisation

Birmingham 2000s-2010s

Regeneration of city center including Bullring and Brindley Place

Birmingham 2023

City council declared bankruptcy

Birmingham population

1,144,990

Changing demographics: Birmingham median age

34

Lower than England of 40

40% population under 29

Cultural characteristics: Birmingham ethnicity

White 48.6%

Asian 31%

Black 11%

Mixed 4%

50% are ethnic minorities

Socio Econmic change

Representation in Birmingham

Birmingham Roller poem- Casey Bailey’s Birmingham Roller uses Brummie dialect and vivid imagery to present Birmingham as proud, working-class, diverse and community-focused. The poem challenges negative stereotypes by showing authentic local identity through phrases like “we talk proper Brummie.” The “roller” symbolises resilience and heritage. Explores identity and working class experience

Peaky Blinders- portrays Birmingham as a place of squalor but also community and respect. Sites across the UK were used for filming, including many Birmingham local areas such as the Black Country Museum. The show brought a temporary influx of tourism to Birmingham, with a 2.5% increase in numbers. However, historians at the UOB have criticized it Peaky Blinders for mythologizing history

Street art of Black Sabbath by N4T4- Artists such as Gent48 and Annatomix often use key social themes in the art such as COVID, the cost-of-living crisis and current events in Ukraine. Represents Birmingham as creative, political and modern. Murals such as the Black Sabbath artwork celebrate Birmingham’s cultural heritage, while other pieces explore social issues like COVID and the cost-of-living crisis.

Lived experience: Resident Satisfaction

Birmingham – 70% satisfied with local area compared to UK – 80% satisfied with local area

• City Centre – 65%-70% satisfied

• Sutton Coldfield – 80% satisfied

• Aston and Ladywood – 50-60%

Changing demographics: Infant Mortality

Birmingham: 7 per 1,000

UK: 3.9 per 1,000

Changing demographics: Crime rate

City center: 350 per 1,000

Aston: 250 per 1,000

Edbagston: 218 per 1,00

Changing demographics: Life expectancy

City center 79

Sutton 84

Aston 72

Cultural characteristics: Religion

Christian 34%

Muslim 29.9%

No religion 24.1%

Lived experience in Birmimgham past

• Industrial city (“workshop of the world”) based on manufacturing + canals

• 1950s–70s migrants from Caribbean & South Asia came for jobs

• Inner-city decline after deindustrialisation → unemployment + poor housing

• Areas like Ladywood had high deprivation and social inequality

---

Lived experience in Birmimgham present

• Regeneration: Bullring, HS2, Eastside + new business investment

• More service/tech jobs, universities and cultural diversity

• Still inequalities: affluent suburbs vs deprived inner-city wards

• Young, multicultural population with improved transport and city image

Lived experience: Gentrification

• Areas like Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter have been regenerated

• Old industrial buildings turned into apartments, cafés and creative spaces

• Attracts wealthier residents, students and businesses

• House prices and rents rise → some poorer residents may be displaced

Changing demographics: poverty rate

Birmingham 37%

West Midlands 27%

Regeneration

• Bullring redevelopment cost £500 million and attracts 36 million visitors a year

• HS2 and Eastside regeneration aim to create thousands of jobs and improve transport

• Birmingham’s economy grew by 2.7% (£1 billion) from 2022–23

• Regeneration improved shopping, business investment and city image, but inequality still exists