cambridge case study

state the population of Cambridge

125,000

describe an overview of Cambridge

• old university city

• now heart of Silicon Fen

describe the businesses located in Cambridge

• 25+ multinational corporations

• huge focus on science and biotech sectors

state the annual increase in business in Cambridge

• growth from £10 billion to £25 billion

• over last 2 decades

state annual increase in employees in Cambridge

4%

state annual increase in business turnover in Cambridge

9%

state new employment hubs in Cambridge

• Science Park (1970)

• Granta Park (1997)

• Biomedical Campus (ongoing expansion)

describe the influence of Cambridge’s population within the region

Cambridge is the most important city/economy in East Anglia

describe the influence of Cambridge’s educated workforce within the region

• >40% of workforce have higher education qualification

• national average is 20%

describe the influence of Cambridge nationally as an important tourist stop

• Cambridge promotes a quintessential Britain which is consumed by international tourists

• University, architecture, punting museums

describe the influence of Cambridge’s university within the UK

• Cambridge is one of if not the top university in the UK

• which nurtures a lot of the UK’s most talented students

state what fields Cambridge is a world leader in

• software

• education

• bioscience

  • HQ for AstraZeneca

state inventions and famous scientists from Cambridge

• FAMOUS SCIENTISTS

  • Isaac Newton

  • Crick

  • Watson

  • Franklin

• INVENTIONS

  • DNA was discovered in Cambridge

state the literary importance of Cambridge

• Lord Byron

• Alfred Lord Tennyson

• Rupert Brooke

• Sylvia Plath

state the increase in Cambridge’s population per year

• 2%

• which is the highest in the UK

state the % of Cambridge’s population that are immigrants

>25%

explain why Cambridge’s population ratio of immigrants is so high

• national and international; immigrants are drawn to the university

• the Science Park and Biomedical Campus provide highly specialised jobs

• Cambridge has language courses and other short term migration options

• international businesses move employees to firms in Cambridge

• Cambridge has a close proximity to London and it is easy to commute between the 2 cities

describe international migration to Cambridge

• 20% of migrants to Cambridge are international

• most come from the US, Germany and Spain

describe national migration to Cambridge

• lots of educated and youthful internal migrants arrive for university

• after they obtain their degrees, they usually go into service sector jobs within Cambridge

describe students in Cambridge

• 20% of migrants are students

• Cambridge has 25,000 students

• creates a wider economically-active base for Cambridge’s population

describe the impact of migration of Cambridge’s growth

• Cambridge covers a much larger area than it did 20 years ago

• the exponential growth has eaten into green belt land, particularly in Trumpington and Eddington

describe the impact of migration of Cambridge’s character

• Cambridge feels more divided due to the inequalities across the city

• the city has remained a centre for academic excellence

• Cambridge is more multicultural - good for creative arts scenes

• university migrants are often temporary and can create a ‘town vs gown’ culture of conflict

• rapid housing developments have made many parts of Cambridge very uniform and homogenised - city is losing some its individuality

describe investment in transport in Cambridge

• 2011 - £200 million Guided Busway

• 2017 - Cambridge North Station

  • serves businesses, science parks and poorer regions of North Cambridge - evens out inequalities

• heavy investment in segregated cycle lanes

  • Hills Road

describe council tax in Cambridge

• revenues have increased

• as approx. 1,000 homes have been built a year in Cambridge over the last decade

• which causes an increase in council tax income

describe local business success in Cambridge

• 7% of shops in Cambridge city are vacant

• national average is 10%

describe investment in Cambridge

• £700 million invested in CB1 development around the station

• CB1 serves as a great space for businesses and successful city locations for people to live

state the Gini Coefficient of Cambridge

• 0.46

• highest in the UK

• officially the UK’s ‘most unequal city’

describe the income distribution in Cambridge

• top 6% of earners take home 20% of total income

• bottom 20% take home 2%

describe the equality of growth in Cambridge

• huge growth in tertiary and quaternary sectors

• high paid jobs only available for people with high level qualifications

• poorest communities get left behind

describe the negative wider impacts from Cambridge’s economic growth

• poorer communities have:

  • lower access to high paid employment

  • lower average incomes

  • shorter life expectancies

  • worse educational attainment

  • poorer access to critical services and green space

describe housing stock in Cambridge

house building is not keeping pace with 4% annual increase in employees

state the new developments built in Cambridge

• 1,000 new homes a year in Cambridge over the last decade

• e.g. Trumpington Meadows

describe Trumpington Meadows

• greenbelt - partially brownfield, partially greenfield site

• 1,200 homes - 40% of homes are affordable - park lands set aside

• houses are very homogenised

describe the affordability of housing in Cambridge

• house prices have increased by 65% over 15 years

• rent prices in Cambridge are amongst the highest in the UK

• it’s nearly impossible for those on low incomes to afford housing in Cambridge

• Cambridge is the 3rd most unaffordable city

• house prices are 16x higher than average wages

describe urban sprawl in Cambridge

houses have been built on greenbelt land (e.g. Eddington)

state the average house price in Cambridge

• £600,000

• second most expensive after London

describe the causes of housing issues in Cambridge

• economic growth is enormous - huge numbers of people migrating into Cambridge

• lots of housing limitations around building in historic city centre

• UK housing industry is notoriously slow

describe the biggest issues surrounding housing challenges

• exacerbates inequality as many people on low incomes cannot afford housing

• encourages long commutes as people have to live further away (largest travel to work area outside London)

