Changes Can Lead to Tension & Conflict (Edexcel A Level Geography)
Revision Note
Lived Experiences Link to Challenges & Opportunities
Places are dynamic and constantly changing, which can lead to new challenges or opportunities for local people and their lived experience of place
In all changing situations, there are winners and losers
For example, building a new place of worship may benefit some locals but may cause tension with other locals, who disapprove
Changes to the land use of a place are often caused by competition for space, especially in urban areas, from:
Different community groups, who want to improve their local neighbourhood
Local governments, who identify and deliver on local priorities e.g. increasing local housing stock and regenerating town centres
National governments, who identify national priorities e.g. in the UK the current government aims to build 300,000 new homes every year and make the UK net zero by 2050
Transnational Corporations (TNCs), who aim to make as much profit as possible
85.5% of the UK’s population live in urban areas, with numbers increasing every year, resulting in the expansion of urban areas to accommodate new:
Housing
Services
Retail
Industrial and office parks
Recreation
Transport infrastructure
The Impacts of Changing Land Use
Changing land use | Opportunities | Challenges |
|---|---|---|
Improving transport infrastructure | Local governments invest in transport systems, improving accessibility for people and businesses | Local governments may displace local people through compulsory purchase orders to enable the building of new transport routes |
New housing projects | Local governments use land to create areas of affordable housing to tackle the national housing crisis, allowing people on lower incomes to rent or buy | The new housing might not be practical for all the needs of local people e.g. high rise tower blocks can be viewed as unattractive and unpractical for elderly people In rural areas, housing developments can interfere with the needs of local wildlife and their habitats |
Commercial developments | The creation of new retail spaces and services by entrepreneurial migrants can encourage cultural hybridisation, as well as generate higher tax revenues | Large TNCs can afford to pay more for commercial plots of land compared to smaller, local businesses To make more profit, local governments may grant planning permission for commercial developments rather than for housing projects |
Regeneration projects | Local and national governments invest in regenerating run-down urban and rural areas, creating new employment opportunities for local people and attracting more investment from TNCs | Regeneration projects can lead to gentrification, attracting wealthier people to the area, which prices the locals out of the area Local people and community groups often have little control over the new developments Local people and businesses may be affected by forced relocations Tensions appear in a community between those people able to afford the redeveloped housing and the people who remain in substandard housing |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Exam questions will want you to discuss the positive impacts of the UK’s increased cultural diversity and the problems in a balanced way. Focus on both types of impacts, unless the exam question specifically asks for positive or negative impacts
Impacts of Increased Cultural Diversity
Positive impacts | Negative impacts |
|---|---|
|
|
Tensions over the Diversity of Living Spaces
In the UK, not all people welcome diverse communities
This can lead to tensions over living space between people (e.g. long-term residents) seeking continuity and people who want change (e.g. recent in-migrants)
In 1950, the UK was almost 100% white British compared to 83% in 2021; this change can lead to tensions because:
Some UK citizens are concerned about this change and the threat to “British culture”
Some people believe that migrants don’t want to integrate due to evidence of social clustering
Incoming ethnic groups can be accused of forcing the existing population out of an area and creating white flight
Migrants often face racism and are victims of hate crimes
70% of hate crimes are racially motivated
Ethnic minorities living in deprived areas with high levels of poverty and few opportunities experience resentment over their treatment
These feelings between different ethnic groups can occasionally lead to racially motivated riots:
The Notting Hill race riots (1958)
The 1981 riots - Brixton (London), Handsworth (Birmingham), Chapeltown (Leeds) and Toxteth (Liverpool)
The Broadwater Farm (London) riot (1985)
The Bradford riots (1995 and 2001)
London riots (2011)
Ethnic minorities also face prejudice in rural areas
Long-term rural residents might not welcome those in search of the rural idyll
Increased numbers of international migrants can create social challenges:
More pressure on small rural schools
More pressure on limited healthcare services
Tensions in Luton
Luton (a town in Bedfordshire) experiences tension between long-term residents and new in-migrants
Statistics from the 2021 Census state:
This is one of the highest proportions of non-UK born residents outside of London
This has increased to 17,067 (7.6% of the population in Luton), up from 12,739 in 2011
Nearly two in five of Luton’s residents were not born in the UK
Pakistan was the most common non-UK birthplace
