Economic and social inequalities change people’s perceptions of an area (Edexcel A-Level Geography): Revision Notes

Economic and social inequalities changes people's perceptions of an area

🔗 Perception is a vital part of lived experience and affects how people engage with their place/

↳ Varies between individuals and groups of people and depends on factors including age, social class, ethnicity and overall QOL

Perception varies

• Younger people in high-earning jobs will enjoy the fast pace of life and range of job opportunities offered
• Unskilled, lower earners and even the long-term unemployed will have more negative views about their QOL
• Retirees may crave a quieter and slower paced life, with pleasant scenery

Successful places

↳ San Francisco

🔗 Regions seen to be successful tend to be self-sustaining as more people and investment are drawn to the opportunities created, both from inside the country and other places

↳ Measured by high levels of employment, output, in-migration, QOL and low levels of deprivation

Regions often become successful due to the cumulative causation affect

↳ When one positive change leads to another and another (chain reaction)

• High rates of skilled employment = inward migration

Two tier economy

🔑 Continuing success of a region can lead to this:

• High demand for housing creates high property prices and rents
• Workers in less well-paid jobs are unable to afford the housing and may have to leave the region
• A skill shortage can develop if there are not enough highly skilled workers
• Lack of unskilled workers who are willing to work for lower wages

Unsuccessful places

↳ The Rust Belt

• Term coined in the USA, referring to the once powerful manufacturing region that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Midwest (famous for steal & car production)
• Fell into economic decline due to automation, global shift and increased free trade Especially common in rural regions once dominated by primary economic activities and deindustrialisation in urban areas economic restructuring has triggered a spiral of decline (often the closure of a factory or primary economic activity is the catalyst)

Common characteristics

• Negative, long-standing reputations
• High levels of unhappiness and lack of motivation
• Poor levels of educational attainment
• Ageing population as young move away

The Process Of Decline

• Loss of major employer ∴ lack of regional job opportunities
• Unemployment ∴ less money spent in economy ∴ local shops close (↓ in IMD)
• Lack of opportunities impacts young people's motivation and parental aspiration ∴ having a negative impact on educational achievement
• Less opportunities ∴ people may turn to crime to make money
• Those who can move away from the region
  • Brain drain

Priorities For Regeneration

Economic and social inequalities between places provide the priorities for regeneration planning

The Stages

📌 Stage 1: Establish the context for regeneration

• Environmental (land use evaluation and environmental quality scoring)
• Social (review of health, life expectancy and levels of education)
• Economic (review of job sectors and types of employment)

📌 Stage 2: Initial masterplan & key actions

• Inclusion of views of local people and their attachment to the place along w/ their political engagement

📌 Stage 3: Detailed master plan and consultation

• Get stakeholder input for evaluation report

📌 Stage 4: Implementation and evaluation of regeneration project success

• Economic regeneration
• Social progress
• Improved living environment
• Changes to lived experience

Local Structure

Sink estate

Council housing - among the most deprived areas in Britain

• Frequently negatively represented - social media etc

Gated Community

🔗 Affluent neighbourhood of towns or cities where houses are designed w/ gating to improve privacy & safety

• Sometimes patrolled by private security (especially when located near to a deprived area)

Commuter Village

🔗 Affluent rural area where a high proportion of residents travel to work in urban areas rather than depending on the rural economy for jobs

• High IMD scores (but may mask pockets of deprivation)

Declining Rural Settlement

🔗 Once dominated by primary economic activities but have lost some/all of these

• Characterised by low IMDs due to lower employment, an ageing population and social problems related to drug use. Often lower educational outcomes