A Level Geography Human Case Studies

• Kingston pt1

  • Wealthy area with an IMD average of 7.62 across the borough
  • Wealth is shown by the Rose Theatre and the coronation stone shows the area's historical significance
  • It is an ancient market town with 3 markets: Apple, Ancient and Cattle. It also has a direct link to Portsmouth via Portsmouth Road
  • It is an important administrative town as pre 1965 it was home to Surrey County Hall and slightly more recently the Crown Court and County Court
• Kingston pt2

  • Kingston has the highest South Korean concentration outside of South Korea. This is highlighted by the number of Korean Churches in the area and that in New Malden 21% of the population is Korean.
  • Kingston fights clone towns with the Kingston pound, the Keep it Kingston offer and independent shops, as evidenced by Old London Road's slogan 'Proudly Independent'.
  • In 2014, Kingston won a contract for the Mini Holland Scheme which improves green infrastructure and cycling with £100 million spent across London
• Kingston pt3

  • Studentification has risen in the past 10 years due to Kingston University being a highly ranked university for Fine Art and Fashion. This has had knock on effects in the local area due to an increase in clubs, trendy restaurants (Poor Boys was voted London's 3rd best restaurant in 2023 by Secret London Magazine) and concerts (hosted by the independent record store Banquet Records at venues such as Pryzm, All Saints Shuch, the Fighting Cocks and St John's Church)
• Kingston pt4

  • Unilever are moving their full headquarters to Kingston. They are a horizontally integrated TNC which manufactures a lot of products such as Pot Noodle, Ben & Jerry's and Tresemmé.
• Spitalfields pt1

  • Still quite a deprived area of London with an IMD average of 2
  • Brick Lane has a large Bangladeshi community (41% of total population) which is evidenced by the mosque and Bengali street signs.
  • 41% of the population is Muslim.
  • This mosque was a synagogue when Jewish communities were living there and before that was a church for French Huguenots
  • French Huguenots came into Fournier Street and worked as silk weavers for merchants in their lofts
• Spitalfields pt2

  • A wealth increase in the city of London (due to banks and TNC HQs such as Goldman Sachs and Amazon UK) and Old Street Roundabout (tech hub) let wealth flow down to Spitalfields
  • Spitalfields was a produce and cloth market but trade reduced as large container ships couldn't get into the docks. Now the market is a trendy food and wares market.
  • Media representation is shown through the new Luther film location, a James Bond scene being filmed in the Smithfields underground car parks and a Sherlock scene being filmed at St Bartholomew's Hospital
• Spitalfields pt3

  • There is gentrification in the area as creatives and hipsters have moved in due to the old spacious factories. This is evidenced by Brick Lane Vintage market having popped up and lots of bars being in the area now.
  • The Truman Brewery formerly made beer but now it is used to host events such as the World Coffee Expo and a Friends TV show experience. There have been plans to develop it further but 5000 local residents have denied this.
  • The population is young as 80% of the area is economically active compared to the 74% borough average.
• Apple TNC: Context

  • Headquartered in Cupertino California
  • Founded in 1976
  • Massive growth in the 2000s due to the invention of the iPhone
  • Largest IT company in 2021 by revenue
  • Biggest global brand at $2.08 trillion
  • Largest music retailer
  • 3rd largest phone manufacturer
• Apple TNC: Employment and Audience

  • 147,000 full time employees and 516 stores as of 2020
  • In 2011, 44% of sales were in the US
  • Average client age is 31, 26% of clients are above the average salary and 58% of clients are graduates
  • Marketed as a lifestyle products not as a tech products
  • A Daft Punk advert released in 2004 caused the iPod to boom
• Apple TNC: Offices and Factories

  • Products are designed in California but made in China by Foxconn
  • Most employees are in HICs
  • EU HQ is in Cork, Ireland with 6000 people employed in Mac production lines. Apple is drawn here due to the low tax rates of 12.5%
  • Apple has factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu
  • Only 43 out of the 516 stores Apple has are in China but this increases their audience by 600 million people
• Apple TNC: Production

  • Products are produced in China due to the low paid, highly skilled and highly motivated workers
  • The Shenzhen SEZ is easy for Apple to operate in
  • Foxconn has 400,000 workers total, with them earning $150 to 200 per month
  • Some factories have opened in India since 2017 due to lower wages (61c vs $1.73 per hour) and longer working hours (8 hours more per week)
• Apple TNC: Impacts on Ireland

  • Apple is Cork's largest employer with 6000 worked
  • They have attracted other tech firms and highly skilled workers to Cork
  • Apple has contributed to infrastructure improvements in the local area
  • Most of Apple's skilled workers are foreign but 60% of their employees are Irish but this is mostly on production lines where the jobs don't have the power to affect change
• Apple TNC: Tax and Labour Cons

