Changing Spaces Making Places

• Place characteristics of Northwood

  • Population: 49,000
  • 1800 households
  • 1/3 of households are families
• Evidence of social inequality in Northwood

  • 91% of people own their own homes
  • Average household size is 2-8 people
  • 20 community parks
  • Air pollution is relatively low 
  • Quality of life is high
  • Many schools
• Factors that influence peoples social inequality in Northwood, Irvine

  • Income: $113,603 per year - high paid employment
  • Health: low air pollution / healthcare excellent but not free
  • Educaton: 68.5% of 25+ have 1st degree and 20.5% have a masters
  • Age/Mobility ect: 50% white and most households own at least one vehicle
• What effects has Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver had on Cornwall?

  • 30 16-24 year olds from disadvantages backrounds are selected each year
  • Large no. of tourists
  • More waste
  • Smaller businesses drowned out
• What impacts have the local council had on identity of Cornwall?

  • Helped reduce Cornwalls geographical isolation due to the expansion of New Quay airport
  • CO2 emissions from the aeroplanes increases greenhouse effect
  • Noise pollution
  • Less attractive for tourism
• How environmentally successful has rebranding in Cornwall been?

  • Disused quarry-brownfield being used
  • Teaches people about sustainability
  • Protect endangered species in an area
• What impacts have the EU had on Cornwall?

  • Cheaper imports from EU brought prices down to 84p per kg. (pork)
  • Smaller farms dont reap the benefits of the subsidies
  • Ploughing the land alters landscape
• What impacts have developers like the Eden Project had on Cornwall?

  • Created over 500 jobs and estimated 2500 jobs
  • £75 million facelift for St Austell town
  • Serious traffic problems
  • Needs more public money - £150 million
• How socially successful has rebranding been in Cornwall?

  • Offer courses like surfing, wave skiing, kite surfing
  • Combined universities to stop the brain drain
  • Increase in uni courses
  • Develop a knowledgeable economy
  • Help graduates set up businesses attracts young and families
• How economically successful has rebranding been in Cornwall?

  • Cornish economy has grown 5.8% in the past year
  • Employed 15-20 people per year
• Consequences of change (decline of the secondary sector) - Birmingham Case Study


  There has been a huge decrease in heavy manufacturing in Birmingham.Traditional heavy engineering industries were worst hit. Between 1971 and 1987, manufacturing employment, especially in the car industry, halved with the loss of 150,000 jobs.Newer, light industries moved out to industrial parks in the suburbs egFort Industrial estate on Dunlop Way.
• What is the negative impact of the global shift in manufacturing on people and places in EDC's and LIDC's?

  Unlikely to decrease inequality

  Disruptive social impacts

  Overdependence on a narrow economic base.

  Destabilise food supplies, as people give up agriculture.

  Environmental issue associated with rapid industrialisation.

  Health and safety issues due to tax legislation.
• What is the socio-economic characteristics of Lympstone's place identity? 

  Low crime rates.

  Access to Services score of 95.21 

  At 36.68 business per 1,000 people 

  A small port is operating under the administration of Exeter

  Shipbuilding, fishing and shellfish
• What are the socio-economic characteristics that shape London’s place identity? 

  • In 2019 there were over 21 million visits made by tourists in which the total visitor spend was £15.73 billion.
  • It is an economic hub in which provides jobs for over 2 million people.
  • Historically, the river Thames was extremely important in trade and transporting goods.
  • London is home to various universities and colleges and has a student population of around 372,000
• How has the UK government tried to tackle inequalities in the UK?

  • Extra funding to mean that every primary and secondary school will be in the process of becoming an academy by 2022.
  • Government will look at teaching maths to 18 for all pupils
  • Corporation tax will be cut to 17pc by 2020, from 20pc now.
  • Fuel duty will be frozen for a sixth year in a row.
  • £700m will be spent on flood defences, paid for by a 0.5pp insurance premium tax increase.
• What was Birmingham like between 1970-1990's?


  • Earnings fell from being highest in the UK to the lowest.
  • 1982 - unemployment reach 19%
  • 1970's - strikes
  • Housing conditions were unhygenic and awful
• How has the UK government possibly created inequalities within the UK?

  The top percentage takes home 150x more than the poorest household and 50x more than the second poorest.Top 20% of households in the UK holds 63% of the wealth.
• Why was rebranding needed in Cornwall? 

  • Area was poorly served by transport from London = many people were moving out of the area = no growth of industry or creation of jobs. This caused a ‘brain drain’ effect. 
  • Lower wages - Cornwall has the lowest weekly wages in Britain — in 2005 which is 25% below the UK average
  • Lack of rural services = people either chose to the leave the area, or didn’t move there in the first place.
  • Deindustrialisation occurred = decline in agriculture
• How did Cornwall rebrand itself?

  1. Watergate Bay Hotel opened employing 50-60 people

  2. Jamie's Fifteen Restaurant built to train 16-24 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds in cooking and skills

  3. University of Exeter and Falmouth combined to create the Universities in Cornwall reducing 'brain drain'

  4. Investments into arts and culture = opening of Tate St. Ives in 1993

  5. Small farmers diversified to increase incomes by embracing tourism, focusing on higher value products, adding value to products, adopting eco approaches
• Costs of the Eden Project

  • There is a large amount of traffic congestion as roadsare not designed for huge numbers of people. This is also more polluting for the environment
  • The project has an extremely high carbon footprint due to the specialists materials and equipment needed.
  • Many objections (NIMBY) to a mega wind turbine near the project. 
• What was Birmingham like during the 1960's?