Almost 4% (8,666) of Luton’s residents were born in Romania, a more than 2000% increase since the 2011 Census
Of Luton’s non-UK born residents, 37,391 (43.2%) have arrived since 2011
Almost 45% of Luton’s non-UK born residents were aged between 18 and 29 when arriving in the UK
Luton has been linked to Islamic extremism after a BBC report identified the town as the second largest source of jihadists travelling to Syria in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2016
This can lead to increases in Islamophobia among residents
The English Defence League (EDL), a far-right Islamophobic organisation, is based in Luton
The EDL has been accused of creating tension between the Muslim and non-Muslim community
In reality, the majority of Luton’s residents feel they get on well (82% of respondents in a local survey); it is only a minority of:
White British people who feel threatened by the pace of ethnic change
Muslims who take an extreme religious position
Worked Example
Using Figure 3, explain why there are tensions between long-term residents and international migrants in some areas but not others
[6 marks]
IMAGE
Distribution of international migrants and asylum seekers
Make sure to refer to the map in your answer
Develop and explain all points rather than just stating simple ideas, such as “migrants take jobs”
Use contrasting places to show understanding about the issue ‘in some areas but not in others’
Answer:
Tensions between long-term residents and in-migrants vary across Britain. One reason for this could be the amount of migrants living there, which is up to 54% in some areas. Some places might experience high levels of immigration over a short period, so tensions become more pronounced. Boston has the highest levels of Eastern European immigrants in England and Wales, with 31% of its population migrating from the EU. Over the last 20 years, the shops in the town centre have changed to cater to this influx of migrants, which has caused some of the locals to become annoyed over the lack of integration. A 2016 survey found that Boston had the lowest levels of integration across UK towns. 75% of residents also voted to leave the EU in 2016, which suggests that residents experience high levels of tension.
In other areas, there is less tension between long-term residents and in-migrants as the long-term residents may be first, second or third-generation migrants. Tensions experienced by these long-term residents may be different from white British (perhaps due to racism and prejudice). In Southall (West London), cultural diversity is high (92.5% of the population are from non-white groups), yet racial tension is low. In the 1970s, the different ethnic groups stood together against fascism in Southall. The largest of London’s Sikh Gurdwara temples is in Southall; it provides free meals for anyone, regardless of their religious background. Southall is viewed as a harmonious multi-faith society where the community celebrates the assimilation of different religions and cultures.
Changes to the Built Environment Benefits & Challenges
Changes to the built environment can lead to new challenges and opportunities for different groups of people in the community
Some groups will benefit from these changes to the built environment
Other groups can feel hostile about these changes and perceive migrants as a threat to their culture
For example, some groups will welcome the addition of a new building used for a particular faith, but other groups might disapprove
The hostility can make migrants feel a sense of social exclusion, especially if they are isolated from friends and family in an unfamiliar place
The feelings of social exclusion and resentment are amplified when the area suffers from acute poverty and deprivation, e.g. Glasgow
Poverty, hostility and social exclusion in Glasgow
In 2020, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) found that:
331 zones in Glasgow (out of a total of 746) are classed as some of the most deprived in Scotland
43% of Glasgow’s citizens are living in areas classified amongst the most deprived in Scotland
IMAGE
Glasgow’s health inequalities
In the above map of Glasgow, decile 1 shows the highest level of deprivation and decile 10 shows the lowest level of deprivation
In some of the most deprived areas in Glasgow (especially areas close to the city centre), there are high concentrations of ethnic minorities, which can lead to tension:
Stealing their jobs
Diluting the Scottish culture
The unemployment rate for ethnic minority groups is higher than that of white groups (11%), with 32% of the African population unemployed
The white British residents perceive that the immigrants are:
The migrants feel they are being ignored and discriminated against, leading to a sense of social exclusion
Living in poorer neighbourhoods, where unemployment levels are already high, further restricts migrants’ employment opportunities
Rising numbers of immigrants and terror attacks (e.g. The Glasgow Airport attack in 2007) have increased ethnic tensions in Glasgow
For example, a report into racism showed that half of BAME students have been harassed at Glasgow University (2021)
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember that the majority of people do not hold extreme views and are not involved in tension and conflicts between different ethnic groups
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