ATTIYA REHMAN

How does quality of life vary across Birmingham?

Birmingham is a city in the west midlands of England with a population of 1,016,800. To conduct our primary research into inequality in urban areas, we chose 4 different sample areas which are shown on the map Sutton four oaks, Ladywood, Harborne and Billesley. These were chosen as they were all quite some distance apart so there they are more likely to show inequality across Birmingham.

Access Audit Key:

-2 -1 0 +1 +2 None Very little (1-2) Sufficient amount (3-4) Many (5-6) Plentiful (7+)

Environmental Quality Survey (EQS) Key:

Category Graffiti Litter Positive evaluation No graffiti visible No/very little litter with good access to bins Parks and public fields with open spaces Good structure, appealing to look at Clean with no chewing gum. Even pavements Access to benches with street art Negative evaluation Lots of graffiti ruining appearance of area Lots of litter and no access to bins No open space or parks crowded area Unattractive and damaged Broken and uneven

Open Space and Greenery Quality of buildings Pavement

Street Furniture

No street furniture

ATTIYA REHMAN

Ladywood Access Audit

Factors Shops Public Transport Parking Public facilities Schools Healthcare providers -2 -1 X X 0 +1 +2 Extra opinions A few shops X X X X None visible in area Pharmacy

Ladywood EQS
0 -0.5 Rating -1 -1.5 -2 -2.5 Graffiti Series1 0 Litter -2 Open space -1 Quality of buidings -1 Street Furniture 0

Pavement -2

The data from my access audit for Ladywood shows that everything except for parking has a negative rating showing there are very little shops and public transport available in this area and there were no schools visible in the area. This affects local residents as to get to shops or bus stops they would have to travel quite far and this may not be very convenient for most people. Also as there are no healthcare providers in the area (except for the pharmacy) people may put off visiting the doctor effecting local residents health in the long term. The environmental quality survey also has negative ratings showing there is a lot of litter in the area and the buildings are damaged and unattractive. This shows the lack of care people give to the environment and could also show the lack of funding by the government as all the pavements are broken and uneven clearly showing inequality as the government wouldnt want to spend much money in an area no-one would visit. There is also no street furniture such as statues or benches so there is nothing appealing about the area and again may signify the lack of government funding in Ladywood. This may also affect the local residents as they may not want to leave their house as often as they may if they were living in a different area and this would then in turn affect the local community as people may not be contributing as much.

ATTIYA REHMAN

120,000 - 200,000 Ranged houses

Price 120,000 107,000 Type Terraced house Terraced house No. Of bedrooms 4 3 (data from rightmove)

The table above shows the type of house and the number of bedrooms you can get in Ladywood from a price range of 120,000-200,000. For 120,000 you can get a four bedroom terraced house The number of crimes reported in July 2012 in Ladywood is 811 with anti-social behaviour being the highest. This could be due to the lack of public facilities in the area so teenagers and young adults may not have anything to do so spend their time in other ways affecting their behaviour and attitude towards the community. There are 22 crimes relating to drugs in this area.

ATTIYA REHMAN

Sutton four oaks Access Audit

Factors Shops Public Transport Parking Public facilities Schools Healthcare providers -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Extra opinions X Variety of shops X Buses, Taxis, Cars X X X Medical centre Library, Post Office, Banks, park

Sutton four oaks EQS

2.5 2 1.5 Rating 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 -1.5 Graffiti Series1 2 Litter 0 Open space 0 Quality of Pavement buildings -1 1 Street Furniture 2

The access audit shows there is plenty shops in the area which is convenient for local residents and there is also a lot of public transport. There are many public facilities in the area such a libraries, banks and post offices and there is enough healthcare providers for the area so local residents have easy access to doctors and transport. The EQS shows there is not graffiti available and litter does not seem to be much of a problem as there are a lot of bins in the area. There was also a park and a few public fields so there was a lot of open space and the area did not seem to be crowded. The buildings were a little damaged however this may be due to how old they are. There are also many benches in the area.

ATTIYA REHMAN

120,000 - 200,000 Ranged houses

Price 120,000 200,000 Type House Flat No. Of bedrooms 2 2 (data from rightmove)

For the price of 120,000 you can get a house with 2 bedrooms and also for 200,000 you can get a flat for 200,000. This is considerably expensive compared to how you can get a 4 bedroom house in Ladywood for the same price or less. This shows how more wealthier peole would live in Sutton four oaks. The amount of crime reported in July 2012 in Sutton coldfield was only 44 and this compared to ladywood is really low. This shows it is a nice area to live and also relating to the EQS and access audit shows it is a nice place to live in without much danger of crimes. There is only drug related crime in this area in the month of July 2012.

