How Does Quality of Life Vary Across Birmingham? (ALEVEL GEOGRAPPHY RESEARCH PROJECTS)

7/27/2019 How Does Quality of Life Vary Across Birmingham? (ALEVEL GEOGRAPPHY RESEARCH PROJECTS)

1/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

How does quality of life vary across Birmingham?

Birmingham is a city in the west midlands of England with a population of 1,016,800. To conduct our

primary research into inequality in urban areas, we chose 4 different sample areas which are shown

on the map Sutton four oaks, Ladywood, Harborne and Billesley. These were chosen as they were

all quite some distance apart so there they are more likely to show inequality across Birmingham.

Category Positive evaluation Negative evaluation

Graffiti No graffiti visible Lots of graffiti ruining

appearance of area

Litter No/very little litter

with good access tobins

Lots of litter and no

access to bins

Open Space

and Greenery

Parks and public

fields with open

spaces

No open space or

parks crowded area

Quality of

buildings

Good structure,

appealing to look at

Unattractive and

damaged

Pavement Clean with no

chewing gum. Even

pavements

Broken and uneven

Street Furniture Access to benches

with street art

No street furniture

-2 None

-1 Very little (1-2)

0 Sufficient amount (3-4)

+1 Many (5-6)

+2 Plentiful (7+)

Access Audit Key: Environmental Quality Survey (EQS) Key:


2/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

Ladywood

Access Audit

Factors -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Extra opinionsShops X A few shops

Public Transport X

Parking X

Public facilities X

Schools X None visible in area

Healthcare providers X Pharmacy

The data from my access audit for Ladywood shows that everything except for parking has a

negative rating showing there are very little shops and public transport available in this area and

there were no schools visible in the area. This affects local residents as to get to shops or bus stops

they would have to travel quite far and this may not be very convenient for most people. Also as

there are no healthcare providers in the area (except for the pharmacy) people may put off visiting

the doctor effecting local residents health in the long term.

The environmental quality survey also has negative ratings showing there is a lot of litter in the area

and the buildings are damaged and unattractive. This shows the lack of care people give to the

environment and could also show the lack of funding by the government as all the pavements are

broken and uneven clearly showing inequality as the government wouldnt want to spend much

money in an area no-one would visit. There is also no street furniture such as statues or benches so

there is nothing appealing about the area and again may signify the lack of government funding in

Ladywood. This may also affect the local residents as they may not want to leave their house as

often as they may if they were living in a different area and this would then in turn affect the local

community as people may not be contributing as much.

Graffiti Litter

Open

space

Quality of

buidings Pavement

Street

Furniture

Series1 0 -2 -1 -1 -2 0

-2.5

-2

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

Rating

Ladywood EQS


3/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

120,000 - 200,000 Ranged houses

Price Type No. Of bedrooms

120,000 Terraced house 4

107,000 Terraced house 3

(data from rightmove)

The table above shows the type of house and the number of bedrooms you can get in Ladywood

from a price range of 120,000-200,000. For 120,000 you can get a four bedroom terraced house

The number of crimes reported in July 2012 in Ladywood

is 811 with anti-social behaviour being the highest. This

could be due to the lack of public facilities in the

area so teenagers and young adults may not have anything

to do so spend their time in other ways affecting their

behaviour and attitude towards the community. There are22 crimes relating to drugs in this area.


4/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

Sutton four oaks

Access Audit

Factors -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Extra opinions

Shops X Variety of shops

Public Transport X Buses, Taxis, Cars

Parking X

Public facilities X Library, Post Office, Banks, park

Schools X

Healthcare providers X Medical centre

The access audit shows there is plenty shops in the area which is convenient for local residents and

there is also a lot of public transport. There are many public facilities in the area such a libraries,

banks and post offices and there is enough healthcare providers for the area so local residents have

easy access to doctors and transport.

The EQS shows there is not graffiti available and litter does not seem to be much of a problem asthere are a lot of bins in the area. There was also a park and a few public fields so there was a lot of

open space and the area did not seem to be crowded. The buildings were a little damaged however

this may be due to how old they are. There are also many benches in the area.

Graffiti LitterOpen

space

Quality of

buildingsPavement

Street

Furniture

Series1 2 0 0 -1 1 2

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Rating

Sutton four oaks EQS


5/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

120,000 - 200,000 Ranged houses


120,000 House 2200,000 Flat 2


For the price of 120,000 you can get a house with 2 bedrooms and also for 200,000 you can get a

flat for 200,000. This is considerably expensive compared to how you can get a 4 bedroom house in

Ladywood for the same price or less. This shows how more wealthier peole would live in Sutton four

oaks.

The amount of crime reported in July 2012 in Sutton

coldfield was only 44 and this compared to ladywood is

really low. This shows it is a nice area to live and also

relating to the EQS and access audit shows it is a nice

place to live in without much danger of crimes. There is

only drug related crime in this area in the month of July

2012.


