“How far do you agree that place identity at a local scale is shaped by
natural characteristics?”
A place is a location (geographical area on a map) with a meaning (an emotion or experience)
attached. These meanings can be negative or positive. These perspectives (place identities)
can be influenced through many factors, especially socio-economics, cultures, the built
environment and physical environment (natural characteristics). An example of a local place
is Smethwick in the West Midlands of England.
Socio-economic influences are factors which incorporates the economic activity of an
area and shows how it influences people of that society. This investigates the employment
rates, income, education qualifications and status’ in said area. Smethwick, in the industrial
revolution, was described to be “the heart of trading” due to the increase of income and job
availability in manufacturing. It was embedded in the national scale as it allowed goods to be
traded all over the world while enticing people from all over the world migrate for work. So,
the identity of Smethwick was seen to be positive as the financial state of the town was at its
highest leading to low unemployment statistics. However, as decades passed, the identity and
perspective of Smethwick became more negative. The manufacturing era was in decline
which shifted the majority of job sectors to turn tertiary (retailing and tourism jobs). People
had to find new jobs as companies were becoming redundant which began the cycle of
deprivation. As of 2016, unemployment rates doubled to 10.5% which is the worst in the UK.
The effect it had on Smethwick led to a collapse in the economic structure. This meant that
families were forced to live in poor conditions and social housing. If a family lived in poor
conditions where heat was not available, it would have a drastic impact on their health, but
because of the government having a lack of money, health and education facilities were
severely impacted. The education systems became poor which meant that there was an
indefinite skills crisis that Smethwick faced. This is the cycle of deprivation as it
continuously occurs without no end. The skills crisis mean that jobs were not easily
accessible so proletariat families dominate Smethwick. The economic growth of the West
Midlands has stunted which resulted into negative views from others. This was majorly
reflected by the poor education systems and poor quality of living.
A second factor which could influence place identity is cultural characteristics.
Cultural characteristics are referred to the concept of different religions, societies, traditions
and clubs co-existing with one another. Due to the migration in the past, which has been
previously explained, Smethwick has become a multi-cultural area. Different religions and
races have felt comfortable in Smethwick because of the adverse places of worship
(Gurdwara, mosque, synagogue) that has been built over time. Previously, Smethwick was a
Christian-orientated place but the recent migration of other cultures has meant that other
religious groups feel welcomed and safe to be in a place where all religion exists together.
This is positively viewed by ethnic minorities as they can continue practising their religions
with people of the same religion in a country that is native to them. They feel less excluded in
society. As they become more comfortable, religions can celebrate events within their
community freely. For example, some Sikhs celebrate Diwali as they feel comfortable in their
community to do so and are exposed to a range of different festivals like Christmas where
they would co-exist with Christians and wish them a joyous occasion. However, Smethwick
is still dominated by one culture (70% of Sikhs) which means that the smaller population of
Jewish followers for example (>1%) still feel excluded and undergo racial discrimination by
others due to their small following in the UK. Some other groups may face discrimination
and would view Smethwick as a negative place.
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