ATTIYA REHMAN

Harborne Access Audit

Factors Shops Public Transport Parking Public facilities Schools Healthcare providers -2 -1 0 X X X X X Opticians +1 +2 Extra opinions X Variety of shops Buses, Cars Car parks available

Harborne EQS
2.5 2 1.5 Rating 1 0.5 0 -0.5 -1 -1.5 Graffiti Series1 2 Litter 0 Open space 0 Quality of Pavemen buildings t -1 1 Street Furniture 2

There are a lot of variety of shops in Harborne along with a sufficient amount of public transport, schools and parking in the area. This is convenient for all the local residents living in the area and also shows children have access to good education not far from where they may live. As for healthcare providers there were one or two opticians in the area however no pharmacys or surgeries however when looking at how much bedrooms you can get in a price range of 120,000 200,000 shows there are wealthy people living in the area and can afford cars and petrol to travel distances to get to a doctor. The EQS shows there is no graffiti and this linking in with the suffient amount of schools in the area shows that young people are educated so have good jobs and behaviour. There was not muhc litter and there were a lot of bins showing how local residents take care of the place they live in. The pavement was almost always even and there were a few benches and street art in the area showing it is a nice place to live and also a nice community.

ATTIYA REHMAN

120,000 - 200,000 Ranged houses

Price 199,000 199,950 Type Terraced House Terraced House No. Of bedrooms 2 2 (data from rightmove)

For almost up to 200,000 you can get a 2 bedroom terraced house Harborne which compared to Ladywood where you can get a 4 bedroom terraced house for 120,000 shows how expensive it is and only more wealthier people would be able to afford to live in this area with a good income and therefore a good education. In Harborne, crime reported in July 2012 was 221 which is much lower than Ladywood however still higher than Sutton four oaks. Again Antisocial behaviour is the highest. There does not seem to be any reported drug related crimes in the area.

ATTIYA REHMAN

Billesley Access Audit

Factors Shops Public Transport Parking Public facilities Schools Healthcare providers -2 -1 0 X X X X X +1 +2 Extra opinions Convenience store Buses, Cars Enough spaces to park Sufficient amount in area

Billesley EQS
1.5 1 0.5 Rating 0 -0.5 -1 -1.5 -2 -2.5 Graffiti Series1 1 Litter -1 Open space 1 Quality of buildings 0 Pavement 0 Street Furniture -2

The access audit has no positive ratings howver a lot of the things are at a suffient amount which is what is nesseccary for the area. There are a few shops such as a conveniece store and takeaway which is good for local residents. There is also enough parking and schools in the area showing everyone has access to education near by and there would be less chance of young teenagers commiting crimes. There is a lack of health care providers in Billesley so local residents do not have access to doctors or pharmacys close by which could affect their health in the long term however there could be some nearby. The EQS shows there is hardly any graffiti in the area which again links in to the schools in the area. There is a little bit of litter and not many bins which could show how little the local residents care about their area. There is no street furniture at all so people may not be very socail in their local community however the area still seems considerably clean and well looked after compared to Ladywood.

ATTIYA REHMAN

House Prices
Price 120,000 125,000 Type Terraced House Terraced House No. Of bedrooms 2 3 (data from rightmove)

In Billesley you can get 2/3 bedroom terraced house from 120,000 which is low compared to sutton four oaks however compared to ladywood the prices seem high. This shows the area is a nice place to live and you can easily buy a house with a good income. The amount of crime reported in the area in July 2012 is 254 which is very low compared to Ladywood showing it is a safer area than ladywood and you are at less danger of a bugalry or anti-social behaviour. There are 4 drug related crimes in the area. These 4 areas differ greatly clearly showing inequality across Birmingham. By comparing Sutton Four Oaks to Ladywood you can see a lot of difference in the access audit, EQS, house prices and amount of crimes in the area. While Ladywood had over 800 reported crimes in July 2012, Sutton four oaks had just over 40. This is a vital factor showing inequality as people in Ladywood may not have the same standard of education or up bringing as people in Sutton four oaks which would in turn affect their behaviour and attitude. Harborne has more expensive houses than Billesley however the EQS are quite similar and both areas seem considerably safe. Comparing the 4 areas, I have noticed wealthier people with high incomes live in Sutton Four Oaks and Harborne however in Ladywood it seems there are people with low income. This shows inequality as people with low incomes gather in one place and people with high incomes gather in another place. Limitations I was limited in many ways when conducting my primary research as I only visited the area on one day and the weather and the time of day could have an impact on my results. Also I only saw one part of each area so my results are inaccurate as there could be more health care providers in a different part of the area and I just based my results on one part. I could have also taken some photographs to support my results and to provide evidence of litter/graffiti etc. To get more accurate results I could visit the area on different days and times and used different methods other than EQS and access audit and this may help in showing inequality in the area When doing secondary research I was limited as there was only a certain amount of things I could find out that showed inequality in the area. Also the websites I used may not be trustworthy or the

ATTIYA REHMAN information may not be valid as it could be based on old data and the methods used to collect the data are not signified. To improve upon my secondary research I could have used more reliable sites and found out more information about healthcare in each area as this would help show inequality along with my EQS and access audit. It would back up my results and help explain why there may be inequalities.