April 2011 Online 642 Geofile Paul Bennett Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Quarter of Regeneration within urban areas Figure 1: The spiral of decline in inner city areas in the has largely been confined to the centres (Central One or more Business Districts) and inner city economic activities Area becomes less areas which are located in a zone like a factory/s shut attractive for existing surrounding the CBD. Inner city down in an urban area economic activities as well areas saw very rapid growth as as possible new activities manufacturing and residential areas during the in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since Jobs are lost and Linked economic the mid 1970s some inner city areas people migrate away activities decline have become less popular as places from the area. to live and as locations for economic activities. Residents have moved out because of poor quality of life and unemployment. Factories have Fewer skilled Decreased demand for closed as a result of an increasingly jobs services like shops and entertainment, so these globalised economy which has Less money services close seen some types of manufacturing collected by local transferred to locations outside councils in taxes, the United Kingdom. Sites on the so less money to spend on improving edges of urban areas or close to The fabric and environment of the area the attractiveness decline, buildings become derelict motorway junctions have generally of the area. become more popular locations for manufacturing or new economic activities like superstores. As a result, some inner city areas have in communications; on social the north west of the centre of often experienced a spiral of decline improvement (eg improving Birmingham (Figure 2(a)), but (Figure 1). educational and training as Birmingham grew rapidly in opportunities) and finally on the 18th and 19th centuries as a National government and environmental improvements such manufacturing centre, bedrooms in as revitalising green spaces or by the houses in the Quarter were converted regeneration creation of new parks in urban areas. into workrooms, and then many The problems of inner city areas have buildings were converted fully to long been recognised and various Many urban areas, however, have manufacturing or were knocked groups have worked both separately not been targeted by the initiatives down and replaced by factory and in combination to try and outlined above, and in these areas buildings. As Birmingham boomed as ‘rebrand’ these areas by changing any regeneration has largely taken a manufacturing city, four groups of their image and by regenerating place as a result of the work of a industries developed: guns, jewellery, (renewing or revitalising) to reverse number of different interested toys and metal working. Some of the spiral of decline and to give players or stakeholders. These have these industries, like the manufacture them them a more sustainable and included organisations supported of jewellery and the making of prosperous future. In the last 30 years by national government, local guns, tended to locate in specific central government has introduced a government, non-governmental areas (Figure 2(a)). Manufacturing variety of schemes in specific parts of organisations like Friends Groups, industry continued to grow in the urban areas, such as: private organisations and individual 20th century, and new so-called residents. These groups can work ‘metal-bashing’ industries developed, • property-led regeneration through separately and in cooperation to bring some of which were also located in urban development corporations about regeneration both directly and the , such as the • partnerships between local indirectly in an area. manufacture of washing machines. and national government and However the main manufacturing privately owned companies The Jewellery Quarter in industry in the area continued to • City Challenge projects be the making of gold and silver • flagship projects Birmingham jewellery. • sustainable communities One such inner city area where regeneration by a number of The Jewellery Quarter, as well as Such regeneration schemes have different groups or players has the rest of Birmingham, felt the full focused on the economy of the taken place is the Jewellery Quarter force of the decline of manufacturing area, largely by the creation of job in Birmingham. Originally, it was in Britain in the 1970s, with many opportunities or by improvements a wealthy residential area just to of the businesses making metal

Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2011 April 2011 no.642 Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham Figure 2(a): The location of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham; (b): the location of new developments in the Jewellery Quarter; (c): the pattern of land use in St Paul’s Square

(a) Tame (b) N Valley Hylton N Tame Canal Street Valley Key Hill Development Canal Not to To Station scale Jewellery and Birmingham silver centre 1 Canal 2 The Big Peg Boundary of the Midland Metro Jewellery quarter (light railway)

Selly Oak Site for Warwick and Golden Canal Birmingham Square Kings Canal Norton St. Paul’s Place St. Paul’s Square Worcester Birmingham To Snow Hill Canal Newhall Art gallery Clothes Station (c) Square Key Street Club Scheme To city Caroline Boundary of city N centre of Birmingham St. Paul’s Place Restaurant City centre 1 Jewellery quarter Not to Offices 2 Gunsmiths quarter scale b St. Paul’s Church Canals Pu and grounds b Railway and Metro line Pu Dentist Estate Agent Restaurant

