Birmingham

• Birmingham was established as a market town during the medieval period up until the 15th century
• By the 16th century, there was small scale industrial work within Birmingham; this was primarily the manufacturing of swords, knifes and clothing for war
• Matthew Boulton established the 1st factory in the world in 1761 which had 700 workers
• Canals were built through the 18th century as the city grew to transport raw materials and finished goods
• Metalworking industries grew and dominated through the 19th century
• The cadbury family built a factory on the rural-urban fringe alongside building a modern village for employees with high quality housing and recreational facilities
• During the 20th century there was vast growth in car manufacturing with Mini cooper, Dunlop tyres and Austin car plant establishing themsleves = in total employeed 30,000 people
• This high level industrial work caused terraced housing for workers, transport improvements however the inner city experienced high industrial waste = polluted canals, and high levels of air pollution
• The 1973 Arab-Israeli war in which many western states supported Israel, caused Arab nations to ban the supply of oil to the west = Birminghams manufacturing was hit hard as it relied on cheap oil
• Alongside the now expensive oil, car manufacturing had high competition from foreign TNCs = better value cars + more fuel efficient
• Foreign car manufacturers set up factories in the UK in which they were given grants by the central government to attract TNCs to deprived areas with high unemployment
• After WW2, there was lots of international migration from Asia and the carribean which altered the built environment as there was cheap housing + cultered religious buildings e.g. Mosques
• Unemployment in 1982 was 19.4% compared to 2020 which was only 8%; this however is still high compared to the UK average which is 5%
• Local Birmingham government attracted investment to build the National exhibition centre (NIC) + the expansion of the airport = attract major international exhibitions and conferences = MONEY!
• The Bullring shopping centre redevelopment cost £53 million and created 8,000 jobs
• Birmimgham is the hub of the national network of motorways = easily accessible
• There was vast investment into the railway station (£700 million) + the development of 'grand central' (shopping centre) above the station = created over 1,000 jobs = shops, offices, restaraunts
• HS2 is a high speed railway network between Birmingham and London = catalyst for growth + creates a 'northern economic powerhouse' + restricts North/ South divide
• HS2 will create a new station in Birmingham which is estimated to open by 2026 = creates redevelopment in surrounding areas; Estimated = create 36,000 jobs + 1.4 billion economic uplift in these areas