Category: Geography

Before the Industrial Revolution mist people lived in rural communities and were largely self sufficient. Life expectancy was 40’ish. Things then changed. People moved from the countryside as mechanisation took place and factories needed labour. In Manchester by 1825 the life expectancy was 26! However medical science and hygiene soon won out and life expectancy is now about 78.

The driving force of needing labour in factories, shops, offices is receding fast. Home working, internet, online shopping all make the need for cities less relevant. In the countryside we have vast tracts occupied by the upper class with low population density. Farms that are managed on a macro style for profit may become less prevalent as the demand for quality and organic grows. Intensive farming of e.g. chickens is thought to be behind outbreaks of bird flu and other pathogens that have the ability to transform in to hazards for mammals.

We are seeing a growth in village sizes as people opt for a quieter, cleaner lifestyle. This however creates a problem as people seem to “want is all and want it now” lifestyle. This involves travelling far and wide and often for their visceral pleasure. How many people will spend their whole life without seeing a kingfisher or tern, the sound of a cuckoo, the scent of wild garlic in a bluebell wood?

Back to the topic. Our cities are declining in the services they provide. Food shopping is based on the outskirts. Clothing sales are often online and the city centre, once a hub of retail activity are often a dull series of tattoo parlours, betting shops, chain cafes, charity shops and discount stores serving those who live in the city and cannot afford the escape.

So the poor are stuck in the city, and its vibrancy and entertainment facilities will still attract the young adults. It will still have a function. Will there be a need for office blocks in the future – it seems unlikely. The fact that it is the young that will be attracted means that it will be at the forefront of innovation, as long as they are not starved of funds. Universities will thrive in the urban landscape of the future, with their ability to bring people of specific talent together.

The balance of inputs and outputs between cities and rural areas will change. The carbon footprint of cities will be reduced? Is this a wishful thought? Can we go back to the situation when every city was surrounded by market gardens and orchards? The globalised world took us over and offered cheap produce for a long time. Cities will always need to pay over the odds for utilities and disposal.

The hold that companies like Coca-cola and Google and Amazon have over us will change (Google shares lost $170billion last week, Tesla similar amounts.). Will the government change the basic rules to support local industries and start ups? The present one seems to be intent on wealth growth for the rich.

So my theory is that the growth of cities was predicated on the Industrial Revolution, and we will see counter urbanisation on a large scale. This will however have to be matched by demographic change (less people) and economic change with MNC’s losing their tax breaks.

I have written about this in textbooks (geog.123). But we seem to have reached a tipping point. Like bigger and larger factories and industries were supposed to lead to economies of scale; globalisation was supposed to create an ever cheaper source of goods for consumers. However like most things in life neither has occurred. Bigger and larger factories leads to discontent. Have we reached peak consumerism yet? I know my daughter and others are downscaling on plastic toys (sales reduced this year). Minimum wage jobs do not lead to job satisfaction. I would rather pay maybe twice as much for a product that has already reached peak efficiency (washing machines, dish washers, irons, cookers, etc. are unlikely to get some revolutionary makeover – so let me pay extra for one which will last 50 years? My best example is the Kitchen Aid (Oh so expensive) but oh such a wonderful friend in the kitchen!

but not as far as Euston! What is the point of it if it not reaching the heart of London? There will no time saving overall, and at a cost of ££££???? The phrase about couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery comes to mind. Which poor suckers will be wheeled out to explain what a brilliant scheme it is?

I guess those at Eton, etc. are doing the history of the empire and how to exploit people.

A measure of equality os essential for social harmony and economic growth. When disparities occur both between social groups and between geographical regions the result is a collapse in society and the countries infrastructure. Let me concentrate on the geographical aspect. On a regional level there is huge disparity between regions of the UK – a report today

That there are areas of the country suffering deprivation is beyond doubt. That some are in Essex and Kent is also well documented. But for 2 rich counties one has to wonder why there was not more self-help?

However the piecemeal approach of governments over time has shown that this is not efficient. Cornwall received £millions from the EU but many of the small dispersed projects failed. Successes are the new road link and the expansion of Universities into the county. Studies have also shown that some deserving councils are too cash strapped to provide staff to create the grant application and staff its implementation. Of 151 local authorities only 8 have not had real term cuts even with the extra funds announced. Levelling up is a nonsense statement. Does the Education Minister talk about levelling up? The first objective should be to provide a minimum level of public services like community centres, swimming pools and libraries. Investment in education in poorer areas would yield dividends for years to come. So an AI centre in Blackpool is welcomed. Whether National Heritage sites should be receiving these funds (rather than from elsewhere) is debatable.

The north appears to be in desperate need of a functional public transport system. The devastation of Thatcherism will not be met by call centres and Amazon warehouses. Decentralisation of government and business away from London will do wonders for the North and Midlands – start with Parliament. Media City in Manchester appears to be a success. I am not sure what went wring with the mega-factory for batteries that has gone bust recently but am informed that the location is ideal, but management were not. London house prices are over inflated so decentralisation makes sense. Instead of Sleaze-Dogg moaning about working from home we should encourage it. Re-nationalise the railways and offer cheap one day a week season tickets for those who need to visit offices occasionally. This will probably hit High Streets and hospitality centres in cities, but so be it. Business rates need to be abolished and replaced by VAT or a separate sales tax so that shops and on-line pay the same costs.