6/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

Harborne

Access Audit

Factors -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Extra opinionsShops X Variety of shops

Public Transport X Buses, Cars

Parking X Car parks available

Public facilities X

Schools X

Healthcare providers X Opticians

There are a lot of variety of shops in Harborne along with a sufficient amount of public transport,

schools and parking in the area. This is convenient for all the local residents living in the area and

also shows children have access to good education not far from where they may live. As for

healthcare providers there were one or two opticians in the area however no pharmacys or

surgeries however when looking at how much bedrooms you can get in a price range of 120,000 -

200,000 shows there are wealthy people living in the area and can afford cars and petrol to travel

distances to get to a doctor.

The EQS shows there is no graffiti and this linking in with the suffient amount of schools in the area

shows that young people are educated so have good jobs and behaviour. There was not muhc litter

and there were a lot of bins showing how local residents take care of the place they live in. The

pavement was almost always even and there were a few benches and street art in the area showing

it is a nice place to live and also a nice community.

Graffiti Litter

Open

space

Quality of

buildings

Pavemen

t

Street

Furniture

Series1 2 0 0 -1 1 2

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Rating

Harborne EQS


7/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

120,000 - 200,000 Ranged houses


199,000 Terraced House 2



For almost up to 200,000 you can get a 2 bedroom terraced house Harborne which compared to

Ladywood where you can get a 4 bedroom terraced house for 120,000 shows how expensive it is

and only more wealthier people would be able to afford to live in this area with a good income and

therefore a good education.

In Harborne, crime reported in July 2012 was 221 which

is much lower than Ladywood however still higher than

Sutton four oaks. Again Antisocial behaviour is the highest.

There does not seem to be any reported drug relatedcrimes in the area.


8/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

Billesley

Access Audit

Factors -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Extra opinionsShops X Convenience store

Public Transport X Buses, Cars

Parking X Enough spaces to park

Public facilities X

Schools X Sufficient amount in area

Healthcare providers X

The access audit has no positive ratings howver a lot of the things are at a suffient amount which is

what is nesseccary for the area. There are a few shops such as a conveniece store and takeaway

which is good for local residents. There is also enough parking and schools in the area showing

everyone has access to education near by and there would be less chance of young teenagers

commiting crimes. There is a lack of health care providers in Billesley so local residents do not have

access to doctors or pharmacys close by which could affect their health in the long term however

there could be some nearby.

The EQS shows there is hardly any graffiti in the area which again links in to the schools in the area.

There is a little bit of litter and not many bins which could show how little the local residents care

about their area. There is no street furniture at all so people may not be very socail in their local

community however the area still seems considerably clean and well looked after compared to

Ladywood.

Graffiti Litter

Open

space

Quality of

buildings Pavement

Street

Furniture

Series1 1 -1 1 0 0 -2

-2.5

-2

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

Rating

Billesley EQS


9/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

House Prices





In Billesley you can get 2/3 bedroom terraced house from 120,000 which is low compared to sutton

four oaks however compared to ladywood the prices seem high. This shows the area is a nice place

to live and you can easily buy a house with a good income.

The amount of crime reported in the area in July 2012 is

254 which is very low compared to Ladywood showing

it is a safer area than ladywood and you are at less danger

of a bugalry or anti-social behaviour. There are 4 drug

related crimes in the area.

These 4 areas differ greatly clearly showing inequality

across Birmingham. By comparing Sutton Four Oaks to

Ladywood you can see a lot of difference in the access

audit, EQS, house prices and amount of crimes in the area.

While Ladywood had over 800 reported crimes in July 2012,

Sutton four oaks had just over 40. This is a vital factor

showing inequality as people in Ladywood may not have

the same standard of education or up bringing as people

in Sutton four oaks which would in turn affect theirbehaviour and attitude. Harborne has more expensive

houses than Billesley however the EQS are quite similar

and both areas seem considerably safe. Comparing the 4

areas, I have noticed wealthier people with high

incomes live in Sutton Four Oaks and Harborne however in

Ladywood it seems there are people with low income. This shows inequality as people with low

incomes gather in one place and people with high incomes gather in another place.

Limitations

I was limited in many ways when conducting my primary research as I only visited the area on one

day and the weather and the time of day could have an impact on my results. Also I only saw one

part of each area so my results are inaccurate as there could be more health care providers in a

different part of the area and I just based my results on one part. I could have also taken some

photographs to support my results and to provide evidence of litter/graffiti etc.

To get more accurate results I could visit the area on different days and times and used different

methods other than EQS and access audit and this may help in showing inequality in the area

When doing secondary research I was limited as there was only a certain amount of things I could

find out that showed inequality in the area. Also the websites I used may not be trustworthy or the


10/10

ATTIYA REHMAN

information may not be valid as it could be based on old data and the methods used to collect the

data are not signified.

To improve upon my secondary research I could have used more reliable sites and found out more

information about healthcare in each area as this would help show inequality along with my EQS and

access audit. It would back up my results and help explain why there may be inequalities.

Documents

How Does Quality of Life Vary Across Birmingham? (ALEVEL GEOGRAPPHY RESEARCH PROJECTS)