Success & Regeneration

Geography: Edexcel A Level, topic 5.3.2

Characteristics of Successful Regions

Economic and social inequalities can affect people's perception of an area. Some places are viewed as successful and others as less successful.

Successful regions can be urban or rural. They usually:
Attract people/workers and investment as they create opportunities.
Have good transport and technological infrastructure.
Have few areas suffering high deprivation.
Have some problems created by their success (e.g high property prices, congestion and skills shortages).
- Places like London, New York and Vancouver suffer from very high property prices.

Younger people in high-earning jobs tend to enjoy the fast pace of life and range of job opportunities offered in 'successful' places.
Unskilled people, lower earners and the long-term unemployed tend to have more negative views about their quality of life, if house prices are higher and their disposable income is lower.
Retirees may prefer a slower pace of life, with a pleasant climate and may prioritise different things, like access to healthcare. These communities may not appeal to young adults.

Less successful regions can be urban or rural. They often have:
Declining rates of investment, high rates of deprivation and de-industrialisation.
Negative perceptions are often long-standing and can be passed down through generations.
High levels of unhappiness and low motivation.
Poor levels of educational attainment.
Ageing populations (a high % of people are over 65).
There can be a negative multiplier effect (or positive feedback loop), with a spiral of decline created.

There are four main areas that are generally priorities for regeneration:

Gated communities are places where wealthy residential areas are fenced off from others. They usually have security gates and entry systems.
These communities are very common in South Africa, where inequality is very high and they used to have apartheid (forced separation of black and white people).

Sink estates are social housing estates that are perceived as the least desirable places to live by the population.
They tend to house the lowest income residents who are often the most in need of support.
In the UK, some council estates would be viewed as sink estates.

Commuter villages often don't have enough services for their populations.
Commuter trains may be overcrowded, as many Southern Rail services into Central London are.
Commuter villages are often surrounded by greenbelt land, making housing supply fixed. This can make house prices very high.

Declining rural settlements often don't have enough affordable housing for young adults growing up in the area.
This can lead them to migrate out of the area, which could contribute to a spiral of decline.