Series: CASE Studies on Poverty, Place and Policy
Poverty is still a real issue within Britain today and this essential series provides evidence-based insights into how communities and families are dealing with it.
Published in conjunction with the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics, this series draws together fresh research and sheds important light on the impact of anti-poverty policy, focusing on the individual and social factors that promote regeneration, recovery and renewal.
CASE Studies on Poverty, Place and Policy
Through a close look at major British cities, using Birmingham as a case study, the book explores the origins of Britain’s acute urban decline and sprawling exodus; the reasons why ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ in cities of the future; and the potential for smart growth, mixed communities, and sustainable cities. Based on live examples and hands-on experience, this extremely accessible book offers a unique ‘insider’ perspective on policy making and practical impacts. It will attract policymakers in cities and government as well as students, regeneration bodies, community organisations, and environmental specialists.
This chapter sets out the scope of the study and looks closely at urban and housing history, current dilemmas, and the urban future. It uses the metaphor of the jigsaw to capture the complexity and interconnectedness of modern British cities as it responds to powerful social, economic, and environmental forces. It explains that beginner jigsaws like early cities have few pieces and easily assembled shapes while advanced jigsaws have thousands of small and distinct but hard to distinguish pieces. It notes that modern cities are likewise hugely complex and sometimes seem to defy any order at all, often appearing as a confusing pile of indistinct spaces, structures, and functions – chaotic and unmanageable. The chapter focuses on growth and decline, sprawl and density, economic and environmental imperatives, racial tensions and social harmony.
Through a close look at major British cities, using Birmingham as a case study, the book explores the origins of Britain’s acute urban decline and sprawling exodus; the reasons why ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ in cities of the future and the potential for smart growth, mixed communities and sustainable cities. Based on live examples and hands-on experience, this extremely accessible book offers a unique ‘insider’ perspective on policy making and practical impacts. It will attract policymakers in cities and government as well as students, regeneration bodies, community organisations and environmental specialists.
This chapter details urban history which illustrates the rough and ready pattern of development. It looks at industrial forces that shaped British cities. It notes that between 1801 and 1901 Britain experienced an amazing population shift that would be impossible to orchestrate. It explains that the total population quadrupled, going from 9 million to 36 million, and the balance between the urban and rural populations was dramatically reversed. It states that the immediate impact of the urban explosion on housing conditions in the early 1800s was nothing short of catastrophic and that it is almost impossible to overstate how ill prepared places like Manchester, Birmingham, and London were to cope.
This chapter argues for a ‘smart city’ approach, recycling existing homes and spaces, relying on neighbourhood management and renewal to make existing communities more attractive. It suggests that in order to cope with such immense land, housing, and social pressures, government needs to win people back into cities that are safe, clean, and energy efficient, using less than half the current resources. It explains that smart growth means containing the expansion of cities by creating a fixed urban growth boundary, and intensively regenerating existing neighbourhoods to reverse the flight of people, jobs, and investment into land-gobbling, congestion-generating, and environmentally damaging urban extensions.
Through a close look at major British cities, using Birmingham as a case study, the book explores the origins of Britain’s acute urban decline and sprawling exodus; the reasons why ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ in cities of the future; and the potential for smart growth, mixed communities, and sustainable cities. Based on live examples and hands-on experience, this extremely accessible book offers a unique ‘insider’ perspective on policy making and practical impacts. It will attract policymakers in cities and government as well as students, regeneration bodies, community organisations, and environmental specialists.
Through a close look at major British cities, using Birmingham as a case study, the book explores the origins of Britain’s acute urban decline and sprawling exodus; the reasons why ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ in cities of the future; and the potential for smart growth, mixed communities, and sustainable cities. Based on live examples and hands-on experience, this extremely accessible book offers a unique ‘insider’ perspective on policy making and practical impacts. It will attract policymakers in cities and government as well as students, regeneration bodies, community organisations, and environmental specialists.