Key ) Jam Abbey Photographic Café House College Studio

Apartments city centre

Car To Shops Park Ludgate Hill Factories (to city centre Hairdressers products closing down leading to working in combination. One such encourage sustainable economic an increasing number of derelict example of this approach is the development. (Regional factories. A number of people left HyltonGeoFile Street Series Development 29 Issue 3 (Figure Development Agencies were the area as well. However the area 3).Fig The 642_02 location Mac/eps/illustrator of this development 11 s/s abolished by the Coalition was considered to have considerable is NELSONshown in THORNES Figure PUBLISHIN2(b). ThisG will Government in September 2010 potential for regeneration, because of involveArtist: the David spending Russell Illustration of £2.5 million and will be replaced by new its location within walking distance on the redevelopment of a Grade bodies called Local Enterprise of city centre offices and its unique 2 listed building in the Jewellery Partnerships. It is not yet mix of residential properties, small Quarter (to the left of the picture), to possible to say what effects that workshops and retail shops selling provide 13 living and working units might have on this development.) jewellery, clocks, watches and specifically created for jewellery • The Housing and Communities antiques. There are also offices and designers and manufacturers to Agency (HCA). This was a small entertainment/cultural zone rent. The properties will have set up by the government in containing bars, clubs, restaurants separate workshops and living December 2008. This Agency and art galleries. Figure 2(c) shows space, with between one and three has considerable powers and the pattern of mixed land use in St bedrooms. In the past it was felt that currently has a budget of £5 Paul’s Square, which is typical of graduate designers and potential billion annually. Its aims are the Jewellery Quarter as a whole and manufacturers of jewellery had to support the development of which makes it such a distinctive area. moved out of Birmingham because high-quality housing, improve Today there are approximately 700 of a lack of suitable and affordable the infrastructure of areas and jewellery-related businesses in the units to live and work in. This develop schemes for regeneration Quarter, 400 of which manufacture scheme hopes to reverse that trend. in . jewellery, accounting for 25% of The project is being funded by a • Urban Living. This is one of Britain’s jewellery production. partnership of different government- nine Housing Market Renewal funded agencies and illustrates how Pathfinder organisations Regeneration through these can work together to bring set up and financed by the organisations supported by about regeneration in an area. These government’s Department agencies are: of Communities and Local central government – the Government to develop specific Hylton Street Development • Advantage . localities. Urban Living covers This is one of the nine Regional parts of Birmingham and Regeneration in the Quarter has been Development Agencies Sandwell in the West Midlands. encouraged by central government- in England which used These organisations have a 15- funded organisations (public partners) government funds to try and year programme to improve

Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2011 April 2011 no.642 Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham

housing in neighbourhoods will look to achieve these aims will Regeneration through non- where there is a shortage of be through improved marketing of affordable housing. the area by: government organisations like Friends Groups As well, an organisation called • providing an information centre Midland Heart is also involved in • developing a website to attract There are few green spaces in the the Hylton Street development. visitors Quarter, two of the largest being Key This is a housing and regeneration • providing a tourism guide Hill and Warstone Lane group dating back to the 1920s • working with other agencies on (Figure 2(b)). is which owns or manages 32,000 joint initiatives to liaise with a rare example of an early Victorian properties across the West TV and radio, hotels, conference garden cemetery. It was opened in Midlands. Its aim is to develop organisers and travel operators. 1836 in a former quarry and is the affordable rented housing. oldest non-churchyard cemetery in Birmingham. Local residents have Regeneration through local The formed themselves into a Friends Group (a not for profit volunteer government – the role of The Council’s latest plans for the organisation) to try and refurbish and area are part of its Big City Plan, maintain the cemeteries, which have announced in October 2010 to become derelict due to long-term The Jewellery Quarter has not redevelop 2000 acres of land in the neglect. To help bring this about, a benefited from any of the large- city centre with the aim of creating scheme has been developed whereby scale central government initiatives 50,000 jobs. As part of this Plan, residents can ‘adopt’ old graves which such as Property Led Regeneration Birmingham Council has approved have not been maintained for many or City Challenge. However local a scheme for the building of a new years and then plant flowers and government has been particularly public square (the Golden Square) bulbs. The group has also secured active in the area. Birmingham City on land at the corner of Warstone funding to restore the Icknield Street Council has long been an important Lane and Vyse Street (Figure 2(b)), entrance gates to Key Hill cemetery, player in the drive to rebrand the which it is hoped will become a new which are of artistic and architectural Jewellery Quarter by re-imaging centre for the Jewellery Quarter. merit. The Friends also hold regular and regeneration. The Council fund Construction of this £1.5 million clean-up sessions and are carrying the administrative support for, and development will begin in the out research into the history of the are an important member of, the summer of 2011 and the aim is to cemeteries and the people buried Jewellery Quarter Regeneration complete it by spring 2012. The there. It is hoped that the cemeteries Partnership, which meets twice square will be divided into three can also be used as a place of exercise a year. Membership of this body parts: a plaza where public events for residents. This group is supported includes representatives from such as concerts and farmers’ by Birmingham Council and other businesses in the Quarter as well as markets as well as temporary regeneration groups like English residents. This body has produced exhibitions can be staged, a grassed Heritage. a Jewellery Quarter Regeneration area containing orchard trees, and Charter, which has two aims. a promenade. There will also be The first is to develop a vibrant a canopy at the entrance to the Private organisations and atmosphere in the Quarter which square which will be decorated with will attract people to live, work gold leaf to reflect the importance regeneration and spend their leisure time there. of jewellery making in the area. There are several examples in the Secondly, the Charter wants the The project will be funded from Jewellery quarter of schemes funded Quarter to act as a ‘honey pot’ for the Heritage Lottery Fund, by private developers, looking to creative businesses, ranging from which distributes money from the make money from renting or selling jewellery businesses to arts and National Lottery to schemes which work spaces, housing and offices. media. One of the ways the Council are important to Britain’s heritage. These firms are hoping to profit

