case study - Birmingham

• deindustrialisation - the decline of a country's traditional manufacturing industry due to exhaustion of raw materials, loss of markets and competition from cheaper imports/international companies
• globalisation - process through which countries become more interconnected because of trade, migration, technology and culture
• immigration - permanent movement of people moving to a country which is different to their own home country
• Birmingham is located in the West Midland region of the UK - it's an area of relatively high ground, ranging around 150–300 m above sea level

  
• it grew and developed due to its location at the canal, road and rail networks and its international airports (over 150 international connections)
• it was famous for jewlerry, guns and brass
• its a regional hub for transport and manufacturing - it's a major conference location, shopping at bullring and Grand Central, sports at Edgbaston and Villa park and business tourism venues
• globally, Birmingham is recognised for its trade :

  • has more canals than Venice
  • Europe's largest public library
  • Commonwealth games held there in 2022
  • International banks like Deutsche, Post, HSBC, Barclays
  • Birmingham university which has around 80,000 students and 8000 staff - people drawn to city which is vibrant, affordable and welcoming
• In the CBD there are :

  • densely built areas
  • high - rise buildings
  • shopping centres (Grand Central and Bullring)
  • commerce
• Inner city :

  • some redeveloped areas like (Brindley place - a canal site)
  • there are some derelict factories due to deindustrialization and decentralisation
  • remaining housing is from 1800s - terraced houses
• Suburbs :

  • more affluent areas - like Sutton Coldfield are high cost, low population density and have large open space
  • less affluent areas - like Washwood Heath have inter warted houses and some gated parks (not much compared to more affluent areas - contrast)
  • the rural urban fringe has a green belt which is protected - similar to London - it has some villages like Shenstone
• city changes through employment and education :

  • national/international migration influences growth and character of different parts of cities
  • national and international students migrate to areas such as Aston which leads to studentification - number of adults and services begin to reflect on this and houses with many students living in one develop
  • inner city area like Brindley place has a wide variety of highly skilled/high wage national and international migrants
• inner cities like Digbeth have waves of new and old migrants due to low housing prices :

  • traditionally Irish Catholic area as these groups grew in wealth and moved towards the suburbs
  • newer migrant groups who were attracted to Catholic Churches and community moved in - the area is now currently largely polish with Katyn cafes and restaurants
• other areas have specialised to meet the needs of their population religious institutions and community centres, music and cuisine with :

  • mosques in Alum Rock
  • large scale Diwali celebrations in south and west Birmingham
  • Afro Caribbean millennium centre made in Kings Heath
• deindustrialisation caused many factories and areas to be left derelict as there was no jobs left for the population when the factories had to close because of international competition - led to depopulation as people had to move for work and services
• decentralisation - movement of population, shops, offices and industry away from urban centres
• decentralisation challenging response from Birmingham :

  • creation of Merry Hill and Dudley
  • regeneration of city centre attracted new shops like John Lewis and Selfridges so Bullring was built
  • retail and business parks moved out the inner city and moved on the rural-urban fringe in purpose built parks - [e.g. I54 park which has JLR's new engine manufacturing plant ]
• • 83% of the jobs are in the tertiary sector - need further education and gives high wage
  • 16% secondary work - manufacturing
  • 1% in primary industry - farming
• transport :

  • has international airport
  • 3 major train stations - Birmingham new street is biggest
  • national express (big coach company) headquarters
  • major motorway network - M6, M1 and M40
• What alternative infrastructure improvements could be made instead of HS2?

  Improving existing railroads and roads
• How does HS2's speed compare to existing rail services?

  HS2 travels faster than existing services