Regional & National Influences
- Regional and national influences shape the social and economic characteristics of places, both through past and present connections
- Transport connections
- Larger settlements often have multiple transport routes e.g. motorways, rail
- Reading is a preferred location for high-tech industries
- It is within the M4 corridor and close to Heathrow
- It has several principal railway routes
- Larger settlements often have multiple transport routes e.g. motorways, rail
Transport infrastructure of Reading
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- Smaller or more peripheral settlements often have fewer major road and rail connections
- Middlesbrough has a limited transport infrastructure (e.g. only 1 regional railway line and not located next to a motorway)
- This makes it harder to link up to other urban areas e.g. Leeds and London
- Smaller or more peripheral settlements often have fewer major road and rail connections
Transport infrastructure of Middlesbrough
- Settlement connections
- Major settlements nearby can offer opportunities for collaborative working e.g.
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- Universities working together to address common challenges (climate change)
- Sharing of resources to attract investment and develop industries
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- Major settlements nearby can offer opportunities for collaborative working e.g.
- Industrial connections - places can have long histories with certain industries
- Middlesbrough’s industrial growth was initially driven by iron ore deposits. These are now exhausted
- The iron and steel industry has declined due to deindustrialisation. This has left high unemployment levels in Middlesbrough
- Local enterprise organisations
- Local charitable trusts funding local initiatives
- E.g. The Teesside Charity provides social and economic opportunities for the long-term unemployed, those living in poverty and the homeless
- Local tourism boards work to promote the area to visitors
- Local charitable trusts funding local initiatives
- National policies
- Different migration policies may impact the demographics
- E.g. the Windrush Generation - immigrants arriving from the Commonwealth to fill labour shortages after World War II
- The Northern Powerhouse Initiative (2010-15) was a scheme designed to boost economic growth and productivity in northern cities
- UK’s Green Belt policy aims to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land around major urban areas open and undeveloped
- Reading is an attractive place for development. It lies outside of London’s greenbelt, which has also drawn more migrants to Reading
- Different migration policies may impact the demographics
The London Metropolitan Green Belt
Exam Tip
The Specification expects you to study two places to examine the past and present connections that have shaped their economic and social characteristics. You should have first-hand experience of one place and the other place should be significantly different.
Here are some enquiry questions and data sources you could use to examine the regional and national connections which have shaped the economic and social characteristics of your chosen places.
Scale | Enquiry questions | Data sources |
Regional |
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National |
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Impact on people
- All places have a perceived image, which shapes people’s view of the place as either positive or negative
- Reading could be perceived as a more modern, busy place, where there is lots to do
- Middlesbrough could be perceived as more industrial and less attractive
- These images and perceptions can affect the lives of students and other groups of people:
- Students might not want to study at the university due to their perception of the place
- Young people may feel they want to leave a place with a poor image
- Places with more positive images tend to attract more people
- There are likely to be more job opportunities in places with positive images as companies are also attracted to them
- Continuity (things staying the same) and change affect people in different ways
- Deindustrialisation
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- The connection between people and local industries can remain strong even after the industry has disappeared e.g. the steel industry in Middlesbrough
- If the abandoned buildings remain, with no development, young people and migrants often perceive the area as run-down with fewer economic opportunities
- Development of the area may attract migrants, with a wider set of skills, in search of employment opportunities
- Older workers with the original, older industrial skill set may resent the new forms of industry and the migrants
- In-migration
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- With new economic development, places can attract a younger and more ethnically diverse population
- Some people may welcome this diversity and learn more about the different cultures
- Other people may not like the change in the demographics of the local area and oppose in-migration
- Development of the Internet
- It has changed the retail sector of settlements
- Online shopping (e.g. Amazon) is in direct competition with the high street shops (e.g. Wilkinsons), causing lots of businesses to close, particularly in smaller towns, which increases unemployment