  • In 2014, it was found by the US and EU that Apple was given favourable tax rates by Ireland
  • In 2010, 50 workers were poisoned in Shenzhen due to the chemicals used to clean iPods
  • There have been 15 suicides in Shenzhen due to the pressures and conditions the workers suffer
  • In 2021, 100 workers were hospitalised in India due to food poisoning from the food in the staff kitchens
• Apple TNC: Environmental Cons

  • Apple have been criticised by Greenpeace so they have been forced to make improvements
  • 75% of their energy usage is from renewable sources
  • Brominated chemicals have been removed from production lines in factories
  • There has been a recycling scheme for iPhones which give customers discounts (average £250 voucher)
  • There is a focus on carbon neutrality and renewable energy
  • There have been claims that all energy used to produce and charge iPhones will be renewable in the future
• Global Banana Trade: Context

  • Bananas are the 4th most important crop globally
  • They are the staple food for 400 million people
  • They are the most consumed fruit globally
  • 125 million tonnes of bananas were produced in 2021
  • It is a $125 billion industry
  • Bananas are the 5th most traded agricultural commodity
  • In 2013, 16.5 million tonnes of bananas were exported
  • 30 kg of pesticides are used per hectare per year on banana plantations
• Global Banana Trade: Trade

  • The main exporters are from Latin America, West Africa and the Caribbean
  • The main importers are the US, EU, Japan, South Korea and China
  • In 2002, 80% of the global banana trade was controlled by 4 TNCs but now it has fallen to 45%.
  • These TNCs are vertically integrated
• Global Banana Trade: Production and Trade

  • Bananas are grown in large plantations but now more are being owned by locals rather than TNCs and these locals then sell their bananas on to the TNCs
  • There are two kinds of producing countries: the ACP countries who are small scale and the Latin American countries who are large scale TNC operations
  • In Latin America, 13.5 million tonnes of Bananas are exported each year which accounts for 80% of the market
  • In 2013, the EU and US imported 27% of all exported bananas
  • 90% of the price of a banana stays in HICs
• Global Banana Trade: Trade Wars

  • Before this issue TNCs controlled 75% of the banana export market to the EU compared to the 7% controlled by ACP producing countries
  • The EU has signed the Lome Convention which gives favourable treatment to former European colonies
  • TNCs say this convention violates free trade
  • As a result, they donated $500,000 to President Clinton to impose extra tariffs on EU products entering the US
  • This forced the EU to remove their favourable quotas to their former colonies
  • 50% of the economies of these ACP nations relied on the production of bananas
• Global Banana Trade: Relocation to West Africa

  • Since supermarkets demand such a low price, TNCs have moved to West Africa
  • This is because West Africa has lower rates of pay and less legislation compared to South America
  • The TNCs subcontract their labour which means the work is causal with long hours in high temperatures with low pay
• Global Banana Trade: Fairtrade

  • Recently there has been an increase in organic and fair trade bananas
  • This helps ACP producers
  • This is because there is a growing market of people in HICs, who see the short comings in regular production due to the exploitation of workers and low biodiversity on TNC owned plantations
• Global Banana Trade: History pt1

  • In the early 1900s, US TNCs owned large swathes of land in Latin America for banana plantations
  • As the governments of these countries became democratic over time, they asked for their land back from these TNCs
  • As a result, these TNCs asked the US government to send in the CIA to overthrow the democratic governments of these countries and reinstall dictators
• Global Banana Trade: History pt2

  • Separately, there was an epidemic which wiped out the Gros Michel bananas which were initially grown widely, so they were replaced by the pathogen resistant Cavendish bananas but these are still vulnerable so lots of pesticides are now used.
• Waste Management: Guiyu

  • Guiyu is the world's largest e-waste dump site
  • 5000 workshops recycle 15000 tonnes of waste daily
  • There is lots of local environmental damage due to the air and water pollution from e-waste
  • Locals have respiratory problems
  • Children have abnormally high lead blood levels
• Waste Management: Lebanon

  • Beirut is running out of landfill space
  • Borj Hammond is the largest landfill site in the city.
  • It was due to be closed in 2019 but this was reversed due to the extra waste generation caused by riots
  • As a result, permission was granted for another 2m to be added to the maximum height of the landfill pile
• Waste Management: Egypt

  • The World Bank in 2012 found that 60% of LIC cities' waste goes uncollected
  • In Egypt, waste collection is informal
  • People called the Zabaleen collect waste and take it to women and children for it to be sorted
• London: Context

  • Population of just under 10 million
  • It is an Alpha ++ city meaning it is highly integrated politically and economically due to the City of London and Canary Wharf
  • 44.9% of the population is White British and over 300 languages are spoken
  • London is an unequal city: in Newham, 6.3% of people are unemployed and the average salary is £29,000, whereas in Chelsea, 8.1% of people are unemployed, yet the average salary it £61,000
• London: Transport

