London Case Study

• London is in the South East of England.
• London's site:

  • The Romans chose London to build a bridge in 43AD because it was the last place the Thames could be forded (crossed) before its estuary.
  • The river has always allowed London to access trade routes over water.
  • Before large containerships came to dominate in the 1980s, the river was wide enough for ships to get all the way up the river to the London docks.
  • London was mostly marsh when it was first settled, but it has been drained by narrowing the river, using embankments to make it deeper.
• London's situation:

  • London's position near to the rest of Europe has allowed it to build up many trade links.
  • London is situated - by design - right in the middle of the global time zones, which allows its financial sector to trade with both Tokyo and New York in real time.
• London's connectivity:

  • The UK's fastest rail services are those that link London to the other major UK cities.
  • London has four major airports, including the world's second biggest international airport at Heathrow.
  • Most of the UK's major motorways and A - roads converge on London's huge ring road, which is called the M25.
• There are four categories in the Burgess Model:

  • CBD (Central Business District)
  • Inner city
  • Inner suburbs
  • Outer suburbs
• The Central Business District is the area in the centre of a city dominated by offices and commercial buildings. Very high land prices, high rise buildings, some old historical buildings. E.g. London.
• The inner city is an area of residential housing near the CBD. Usually post industrial with Victorian terraces of 1960 high rises. High land values but small houses or flats are often more deprived. E.g. Brixton, Hackney, Peckham.
• Suburbs are an area of residential housing further out from the CBD, often wealthier, land values still high but the houses are often larger with gardens. E.g. Kensington.
• The rural urban fringe is the edge of a city, where land use is divided between residential uses, green spaces and newer industrial areas. Lower land values, newer housing, lower building density means there are more gardens or green spaces. E.g. Loughton.
• In London the CBD's land value is very high. The building density is very high. The building age is a mixture of new and old. Main land uses are commercial. The environmental quality is very low.
• London's inner city land value is high. The building density is high. The building age is a mix of 1900s and 1980s terrace houses. The land uses are mainly residential and commercial. The environmental quality is low.
• London's suburbs have a high land value. They have a low building density. They are mainly detached houses from the 1950s. The main land uses are residential. The environmental quality is high.
• In London, the rural urban fringe has a low land value. It has a very low building density. It consists mostly of detached houses, 1950s. Its main land use is residential. The environmental quality is very high.
• People migrate to Britain today for:

  • Jobs (income)
  • Refuge (safety from war)
  • Education
  • Healthcare
• Types of national and international migration today:

  • Internal/national migration by recent university graduates seeking work and the lifestyle opportunities that London offers
  • Skilled international migration seeking work in London’s knowledge economy, like finance
  • Lower skilled international migration seeking work in the tertiary sector, like transport
• Ethnic clustering is when groups of people with similar backgrounds choose to live near each other. It is more common in urban areas.
• In Newham, the age structure is 20 - 30, it is a low income area and is one of London’s most diverse cities. With 80% being white British, 26% black and 39% Asian British. The majority either own or rent their own property. The high birth rate forces pressure upon schools, 38% of children are in poverty. There are several temples and mosques.
• In Lambeth, the age structure is 20 - 30, it is an average income area. It is a diverse city. 38% born outside of the UK. 55% White British, 25% Black British and 8% Asian British. 46% own their own property. 81% of children in schools from ethnic backgrounds. 140 languages are spoken in schools. Varied culture from black Caribbean to white British.
• In Richmond upon Thames, the age structure is 20 - 60, very high income area. It is one of the least diverse areas in London. 85% of its population being white British. 69% own their own property. There is less pressure on schools due to fewer children, but more care homes. The culture is prominently middle class.
• Benefits of ethnic clustering include:

  • Increased cultural diversity
  • people are willing to do jobs that are generally unwanted by UK workers
  • the cultural identity of an ethnic group is preserved if there is ethnic clustering
  • Increased access to different cultures
• Disadvantages of ethnic clustering include:

  • increased pressure on schools due to higher birth rate and number of students who don’t speak English.
  • Few can afford to own their own houses, so many rent, leading to lower quality of areas.
  • Migrants often end up in low paid jobs.
• Deprivation is lacking the resources needed for a high quality of life.
• Newham is one of the most deprived boroughs in London.
• The Index of Multiple Deprivation measures how depraved an area is.
• The Index of Multiple Deprivation measures:

  • income
  • employment
  • health and disability
  • Education
  • Housing and services
  • Crime
  • Living environment
• De-population is the decline in population in an area. Often occurs after deindustrialisation due to out - migration.
• Factors that have led to depopulation in London:

  • De-industrialisation
  • Developments in transportation
  • Suburbanisation
  • De-centralisation
  • E-Commerce
• Deindustrialisation has led to population decline as industry that relied on the port had to move away or close when the London dock land closed down. The number of people working in manufacturing has decreased from 30% in 1971 to 7.5% in 2001.
• Developments in transport have led to population decline as London’s underground allows people to live further away and still work in London. The electrification of the railway in the 1920s means people can live in Surrey and still commute to London.
• Suburbanisation has led to a decline in population as it has led to out of town shopping centres, like Croydon’s Whitgift Centre, retail parks near ring roads and business parks.
• De-centralisation has led to population decline in London as people move out of the city to houses with larger gardens and a higher environmental quality in the suburbs.
• E-Commerce has led to population decline as buying things online has de-centralised shopping even more.
• Urban resurgence is stimulated by:

  • Sprawl on rural urban fringe
  • Gentrification
  • Studentification
  • Culture and leisure
  • Investments by TNCs
• London experiences mass studentification due to having many universities that attract students from all over the world, driving demand for housing and services.
• Gentrification, rising house prices drive the middle class into formerly working class area that are in demand for services.
• Culture and leisure attract people to live near London due to the unique arts, music and sport.
• Large growth in businesses increases employment rates, attracting more people to London.
• Falling family sizes, later marriage and higher divorce rates have created more demand for housing. Outskirt housing is cheaper, creating more demand for housing in areas like Chelmsford. Sprawl on the rural urban fringe.
• Rebranding is when the key stakeholders of an area (e.g. local government) consciously make a decision to change the image of a place. Often an attempt to attract people and businesses into an area.
• Our key London rebranding case study is when the East end of London was rebranded for the 2012 Olympics.