  • Unemployment was below 1%
  • Decline in hosuing, sewage ect.
  • 400 tower blocks built.
• Human Geography of Kurdistan

  • Dominated by the oil industry, agriculture and toursim
  • GDP 23 billion dollars overall.
  • Kurdish language is part of the north-western subdivision of the iranic branch of the indo-european family of languages.
• Factors Encouraging Homogenisation


  • Time space convergence allowing more interaction.
  • Technology - Communication so ideas are shared quickly
  • The global elite who are willing to pay for a similar experience - creating demand.
  • Standardisation of key infrastructure such as transport systems.
• Northwood - social inequality

  Average income is about $113,600 a year.

  University of California are big employers as well as TNC’s like Kia, Mazda and Toshiba. Healthcare is excellent and air quality is good. 

  There are 5 high schools, 68.5% of residents aged 25+, many people have a first class degree. 

  The overall crime rate is 70% less than the national average. 

  Half the residents are white and the second largest group is Asian. 

  91% of households own their own home, the average household is 2.8 persons.
• Evidence of social inequality in Jembetan


  • Houses are only one floor
  • Narrow alleys and tall buildings so no sunlight
  • Fire is a constant risk due to overcrowding
  • Air pollution and water pollution (use of kerosene for cooking)
  • Bottom 10% have access to 3% of the resources.
• What is the success of the rebranding in Cornwall?


  • It appears that the rebranding in Cornwall has been successful, this is because it has a faster growth rate thanthe UK at 5.8% compared to 5.4% for the UK. 
  • Increase in University courses
  • Attracts young people and families.
  • Offers courses like surfiing, wave skiing and kite surfing.
  • Employed 15-20 people per year.
  • Teaches people about sustainability
  • Protects endangered species in the area.
• Factors that influence peoples social inequality in Jembetan, Indonesia

  • Income - Informal jobs is a large sector, daily income $4 a day.
  • Health - No clean water, lack of sanitation, water borne diseases are very common.
  • Education - Schools are poorly equipped, Too expensive and children are needed for work, Not many compete formal education.
  • Age - Gender ect, South East Asian, families, middle-aged population, buses dont go into that part of town (Personal mobility)
• What was Birmingham like before the 1960's?


  • Early 1700's population had grown to 15,000 due to searches for employment.
  • 1917, Dunlop tyre company established a large factory which employed 10,000 people
• What are the present connections that shapes Londons identity?

  • London has also been greatly affected by migration, the large number of financial and knowledge based job opportunities has attracted people from elsewhere in the UK and the rest of the world.
  • It also has a different population structure to the rest of the UK as it has many more young people.
• Describe the human geography of Kurdistan.

  • High unemployment (14%)
  • Low GDP ($4,452)
  • Economy largely based on oil industry and agriculture - valuable to Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
• What are the demographic characteristics that shape London’s place identity? 

  • White British accounted for 43.4% of London's population 
  • 10% of people in inner London are aged over 65
  • Almost half the population is made up out of 20 to 40-year olds
• What is the negative impact of the global shift in manufacturing on people and places in advanced countries?

  Rising job exports + inevitable job losses. Competiton driven changes in tech add to this.Job losses are often of skilled and unskilled workers who may experience extreme redeployment differences.Employment gains from new efficiencies will occur if industrialised countries can keep wage demand down.Job losses = deindustrialisation and structural unemployment in some areas.
• What is the demographic characteristics that shape Lympstone's place identity? 

  • Top heavy age structure (most of population is over 16).
  • Not racially diverse (99% white).
  • Strong Christian ethos. (66%)
  • Little migration due to better agricultural and tourism opportunities in other areas of Devon.
• What is the cultural characteristics of Lympstone's place identity?

  • It was established by the Saxons
  • 1.54% of its residents classified as Non-White
  • 66.9% are Christian
  • Friday Prayers (Muslim community) different from Sunday Services (Christian community)
  • The Synagogue is evidence of Jewish culture
• What are the present connections that shape Lympstones place identity?

  • Lympstone has a top-heavy age structure, Exeter does not have the ethnic diversity seen elsewhere
  • Devon and the West Country is dominated by agriculture and tourism.
  • Lympstone also has a parish council with eleven elected people serving on the government body

  The Meteorological Office moved from Reading to Exeter in 2003, it has provided a strong economic stimulus to the region, bringing many knowledge based jobs.
• What are the cultural characteristics that shape London’s place identity? 


  • More than a third of Londoners are foreign born
  • Our city encompasses than 270 nationalities and 300 languages
  • London continued to grow and became a European cultural centre because of writers such as William Shakespeare.
• What are the political characteristics that shape London’s place identity? 

  • The mayor is elected by Londoners
  • In the last general election (2019), London had the labour seat.
  • The mayor is in the labour party
• What are the natural characteristics that shape London’s place identity? 

  • The main feature of London is the Thames River
  • The main bedrocks are Chalk and London Clay
  • London is 11m above sea level.
• What are the built characteristics that shape London's place identity?

  • Big Ben
  • Tower Bridge
  • The Shard – Businesses
  • The Houses of Parliament
• What are the past connections that shape Londons identity?


  • Formed by the Roman port of Londinium, whose population peaked at an estimated 25-30,000 which covered roughly the square mile of the City of London today.
  • In the 5th century the Romans abandoned Londinium and left Britain, invading Saxons created a new port to the west, and a link to a church at Westminster.
  • The Tudor period saw a growth in population after centuries of famine and plague and substantial increase in trade and wealth.
  • The great fire of London destroyed many medieval sites and houses.