• people live in low quality or house shares as they are cheaper

• negative environmental impacts as green belt land has been built on to produce new housing stock

describe congestion in Cambridge - VOLUMES

• most congested UK city

• extra 70 minutes for a rush hour journey compared to night time

describe congestion in Cambridge - AREA

• largest travel to work area outside London

• new build towns (e.g. Cambourne) have created more traffic

• ‘Silicon Fen’ cluster around Cambridge is not supported by large enough roads

describe the causes of transport issues in Cambridge

• economic growth is enormous - mass migration into Cambridge

• Medieval city centre with narrow roads and historic buildings that can’t be destroyed

• green belt land surrounds the city and prevents urban sprawl

• connecting new towns haven’t got sufficient transport infrastructure to move residents in to the city

describe the biggest issues surrounding transport provision in Cambridge

• stress for commuters - wasted time commuting - decreased productivity

• healthcare issues from pollution - 5% of Addenbrookes admissions are air pollution related

state the location of the waste management plant in Cambridge

Waterbeach

describe the increase in waste management in Cambridge

• +2% per annum

• +5,000 tonnes

• £50 per tonne to manage = £250,000 extra per year

explain why the consequences of increasing waste in Cambridge is limited

• better understanding from public about recycling and reusing

• cost is not unmanageable for city council when they have reduce provisions

describe the causes of waste issues in Cambridge

• economic growth is enormous - mass migration into Cambridge

• council doesn’t have enough funding - can’t keep up with collection demand so they collect less frequently

• highly skilled workforce means difficult to recruit refuse collectors (low paid jobs in Cambridge struggle to attract applicants who can’t afford to live in the city)

describe the biggest issues surrounding waste management in Cambridge

• rubbish builds up at home - decreases quality of life and creates litter issues

• landfills fill up

• new sites needed to manage waste have strong opposition (NIMBYism)

state the date Cambridge North Station was opened

2017

describe the economic sustainability of Cambridge North Station

• POSITIVE

  • will promote business in North Cambridge

  • created jobs in construction (low skilled, short term)

• MIXED

  • £25 million is expensive but set to have a long term positive impact on economy

describe the social sustainability of Cambridge North Station

• POSITIVE

  • will even out inequalities within the city

• MIXED

  • house prices in the north might vastly increase - this is good for current homeowners but might make them unaffordable for locals

• NEGATIVE

  • train lines are already busy and crowded

describe the environmental sustainability of Cambridge North Station

• POSITIVE

  • promoting public transport is a green alternative to using cars

  • lots of bike parking to ensure sustainable travel to/from the station

  • solar cells provide 10% of energy needs

• NEGATIVE

  • huge environmental impact of concrete used for building

  • additional noise impact for local residents

describe the economic sustainability of the Guided Busway

• POSITIVE

  • job creation in construction (low skilled, short term) and drivers (long term)

• NEGATIVE

  • very expensive - cost £200 million and wildly over budget

describe the social sustainability of the Guided Busway

• POSITIVE

  • provides a rapid route into the city to access jobs from areas NW of Cambridge - reduces traffic stress

• NEGATIVE

  • 3 deaths from buses - safety concerns

  • only 2 routes - limits spatial benefit

  • only runs from 7am-7pm

describe the environmental sustainability of the Guided Busway

• POSITIVE

  • promotes public transport as a green alternative to using cards

  • lots of bike parking to ensure sustainable travel to/from ends of the line

• NEGATIVE

  • huge environmental impact of concrete used for building

  • additional noise impact for local residents and wildlife

describe parking in the Grand Arcade

£30 for 5 hours

describe the economic sustainability of high car parking prices in Cambridge

• POSITIVE

  • money charged can be put back into local economy/council

• NEGATIVE

  • hits local businesses who might see a drop in footfall

describe the social sustainability of high car parking prices in Cambridge

• POSITIVE

  • lower costs encourage use at non-peak hours

• NEGATIVE

  • unfairly hits groups like disabled users and young families

describe the environmental sustainability of high car parking prices in Cambridge

• POSITIVE

  • takes cars off the roads in the centre as people don’t want to drive in

  • bike spaces created in underground bike park

• NEGATIVE

  • doesn’t solve the issue of increased cars on the road - high prices in city centre just means people will park further out and walk in

  • traffic trying to get in often queues back down roads creating noise and pollution

describe culture in Cambridge

• dominated by students - 25,000 at Anglia Ruskin and Cambridge Unis

• very educated - only 4% without any formal qualification

• focus on research - Science Park, Biomedical Campus, Addenbrookes

• liberal, pro-EU city - ¾ voted to remain in Brexit vote

• affluent - average house price is £600,000

• very unequal - Gini Coefficient of 0.46

• some homeless sleepers at night with Jimmy Night Shelter and Winter Comfort

• events - Fitzwilliam, Midsummer Fair, Mill Road Winter Fair

describe ethnicity in Cambridge

• Cambridge is perceived as an ‘international city’

• 3,000 Europeans arrived between 2001 and 2011

• 85+ languages spoken in and around Mill Road area

• Mill Road has many stores/restaurants catering for international needs

• Cambridge Arts Theatre puts on plays of different cultures and in other languages

describe leisure in Cambridge

• very ‘healthy’ - city cycling commuters, runners fill the streets in the morning and evenings, rowing is popular

• lots of green spaces in the city centre with free tennis courts - Jesus Green, Parker’s Piece

• numerous gyms, rowing races (Bumps)

• inequalities - not everybody is ‘healthy’ - life expectancy in East Chesterton (77) is 11 years lower than in Newnham (88)

describe consumption in Cambridge

• shops tend to be ‘high end’ - national or international brands in the centre

  • shops become more independent further away from the centre

• Cambridge is sometimes called a ‘clone town’ because many of the shops in the centre are chain stores

  • rents costs for shops are so high in the centre that only big brands can afford it

• Cambridge Market is in the centre of town - mainly street food stalls of different cultures

• lots of large supermarkets with car parks (e.g. Coldham’s Lane Sainsbury’s)