Essay
Geography Edexcel NEA exemplar
- Module
- NEA
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
Geography Edexcel NEA with high mark secured
[Show more]
2 reviews
By: isabellasimler • 1 month ago
By: omgbasil • 9 months ago
Content preview
, Samantha HallTo investigate the effectiveness of cultural and historical features in providing socioeconomic
opportunities for central Tunbridge Wells
Executive summary:
Considering Tunbridge Wells’ rich historic background, maintaining its cultural character and community
strength has become increasingly important. The rapid expansion and gentrification of the UK’s towns have
facilitated the process of cultural dilution. Globalisation and the influence of Transnational Corporations have
taken away towns and villages’ personality and individuality, where their attractiveness for inward investment
and stable employment opportunities have declined. This inquiry aims to analyse the investments made in
Tunbridge Wells’ cultural and historical features and question whether more focus is needed in this sector. For
more detail, this investigation looks at the socioeconomic impacts and opportunities created through such
investments and considers the extent of their secondary impacts on Tunbridge Wells’ community and
economy.
Cultural features within Tunbridge Wells can take various forms. Any way in which a feature may influence or
broaden the cultural perspective of an individual is considered a cultural feature. This may be through music,
film and video, the built environment or theatres and galleries. In order to evaluate their socioeconomic
impact, it’s important to understand the four basic factors that make up a socioeconomic measure: education,
income, wealth and employment. Although this inquiry will not set out to answer these individual measures, it
will be analysing cultural and historical features through examining:
1) Accessibility
This measure will aim to address the type of demographic that is able to appreciate cultural and
historical features within central Tunbridge Wells. Accessibility will depend on variables such as
access to services, public transport, community activities etc. Different demographics will be
categorised by sex, age, gender, ethnicity and mobility to evaluate whether certain people are
disadvantaged when attempting to attend or appreciate cultural and historical features.
2) Success in boosting the local ethos and/ or economy
Different features will have different criteria when being evaluated for success. For example, a war
memorial may not be successful in boosting the local economy but may boost local community spirit
which may then have secondary impacts on a firm’s employees’ loyalty. Local ethos ties heavily with
boosting the success of a local economy as local perceptions of place will impact attitudes towards
work and respect for public spaces. A criterion will be made up of factors like usage, visual impact
(prominence within a space), sustainability and environmental quality.
3) Perspectives of place
Although an individual’s perception of place is a subjective qualitative judgement, this inquiry will aim
to quantify and compare different people’s opinions on central Tunbridge Wells and whether cultural
and historical features have played a role in influencing an individual’s views. Positive perceptions of
place may differ between individuals; however, a few may include clean, welcoming, useful, beautiful,
diverse, interesting etc. Negative perceptions of place may include unsafe, too diverse, isolating,
congested, polluted etc.
Combining these components will help answer how cultural and historical features could provide
socioeconomic opportunities, whilst also assessing the short or long-term effectiveness of provision in this
area. These opportunities may include:
• Improvements to quality of life by providing extra recreational activities
• Involvement in strong social networks provided through social gatherings
• Being culturally aware and well educated on historical features
• Access to stable employment created from the provision of cultural and historical features
The effectiveness of these features refers to whether the benefits of cultural and historical provision outweigh
the costs of maintaining and employing them.
,Aims:
The aims of this inquiry are:
1) What types of physical cultural features are in central Tunbridge Wells and what are they?
2) How accessible are these cultural and historical features to the general public in central Tunbridge
Wells?
3) How successful are these cultural and historical features in boosting the local ethos and/ or economy?
4) To what extent have these cultural and historical features impacted people’s perceptions of
Tunbridge Wells?
How the title links to the specification:
4B.8.b
Diverse living spaces in urban areas have social characteristics that reflect ethnicity and culture in
terms of distinctive retail outlets, places of worship and leisure
4B.8.c
Experiences and perceptions of living spaces change over generations as communities have evolved
economically and culturally
Hypotheses:
1) These cultural features are accessible to the majority of people, where they find it easy and
convenient to access (physically/ economically)
2) Hypothesis 2: The local economy has benefitted greatly from these cultural and historical features
through boosting the local ethos and encouraging footfall. This effect will last in the long run.
3) These cultural features have had a positive influence on broadening the cultural and historic
perspective of all demographics by helping connect people and place
Theoretical basis:
Within this question, I have highlighted three components that will form this inquiry’s theoretical basis.
The following quote from Cultural Economy: an opportunity to boost employment and regional development
by Frédéric Leriche and Sylvie Daviet1 summarises the overarching hypothesis for this investigation. This is
where cultural and historical provision will have positive socioeconomic impacts on central Tunbridge Wells.
“Many researchers in the academic world and political leaders underline the ability of
the cultural economy to restore some urban and industrial dynamism, to recreate
social life in the neighbourhoods, and to give way to sustainable development.”
In order to understand the 4 aims of this investigation, fig. 1 shows the theoretical basis for assessing
sustainability and its role in boosting the local ethos and economy. This investigation will especially be focusing
on:
• Transport and connectivity
• Governance
• Social and cultural
• The built environment
• Services
• Equality
Fig. 1 shows Egan’s wheel, a geographical model explaining the various components that make a sustainable
community. This inquiry will apply the factors (above) to cultural and historical features within central
Tunbridge Wells to determine the long-term effectiveness of these features in providing a sustainable source
of growth for the local economy and evaluate the extent to which it strengthens the local ethos.
1
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/00343401003732639?needAccess=true
, Figure 1: Egan’s Wheel
Background research:
The history and culture of The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells
The Pantiles was the catalyst for the town of Tunbridge Wells. Having discovered the Chalybeate Spring in
1606, the Baron of Abergavenny’s declaration of the spring’s medicinal properties spread to acquaintances
and the noblemen of London. This newfound publicity spurred Lord Abergavenny to start development within
the area. The mid-1630s saw the implementation of stone pavements and enclosures where Lord Muskerry
refurbished the surrounding areas. After passing, his widow donated and sold land which provoked more
development. The opening of the chapel in 1678 and the Royal Mint’s major works project developed the area
further. Continuous urbanisation and new wealth followed with the arrival of upper-class men. Beau Nash
attracted more than 1,000 residents to The Pantiles in 1736 which opened the town up for recreation and
leisure time. The Georgian colonnade still contains columns dating back to the 17 th century.
Fig. 2 shows the perceptions of Tunbridge Wells from the upper-class. It shows the wealthy using the town for
recreation and leisure and is depicted through the bright coloured clothing and surroundings. The central
spring is shown as a core part of social gatherings due to the composition of the painting - with the well at
centre stage. This serves as an additional impetus for my investigation. As my sub question addresses how
cultural and historical features could strengthen the local ethos, this painting clearly forms a basis for
hypothesis 3 as a qualitative justification.
This brief historic background has inspired this investigation as the Pantiles catalysed the development of
Tunbridge Wells’ itself. Using the remaining built environment, architectural detail and cultural features, this
inquiry will assess their socioeconomic impact on the people of central Tunbridge Wells. The Pantiles has
remained a cultural destination for tourism, where a varied programme of cultural and historical events is
held. Through evaluating the events’ accessibility, sustainability and impression on the general public, I hope
to evaluate their effectiveness in boosting socioeconomic opportunities.
Figure 2: The upper-class pleasure-seekers2
Upper-class attire and bright clothing
Nice weather (sunny, warm)
Joyous expressions and confident body language
Social gathering of men and women
2
https://issuu.com/thepantiles/docs/a_small_corner_of_england
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller samanthahall. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £8.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
62555 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now