changes in function & characteristics

• What are the different functions of a location?

  administrative

  commercial

  retail

  industrial
• What are administrative locations?

  • These are places that make decisions about how to organise infrastructure and economic activity for the surrounding areas e.g. council offices
  • Tend to be urban areas that influence the region surrounding them, e.g. Manchester’s influence in the North West
• What are commercial locations?

  • A location with strong business influence. Transnational Corporations (TNCs) may have bases there 
  • There is a large volume of small and large-scale businesses e.g. legal services, accountants
• What are retail locations?

  • An urban area with attractive retail facilities - markets, shopping centres, unique shops
  • The retail industry is the main source of income and employment for locals
• What are industrial locations?

  • A location whose economy and reputation is predominantly based on its industrial capacity
  • E.g. Sheffield is known as the Steel City for its large industries of steelworks
• How do demographics change as a function changes?


  • New functions will attract different types of people e.g. older/younger, more skilled, higher education qualifications
  • Places that are experiencing economic growth will likely attract more young people and become more ethnically diverse
  • The ethnic composition of a place is likely to change over time with the movement of people from different countries e.g. migrants to fill labour shortages
• What is gentrification?

  •  a change in the social structure of a place when affluent people move into a location
  • E.g. the movement of middle-class people into a rundown inner suburb. This improves the area’s image and houses.
  • Gentrification leads to an increase in property values. This often results in the displacement of the original, usually poorer residents
• What factors cause changes in places?

  • Physical factors
  • Accessibility and connectedness
  • Historical development
  • Role of local/national planning 
• What physical factors cause change in places?

  • Location - closeness to large cities and core economic areas
  • Environment - how attractive the place is
• What accessibility and connectedness factors cause change in places?

  • More accessibility to other places with improved transport infrastructure (road, rail, air)
  • Connections help competition for investment and visitors
  • Easier access means businesses can attract more skilled workers and trade goods in new ways
  • Improved connectivity through the extension of the 5G network
• What historical development factors cause change in places?

  • The decline in the primary and secondary sectors
  • Changes in consumer trends
  • Retail - from corner ship to supermarkets to shopping malls and online shopping
  • House type - more demand for single homes 
  • More affluence means a greater demand for leisure and tourism activities, so buildings are converted to other uses e.g. bars, holiday homes
• How does the role of local/national planning cause change in places?

  • Government policies on restructuring the UK economy after deindustrialisation. This involved promoting growth in tertiary and quaternary sectors 
  • Government planning regulations can prevent developments, such as in areas classed as green belt 
  • Local authorities have a duty to find suitable land for new housing to reduce the housing shortage in the UK. Estimates suggest that there are 1.2 million extra homes needed 
• How can changes in places be measured?

  using employment trends, demographic changes, land use changes and levels of deprivation 
• What is the multiple deprivation index?

  • an index that measures development and takes into account the following:
  • Income, employment and health deprivation
  • Crime
  • Quality of the living environment
  • Abandoned and derelict land
  • The IMD attempts to quantify deprivation for small areas within the UK
  • It combines information from different categories of deprivation to produce an overall score of deprivation
  • Allowing analysis of whether a place is improving or declining
• What is gentrification?

  Gentrification is a change in the social structure of a place when affluent people move into a location

  • E.g. the movement of middle-class people into a rundown inner suburb. This improves the area’s image and houses e.g. Salford Quays in Greater Manchester
  • Gentrification leads to an increase in property values. This often results in the displacement of the original, usually poorer residents
  • E.g. Portland Road in Notting Hill, was one of London’s most run-down and deprived areas; now houses sell for £2 million
• What is studentification?

  The process of an area becoming dominated by student populations

  e.g Selly Oak due to it surrounding the University of Birmingham.
• What does it mean if a place has an administrative function?

  it means the place makes decisions about how to organise infrastructure and economic activity for the surrounding areas

  administrative cities tend to be cities and towns that influence the region surrounding them, for example Manchester's influence in the North West or London's influence over the South-East
• What does it mean if a place has a commercial function?

  it's a location with a strong business influence

  many TNCS may have their bases here

  there will be a large volume of small and large scale businesses
• What does it mean if a place has a retail function?

  it's a town or city with attractive retail facilities, such as markets, shopping centres and unique shops

  the retail industry is the main source of income and employment for locals
• What does it mean if a place has an industrial function?

  its a location whos economy and reputation is predominantly based on its industrial capacity

  for example, Birmingham was historically known as the Black country for it's large industries of steel and iron works