Glasgow city districts and suburbs
Note: all geographical areas have been given pseudonyms.
Ashbank is a mainly residential district in Glasgow’s east end. It has recently been subject to gentrification with many of the existing three- and four-story tenements being refurbished rather than being replaced by high-rise flat developments as has happened in nearby areas. Its population is around 11,000. Male and female life expectancy is lower than the Glasgow average, with 40 per cent of children living in poverty. One-fifth of young people are not in education, training or employment (GIP, 2021).
Birchend is a district situated to the north of the River Clyde, with a population of just over 10,000. Historically, its main source of employment came from a prominent foundry company that was the biggest manufacturer of ornamental ironwork in Scotland. Since its closure in the late 1960s, Birchend has become one of the poorest areas in the UK, and also has high crime rates and levels of drug addiction. It has been reported that the area has the lowest life expectancy of all neighbourhoods in Glasgow and the proportion of children living in poverty is considerably higher than the city’s average (GIP, 2021).
Elderland, an inner-city district in the north of Glasgow, has a population of around 12,000, consisting of predominantly working-class households. Male and female life expectancy is below that of other parts of Glasgow, and it has high numbers of unemployment benefit claimants. Almost 20 per cent of young people are not in education, training or employment, and child poverty is almost 50 per cent (GIP, 2021). Its economic development has strong historical links to heavy industrial manufacturing, especially in railways and locomotives. During the 1970s and ’80s, under
Glasgow’s Comprehensive Development Areas initiative, most of its housing areas were demolished and replaced by sequences of new housing estates, through which a major road carriageway was developed (Paice, 2008). The vision of regeneration being unsuccessful led to the district’s housing falling into decay and a lack of major employers. Poverty, crime and drug addiction have impacted the district for decades. In 2012, the Scottish Government’s (2012) SIMD analysis identified it as the third most deprived area in Scotland. Mapleville is a 1950s social housing estate bordering Glasgow, approximately six miles east of the city centre. Male and female life expectancy is lower than the Glasgow average, which itself is significantly lower than the Scottish and UK national averages. In a population of just under 9,000, single-parent households, according to the Glasgow Indicators Project (GIP, 2021), account for 51 per cent of all households with dependent children. Levels of deprivation and child poverty are above the national average. Over the last 50 years, there have been strong associations between alcohol and drug abuse fuelling violence, territoriality and domestic abuse.
Oakford, with a population of just under 6,000, is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles southwest of Glasgow’s city centre. It was once a shipbuilding centre of international repute, but in the post-industrial era, it has developed a reputation for deprivation and poverty, and has for many years had a widespread problem with unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse (GIP, 2021). The area has more referrals (25 per cent higher) to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration and offenders (33 per cent higher), more victims of crime (17 per cent higher) and more overcrowding (9 per cent higher) than in Glasgow overall (GIP, 2021).
Pineview is an inner-city district with a population of over 7,000 and is situated in the northeast of Glasgow, close to Mapleville (above). Single-parent households make up 51 per cent of all households with dependent children in this district and 31 per cent of adults are reported to be claiming out of work benefits (GIP, 2021). Life expectancy in this area is also significantly lower than the Scottish average (GIP, 2021). A residents survey by Glasgow Community Planning Partnership in December 2007 found that the most prevalent issues of concern to the security and community safety of residents were youth disorder, vandalism, drug abuse, street drinking and drug dealing (ODS Consulting, 2008).
Willowburn is an inner-city district that lies in the east end of Glasgow, with a population of just under 7,000. In a recent survey conducted by the Glasgow City Council (2021), alcohol was identified as having effects beyond individuals and families, significantly affecting many aspects of community life. This survey of residents noted that alcohol abuse was associated with territoriality, anti-social behaviour, street crime, noise, depression and suicides while sustaining a poverty cycle. Pupil attainment
in the district is lower than the Glasgow average, as are the obesity levels of young children (GIP, 2021). Finally, Yewstone is a district that lies to the east of the city centre. During the 1960s, it became notorious because of the presence of a prominent and formidable teenage street gang. UK Crime Statistics for this district suggest that violent and sexual offences are especially prominent here, followed by shoplifting, public disorder, and possession of weapons and drugs (UK Crime Statistics, 2020).
Small, medium and large towns
Chestnuthill is a small town in southwest Scotland (approximately 27 miles from Glasgow) and has a population of around 5,000. Its industrial heritage revolved around carpet yarn weaving. Over the twentieth century, coal mining developed to fuel the blast furnaces of the local ironworks. Male and female life expectancy for the local authority area where Chestnuthill is located is lower than for Scotland as a whole. It is predicted that by 2028 single-adult households will become the most common.
Hawthornbank is the second largest town in one of the smallest local authority areas in Scotland, located in the west-central lowlands, with a population of around 19,000. Poverty and deprivation impact communities across this council area. According to SIMD 2020, Hawthornbank is among the 20 per cent most deprived areas in Scotland (Scottish Government, 2020e). Shipbuilding was its key industry, but as a result of deindustrialisation unemployment is now at a high level, educational attainment is low and low car ownership limits social mobility (https://www.scotlandstowns.org/).
Hazelend is a large town south of Glasgow to the east, with a population of over 77,000. With a rich history of being at the centre of the weaving and textile industries, since deindustrialisation it has suffered from economic hardship and in recent years. one of its districts has on several occasions been identified as the most socially deprived area in Scotland, within the context of the SIMD (OCSI, 2016). In the second quarter of 2020, violent incidents and sexual offences were more frequently reported in this town than in other parts of Scotland, with incidents of criminal damage and arson also prevalent (UK Crime Statistics, 2020).
Hollyburn and Hornbeam are medium-sized towns lying to the west of Glasgow, located in one of the smallest Scottish local authority areas, where a high number of data zones have been identified as being among the most deprived 20 per cent in Scotland (OCSI, 2016; Scottish Government, 2020e). The football clubs here belonged to a lost industrial landscape based around heavy industries such as textiles, shipbuilding and coal
mining, which no longer exist in the contemporary world. Their demise and the subsequent deleterious effects are palpably relevant to the social landscapes of the aforementioned towns. Hollyburn has a population of just under 20,000 and has been identified as one of the hotspots of high deprivation in Scotland. Hornbeam has a population of around 26,000 and is among the 20 per cent most deprived areas in Scotland, according to SIMD 2020 (Scottish Government, 2020e). Crime levels within the data zones of these two towns vary markedly, indicating high concentrations in certain areas (Scottish Government, 2020e). Limegate is a medium-sized town located south-west of Glasgow city centre. The SIMD 2020 (Scottish Government, 2020b) places some of its streets among the 1,000 worst affect communities in Scotland. Many of the town’s roughly 17,000 residents are judged to be income-deprived and, coupled with poor housing and high crime levels, this has been found to undermine perceptions of community safety.
Juniperville is a medium-sized town (with a population of just over 31,000) that borders Glasgow to the southeast. This town has more than double the average recorded crime; many residents are twice as likely to be affected by anti-social behaviour. A high proportion of its children are eligible for free school meals and live in poverty. Residents are three times more likely to be hospitalised for alcohol and drug misuse than the national average.
Finally, Sprucehill is a medium-sized town (population just under 20,000) located around eight miles northeast of central Glasgow. Although the broader local authority area where it is located has generally low levels of child poverty, Sprucehill is one of several towns there where one in four children live in deprived circumstances and a higher percentage of people are classed as employment deprived (BBC News, 2018). Although crime rates are generally low in the wider local authority compared with other areas, Sprucehill has been identified as one area that presents some concern in this regard.
