Urban Decline and Regeneration

Urban decline Decline in Industry Increase in Unemployment Movement in manufacturing overseas so industry close Industry may move outside the city centre where rent is cheaper Increase in Unemployment If the industry declines, there is a loss of jobs and an increase in unemployment The jobs available to the unemployed left behind may be unskilled or low paid Shops and Services Decline Fewer people are left to use shops and services (e.g. public transport/leisure facilities) and those who remain have less money The shops may have to shut and services may go into decline The Physical Environment Declines Empty buildings left as shops, industry and people move out – may become derelict and have problems with graffiti and vandalism Recreational areas are neglected and may develop problems with crime e.g. drug dealing As it becomes unattractive, decline continues as fewer people want to live their

The 3 different regeneration processes Gentrification Partnership Schemes Property-Led Regeneration Schemes

gentrification When wealthier people move to into a rundown area and regenerate it by improving their housing, often causing social change as lower income groups are replaced by more affluent people

Positive impacts Housing is improved as wealthy newcomers regenerate old buildings The value of housing in the area increases so existing home owners are able to sell their houses for more money New businesses e.g. bars and restaurants move into the area to cater for the wealthier newcomers, creating jobs Crime rates may fall as there are fewer derelict buildings that attract graffiti and vandalism

Negative impacts The high demand for housing can cause problems e.g. tenants may be forced to move out as their landlords want to sell their houses will its value is high Children of original residents may be unable to afford to buy or rent nearby so may have to move elsewhere Original residents may lose the shops and services they need e.g. laundrettes and charity shops as they are replaced by up-market shops aimed at wealthier residents e.g. coffee shops This can mean there is tension between the locals and new residents

Case study: Islington

Location/background It’s a borough in north London Large Georgians and Victorian houses originally occupied by wealthy residents In the late 19th century, the railways expanded and made access to the city easier – wealthier residents moved to the suburbs Poorer residents moved into the area, which became overcrowded These people couldn’t afford to maintain the housing and the area became rundown

Reasons for the arrival of the middle class Increase in jobs in the service sector e.g. law Decrease in jobs in the manufacturing sector People working in the service sector were often young, well paid and worked long hours Islington is well-connected to the city centre by Angel underground station Houses in Islington were large, attractive and much cheaper than wealthier areas They were also rundown so could be renovated to suit people’s own tastes Once the process had begun, more and more wealthy people were encouraged to move there

Positive impacts Improved housing – wealthier residents renovated and improved many Georgian and Victorian houses e.g. restoring original features and repainting exterior walls New businesses opened e.g. wine bars and restaurants Jobs and money were brought to the area

Negative impacts Increased house prices - £130,000 in 1996 and £430,000 in 2008 Difficult for people on lower salaries to live in the area – many forced out or into social housing (50% of housing in 2008) Wealth gap between the richest and poorest – the richest 20% earn over £60,000 a year and the poorest 20% earn less than £15,000 a year Islington was the 8th most deprived area in England in 2007 and it had the 2nd highest rate of child poverty, plus high levels of crime and unemployment Some businesses have closed e.g. traditional pubs and convenience stores

Managing the impacts Islington businesses are encouraged to pay the London living wage (£8.30/hour) – this gives low-skilled workers a larger income and helps them cope with the increased cost of living Charities work in poorer neighbourhoods to improve education e.g. the Light Project International runs practical classes for unemployed people over the age of 16 and adult education classes in languages

Partnership schemes Local councils work with businesses and local communities to come up with a regeneration plan for an area

About them… THE SCHEMES OFTEN TRY TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF AN AREA THEY AIM TO MAKE SOCIAL IMPROVEMENTS E.G. BY BUILDING COMMUNITY CENTRES IN THE UK, PARTNERSHIP SCHEMES SUCH AS CITY CHALLENGE AIMED TO REGENERATE URBAN AREAS – 31 city challenge partnership schemes were set up in deprived urban areas from 1992 – 1998 THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDED £1.4 BILLION OF FUNDING AND THEY ATTRACTED A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF £7.6 BILLION CITIES COMPETED WITH EACH OTHER FOR FUNDING WHICH WAS USED TO REGENERATE DEPRIVED AREAS BY IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY AND QUALITY

