AQA A2 Geography: The human options World cities 1 Gentrification

AQA A2 Geography: The human options

World cities

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Gentrification


World cities: Gentrification

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What is gentrification? (1)

The rehabilitation/renewal of a deteriorated neighbourhood

by new residents who are wealthier than the long-time

residents. This can cause an increase in house prices and

lead to the displacement of the long-time residents It is small-scale and incremental, and instigated by individual

people It is often accompanied by landscape and street furniture

improvements



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What is gentrification? (2)

‘A stroll along Bellevue Road, Wandsworth and its surrounding streets offers a taste of a process that has been happening all over London. Gone are the working classes and the establishments that served them. Bellevue Road now has delicatessens, wine bars, picture galleries, alfresco diners and estate agents.

Streets once lined with Escorts and Astras now sport Jeep Cherokees and convertible Alfa Romeos. During the week, nannies and au pairs look after the children of merchant bankers, advertising executives and new media professionals who have all played some part in the transformation of the area into “Bellevue Village”.’

Tom Slater



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Where has it spread?In South London, following the course of the Northern Line is like following the path of gentrification. It started in Clapham North in the late 1980s and is now sweeping through Tooting on a seemingly endless march towards Morden in Surrey at the end of the line.

Houses near Tooting Broadway have doubled in price in 2 years, and there are new services — trendy cafes, bars, delicatessens and health and fitness clubs.

The Northern Line in South London



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Notting Hill



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Notting Hill: a brief history

Although the place is now a bustling urban area, in the mid-eighteenth century it

was a country hamlet, known for its gravel pits and roadside inns, which proved a

magnet for highwaymen The unpopular tollgate, which gave the main road its name, appeared at this time Industrialisation brought workers in from the countryside, with landlords building

tiny terraced houses to rent to the poor In Victorian times, Notting Hill was a rough, working-class area and by the 1950s

the area had become synonymous with slum landlords and inner-city deprivation In 1958, it was the scene of race riots after tensions arose between the newly

arrived Afro-Caribbean community and the teddy boys of the fascist British Union A second riot took place during the infamous Notting Hill Carnival of 1976



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Notting Hill: now

The past 30 years have seen a steady northwards swarm of

gentrification, with estate agents coining names like ‘Hillgate

Village’ for previously working-class neighbourhoods, sending

property prices rocketing Houses can cost more here than in ultra-upmarket Mayfair Notting Hill’s secluded communal gardens, sandwiched between the

rows of houses and scarcely visible from the street, make it

London’s most desirable area for families



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Who’s responsible?

Notting Hill, the movie, helped popularise the area, but

gentrification was underway long beforehand Movie stars, rock singers, media types and fashion designers (such

as Stella McCartney) are flooding into the area, which has acquired

the sort of atmosphere associated with King’s Road, Chelsea, in the

1960s The Canal Way branch of Sainsbury’s near the Ladbroke Grove tube

station is now said to be one of the best places in London to spot

celebrities



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Notting Hill: the best places to eat, drink and be merry…

Veronica’s — this place devotes itself to reviving Britain’s culinary

heritage, serving historical dishes derived from 2,000-year-old

menus The Westbourne Pub — with its trendy crowds Lazy Daisy Café — famous for its delicious puddings and cakes Sausage and Mash The Golbourne Road area — well known for its Portuguese and

Moroccan eateries and the infamous Trellick Tower



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Trellick Tower (1)

Trellick Tower was Britain’s biggest apartment block when it was

built in 1973 and for many years it epitomised everything that was

wrong with Modernist high-rise buildings Stories abounded of women being raped in lifts, children being

attacked by heroin addicts and squatters setting fire to flats It was built by Hungarian-born architect Erno Goldfinger. Ian

Fleming, the creator of James Bond, found Goldfinger’s work so

distasteful that he named the novel and classic villain after him



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Trellick Tower (2)

Since the installation of a concierge and extra security, the tower’s

reputation has been transformed The Trellick Tower is now something of a style icon, becoming a

Grade II listed building in 1998 It is considered quite a ‘trendy’ address



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The Portobello Road

The Portobello Road is the world’s most famous market — it is really

several markets one after the other and you can buy just about

anything there — people have been doing so since 1837 The market (known locally as ‘the lane’) serves up three

experiences: antiques to the south, fruit and vegetables in the

middle, and second-hand clothing, bedding and bits and bobs to the

north



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Notting Hill Carnival

Notting Hill has a large Caribbean population and the 3-day carnival

is held over the last Bank Holiday weekend of August It is the largest street festival outside Rio de Janeiro, attended by

over 1 million people Revellers are drawn in by the colour, people, food, huge sound

systems pumping out Caribbean music, dancing and a riotous all-

day street party during the grand parade of floats



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Is it all good? Some quotes

‘No — the truth is, it’s extremely expensive and those who are not

rich are very poor.’ ‘The average standard of living is still low, the streets are filled with

litter and the buildings are covered with graffiti.’ ‘Some parts are just an overpriced and overcrowded bedsit land.’ ‘Very over-rated as a living area…that film…if I ever meet Hugh

Grant, I’m going to punch him!’



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The good and the bad

Positive Negative

Stabilisation of declining

areas

Displacement through

rent/price increases

Increased property values Community resentment

and conflict

Reduced vacancy rates Loss of affordable housing

Reduction of urban sprawl Homelessness

Increased social mix Speculative property price

increases

Decreased crime Changes to local services

Refurbishment of property

Documents

AQA A2 Geography: The human options World cities 1 Gentrification