  • Green transport infrastructure such as hydrogen buses, zero emission taxis and electric vehicle charging points have been introduced
  • The Elizabeth line has been built increasing London's rail capacity by 10% and reducing outer London journey times
  • The Mayor aims to make 80% of all journeys in London by foot, bike or public transport by 2041
• London: ULEZ

  • ULEZ was expanded in August 2023 to the whole of Greater London, formerly it reached up to the North and South circular
  • ULEZ has led to a reduction in 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and it is predicted to avert 1 million hospital emissions by 2050
  • Due to the short notice, the Mayor set up a £110 million scrap scheme
• London: Livability

  • 47% of London is green space. This reduced the UHI effect and this shift was due to lots of air pollution
  • There is a London living wage which is optional but 2500 employers have signed up to it
  • There has been an education scheme to get people to exercise at least 20 minutes a day, which is estimated to save the NHS £1.7 billion in the next 25 years
  • There is the Every Child Program which gives children free school meals and artistic opportunities. This is £30 million dedicated to boosting local communities with 67% going to the 20% most deprived areas in the UK
• Mumbai: Context

  • Population of 18.4 million
  • Richest city in India
  • Contributes 25% of India's industrial output, 40% of India's foreign trade and 6% of India's GDP
  • 33% of Indian income tax is collected in Mumbai
  • Mumbai has good living standard and job opportunities so people are pulled in from rural areas
• Mumbai: Dharavi

  • This area has a population of 1 million people and it is the world's largest slum
  • It contributes $650 million to the Indian economy with lots of micro industries such as welders, potters and garment makers
  • The hygiene here is poor with 1 in 6 having access to piped water, 81 people sharing 1 toilet seat and 54 doctors per 100,000 people
  • There is a £2.2 billion plan to redevelop the area where residents here before 2000 would get a free flat, but this would disrupt the community and economy and likely lead to gentrification
• Mumbai: Flooding Issues

  • The city suffers from flooding problems as it is a flat and coastal area
  • In 2019, 250 mm of rain fell in one day which led to 10,000 homes being washed away and 400 people dying
  • Flooding has been made worse by the rapid urban growth the city has experienced which has decreased the amount of green space while increasing the amount of tarmac. This decreases interception and storage while increasing impermeable surfaces which results in more flooding.
• Mumbai: Disaster Management Action Plan

  • This plans to widen the Mithi river to reduce flooding
  • However, flooding is still being made worse due to the destruction of mangroves, construction on flood plains and the clogging of storm drains
• Deindustrialisation

  • This is the movement from a manufacturing economy to a service economy
  • This has positive impacts such as increasing water and air quality while providing opportunities for redevelopment
  • This also has negative impacts as dereliction occurs and Greenfield sites on the edge of towns are put under pressure
• Sheffield Deindustrialisation

  • 120,000 jobs were lots
  • 74% of the population lots their job due to deindustrialisation between 1971 and 2008
  • 900 hectares of land was left derelict
  • Redevelopment has occcured with an example being the regeneration of Hadfields steelworks into the Meadowhall shopping centre
• Detroit Decentralisation

  • In the 1980s, Detroit experienced a white flight where white people fled to the suburbs. This is still experienced today as 78% of the suburbs is white and 79% of the inner city is black
  • The city required an $80 billion bailout from the federal government
  • The population has decreased 10% in the past 10 years with it now being 700,000 compared to the 1.8 million it was in 1950
  • Startups such as Stock X and Rivian have been founded and tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon and Twitter have moved into the area
• Cheonggyecheon River Restoration

  • In 1971, a motorway was built over a river
  • In 2003, there was a £281 million scheme to restore the river as a 5.8 km pedestrian zone
• Cheonggyecheong River Restoration: Reasons for Restoration

  • The motorway was unsafe and caused pollution
  • The motorway hampered the economy specifically small businesses
  • Restoration would increase the quality of life for residents
  • The motorway reduced connectivity by splitting Seoul into two halves
• Cheonggyecheong River Restoration: Events

  • The motorway was removed
  • 22 pedestrian bridges were built with 10 accommodating for cars
  • Bus lanes were added
  • Loading bays were added for small businesses
  • The original design wasn't inclusive so 7 elevators were retrofitted
  • The pedestrian zone was split into 3: the historic zone with seating and old bridges for decor, the recreation zone with stepping stones and environmentally friendly materials and the overgrown zone which is untamed with old sections of overpass as a reminder of the area's industrial past
• Cheonggyecheon River Restoration: Results

  • 18.1 million visitors by the end of 2008
  • Promotion of culture and diversity through event in spaces like Dongdaemon Plaza
  • There is a museum which has permanent and temporary exhibitions on local history
  • 700,000 jobs created
  • 30,000 cultural events over the past 10 years