Case study: Hulme

In the 19th and early 20th centuries Prior to regeneration In the 19th and early 20th centuries Hulme provided housing for people working in Manchester’s industries – by the mid 20th century it was overcrowded Many people were living in in poor quality housing with few facilities e.g. no indoor toilet It was cleared for redevelopment in the 1960s The Redevelopment People were moved out of their homes into new tower blocks and apartment buildings (the Hulme Crescents) These had problems with pest infestations and poor heating Many residents felt isolated and suffered from depression and poor health Early 1990s Many families had moved out of Hulme Many of the flats were unliveable The area was poor and there were problems with unemployment and crime

regeneration What was done In 1992 the Hulme City Challenge Partnership was set up – Manchester City Council worked with private companies to design a £37.5 million regeneration package to redevelop the area It aimed to create a strong community feel by building a mixture of housing, businesses, shops and community spaces, and improving transport links to the city centre and surrounding communities Improvements The tower blocks were demolished and new housing was built (a mixture of council owned and private to cater for locals and outsiders) The main shopping centre was refurbished to include a range of shops, a covered market hall and a supermarket The Zion Centre was created – its an arts venue and community centre that runs arts projects for locals A business park was built at Birley Fields to encourage private investment – Colgate occupy some of the offices Hulme Park was created as a safe, outdoor green space

Successes Population It’s become a more desirable place to live so population has increased (by 3.3% from 1992 – 2002) This was higher than the Manchester average of 0.2% Investment Hulme and Moss Side received £400 million from private and public investment – due to new industries and services Unemployment It fell from 32% in 1992 to 6% in 2010 Quality of Life Physical and environmental regeneration has led to an improvement in the local quality of life There has been an improvement in the statistical level of deprivation in Hulme relative to other areas of Manchester

problems Poor 47.5% of the population live in social housing Social Factors It compares badly in terms of education and crime when compared to more successful parts of the city House Prices More professionals have moved into the area, causing an increase in private house prices In some cases it has become unaffordable for locals on a low income so they are forced to move away Unemployment Levels are still high compared to Manchester as a whole

Property-led regeneration Building or improving property in an area to change its image and improve the local environment

About it… The changes encourage further investment and the return of people and business They are often set up by urban development corporations (who have the power to acquire land and develop it as they see fit) – They plan and coordinate the development

Case Study: London Docklands Development corporation

Background Location River Thames East of London Important 19th and early 20th centuries Home to economic activity e.g. warehouses Decline Started in the 1960s The new container ships were too large and deep for the docks Derelict By the 1980s 150,000 jobs lost 20% of housing wasn’t sanitary Isolated as poor public transport LDDC Set up in 1981 Aimed to tackle the problems and encourage people and businesses back

Successes Enterprise Zone 1982 – 92 – by 1998, there were 2,700 businesses Benefited from £7.7 billion private investment 85,000 employed 24,000 new homes built (6,250 housing association/council houses) The resident population increased from 39,000 to 61,500 Docklands Light Railway opened in 1987 – 20 minutes to London New pedestrian and cycle routes – travel safer and easier New public facilities e.g. a sailing and water sports centre, the Surrey Quays shopping complex New schools and colleges built and existing ones improved e.g. IT facilities More pleasant environment – 100,000 trees plants, ecology park at Bow Creek

Unemployment of the people in council housing rose from 28% to 32% Failures Conflict between original and new residents – thought LDDC favoured luxury development Hard for original residents to find work as 36% were unskilled/semi-skilled but it was skilled jobs available e.g. banking 60-75% of jobs had relocated to benefit from tax breaks (E.Z.) – e.g. the newspapers Unemployment of the people in council housing rose from 28% to 32% A survey in 1996 found 28% of people living in the Docklands thought the LDDC had made no difference, 22% said life was worse Specialist shops e.g. Tobacco Wharf Shopping Outlet had to shut as they didn’t cater for local residents’ needs The DLR is generally empty, except at peak times when it is overcrowded

management In some areas of the Docklands e.g. Wapping the LDDC asked for 40% od new housing to be sold at a lower price to original residents Centres were set up to provide training in basic skills e.g. literacy, numeracy and IT £1.5 million was spent on an IT centre that opened in 1984 – it trained 16 – 18 year olds in electronics and computer programming and provided them with work experience – at the end of the course, they received a qualification The LDDC supported Skillnet, a job agency which worked with training providers and employers to provide people with the skills needed to find work in the area e.g. in construction