Figure 3: The Hylton Street Development Figure 4: The Newhall Square scheme

Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2011 April 2011 no.642 Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham from these developments while also A group of residents have organised station is within walking distance playing an important part in the a Jewellery Quarter Farmers Market and from here people can easily reach regeneration process, by improving (called ‘The 24 Carrots Farmers airportd in and Birmingham. building quality and by bringing Market’), which takes place once people into the area. An example a month with the primary aim of Improvement has taken place as of a private developer looking to increasing the number of people a result of the renovation of old create work units is the Society visiting the Quarter. This Forum is housing by new residents, or by for the Protection of Artistic and also the prime mover in trying to the conversion into housing of Cultural Enterprise (SPACE). This secure World Heritage status for the former non-residential property (see organisation has redeveloped part of Jewellery Quarter. A World Heritage above for examples of this), or by a the Big Peg building (Figure 2(b)). site is a location listed by the United combination of both. This building was built originally as Nations Educational, Scientific and a modern office building in 1960 but Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as Gentrification can lead to a change it had become rather run down in a site of special physical and cultural in the character of an area. As the recent years. The SPACE Company significance; this would raise the residents are now wealthier, they (using finance from banks as well profile of the Jewellery Quarter have more money to spend in bars as public funds and grants) has enormously, both in Britain and and restaurants and high-order refurbished the building, creating abroad. shops selling expensive products. new offices and workspaces for arts, This tends to make the area more media and creative enterprises, Gentrification attractive to wealthier people, so including 70 penthouse studios. The a positive multiplier effect can building also houses a restaurant and Individual residents also help to result which can lead to a sustained the Big Peg Gallery which hosts art regenerate the area, indirectly improvement in the wealth of the exhibitions. through the process of gentrification. area. The development of bars and This involves regeneration through restaurants in St Paul’s Square Two other developments to create improvement of the quality of can be seen as evidence for this. housing and offices are the St Paul’s housing in an inner city area. It Gentrification can also lead to an Place development and the Newhall is regeneration brought about by increase in house prices, which can Square scheme on individuals or groups of individuals, price some low-income residents and Charlotte Street (Figure 4). not agencies or the government. out of the market. As well, with the The St Paul’s Place development Like most inner city areas, the development of housing for single (developed by Chord Developments) Jewellery Quarter was an area of people or couples, families with has seen the renovation of the factories and housing mixed together children can often find it difficult Thomas Walker Building, a former in an unplanned way. Much of the to find suitable housing. It is hoped buckle-making factory, into a housing was of poor quality, and that the building of new affordable series of 177 luxury apartments as over time had become occupied by housing developments might prevent well as office space surrounding a people from low income groups, this happening in the Jewellery landscaped communal courtyard. who could not necessarily afford Quarter. The development covers 7700 square to maintain it. However the area metres. This development also is close to contains a residents’ car park created which has been benefiting from re- underground. The Newhall Square urbanisation, or the movement of scheme is a larger development people back into city centres due to projected to cost £63 million and urban regeneration, and has become covering 9500 square metres. It an increasingly popular as a place to consists of a mix of apartments live for young well-paid professional (234 are planned), retail units, a people who want to live close to work car park, offices and a Travelodge and the entertainment attractions Hotel (100 beds) which has already found in the city centre. The good opened (Figure 4). As part of this railway links found in the city centre development, a large public square (as are also an attraction, as New Street large as five tennis courts) is under construction on land which is next to a canal. This development is on the site of the former Museum of Science F o c u s Q u e s t i o n s and Industry, which closed in 1997. 1. With reference to inner city areas, suggest what evidence can be used to show decline, and give the reasons why decline has taken place. The role of individual residents in regeneration of 2. Explain what is meant by gentrification, and using an example/s, suggest the Jewellery Quarter how effective it has been in the regeneration of urban areas. Residents of the Jewellery Quarter 3. Using examples of inner city areas, describe the roles of different players have set up the Jewellery Quarter who are involved in attempts to rebrand these areas. Neighbourhood Forum, which aims to give local residents a say in issues 4. Using examples, suggest how political factors can affect land use in affecting the Quarter and also works urban areas. to improve quality of life in the area.

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