CASE STUDY | Birmingham

Question 1

Socio-economic characteristics prior to structural economic change

Answer 1

Presence of factories
- 1761 Matthew Boulton established the first factory, employed around 700 people
- 1917 Dunlop tyre factory, employed 10,000 people by 1950s
Transport infrastructure established
- Midland terminus of London to Birmingham Railway opened in 1838, developed transport infrastructure

Question 2

Demographic characteristics prior to structural economic change

Answer 2

Population 15,000 by early 1700s
Overwhelmingly white population - around 95%
Employment was male dominated - 60% had skilled jobs

Question 3

Cultural characteristics prior to structural economic change

Answer 3

Immigration from places such as Ireland led to minor shaping of cultural identity as groups started to form
Majority Christian population - Bournville set up by Quaker community

Question 4

Environmental characteristics prior to structural economic change

Answer 4

Decades of industrial activity left land sites, canals and rivers with very high levels of pollution
- Air pollution reached very high levels as restrictions were non-existent
Rural areas declined due to urban sprawl
- Transport innovations such as trams, sub-urban railways and later buses and cars facilitated urban expansion and outward growth of the built area

Question 5

Changes that took place as a result of local government

Answer 5

Local government
- actively promoted the city region, attracting inward investment to bring about the construction of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and the expansion of the of the adjoining Birmingham International Airport, both to the west of the city
- both developments attract the international conference and exhibition market which brings significant money into the region
- (also national government in part) improved environment within the city centre: streets have been pedestrianised, higher quality street furniture and trees, canals and the redevelopment of the surrounding area play a key role in environmental revitalisation
- (also national government in part) establishment of a green belt to restrict urban sprawl, this increased the value of land adjacent to the belt, especially in places close to principal road and rail routes to the city centre, such as Solihull and Knowle

Question 6

Changes that took place as a result of national government

Answer 6

National government
- from late 20th century onwards, use was made of national government schemes such as City Challenge and the Single Regeneration Budget, which were developed in order to help places access funding for development
- Birmingham Heartlands Development Corporation was established 1992 to bring regeneration to old industrial areas such as Nechells
- In 1999 New Deal for Communities (NDCs) scheme provided broadband access in inner city parts of the area and set up work-experience programs to try to improve employment opportunities
- focus from the government into the importance of education and higher qualifications has led to the establishment of more universities, there are 5 universities in Birmingham with a combined total student population of around 50,000, this contributes to the youthful population of Birmingham (38% of people ages 24 or younger, national average 31%)
- Bullring redevelopment, funded by national government, 1960s was Europe’s first major indoor shopping centre, 2003 redevelopment, created 8000 jobs, cost £530 million
- expansion of Midlands Metro System, links Birmingham to areas such as West Bromwich and Wolverhampton
- during WW2, 5000 houses in Birmingham were destroyed and many more were damaged, 400 tower blocks built in the 1950s and 1960s, in total between 1945-1970 over 81,000 new dwellings were constructed

Question 7

Changes that took place as a result of international government organisations

Answer 7

European Union
- city council has a European and International Affairs team who seek to promote Birmingham beyond the UK and to gain funding from various EU developments
- £235 million has been secured from the EU Social Investment Fund for the period 2014-2020
- Money from the European Regional Development Fund has gone into projects such as improving insulation in run-down social housing and building small premises for start-up SMEs
- developments such as the ICC and Symphony Hall were funded in part by the EU

Question 8

Changes that took place as a result of business players

Answer 8

• Dunlop tyre factory 1917, employed 10,000 people by the 1950s
• Finance and banking industries rapidly advanced following the industrial revolution, banks such as Lloyds and Midland banks (established mid-nineteenth century) contributed toward these advancements
• Transformation of Birmingham New Street (£700 million), investments made by retailers such as John Lewis, creating Grand Central, created 1000 jobs
• 1993, initial development of Brindley Place by Argent Group (cost £350 million), other businesses also involved, eg. Vodafone, TSB, Royal Mail

Question 9

Changes that took place as a result of individuals

Answer 9

• Bermingham family, purchased a royal charter that allowed them to hold a market
• Matthew Boulton, established the first factory in the world in 1761, employed 700 people
• Charity, Canal and River Trust (group of individuals) set up in 2012 to oversee the canal system has contributed to the regeneration of locations such as the Gas Street Basin and Brindley Place

Question 10

Socio-economic characteristics following structural economic change

Answer 10

• prosperous city for most of the 1950s and 1960s, unemployment rates lower than 1%
• between 1970-1783 earnings fell from being the among the highest in the UK to almost the lowest of any region (global recession, oil crisis 1973, relocation of factories due to global shift)
• 1982 unemployment in the area reached 19.4%
• areas such as metal goods and services significantly changed (from 1978-2000 22.6% decline), finance and business sector also significantly changed (1978-2000 14.1% increase)

Question 11

Demographic characteristics following structural economic change

Answer 11

• from the 1950s onwards there was significant international in-migration in inner city areas, most immigrants from Caribbean, South Asia and Far East
• 2011 census data, White British, Birmingham = 53.1% England = 79.8%, Pakistani, Birmingham = 13.5%, England = 2.1%
• very youthful population, those aged 24 or younger, Birmingham = 38%, England = 31%, those aged 65+, Birmingham = 13%, England = 16%

Question 12

Cultural characteristics following structural economic change

Answer 12

• religion very diverse, as of 2021:
  34% christian, 30% muslim, 3% sikh, 2% hindu
  this is reflected in the landscape through centres of worships, ethnic retailers and ethnic restaurants
• more centres for the arts, eg. Symphony Hall built in 1991

Question 13

Environmental characteristics following structural economic change

Answer 13

• more focus on improving the environment, specifically cutting down on air pollution:
  relocation of factories + manufacturing has improved air quality
  clean air zones within the city centre
  more incentives for public transport, development of Bullring helped improve quality of public transport, tram systems developed
  -pedestrianised streets in the city centre