Globalisation & Economic Change in London (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Population Characteristics of London

• London's population stands at 8.8 million (2021 census) and is the second largest region by population size after the southeast

  • The top 20 most densely populated local authorities in the country are in London

• London’s population is much younger than the rest of the UK, which increases the rate of natural increase in the city

• Economic migrants from within the UK and overseas in their 20s and 30s give London its distinctive age structure

• The older population is smaller in London because:

  • Families leave the capital

  • People leave when they retire

• The 2021 Census shows that 3.58 million London residents were born outside the UK, some 41 per cent of London’s total population, up from 3.00 million, 37% in 2011

  • 1.37 million London residents were born in Europe outside the UK

  • 1.15 million people were born in the Middle East and Asia

  • 1.06 million in the rest of the world, including Africa, the Americas and Oceania

• The top non-UK country of birth was India, with 323,000 London residents

• Over 100,000 were Romanian (176,000, Poland 149,000, Bangladesh 139,000, Pakistan 130,000, Italy 126,000, and Nigeria 117,000)

Causes of Deindustrialisation

• London has undergone several changes to its economy

• Between 1960 and 1981, there was rapid deindustrialisation in London. especially around the dockyards 

  • Containerisation led to larger ships which could not be accommodated in the London Docks, with the last dock closing in 1981

• Manufacturing across London relied on the goods coming in through the docks

  • The closure of the docks led to a decline in manufacturing in areas like Lea Valley, Tottenham and Stratford

• Between 1966 and 1974, almost 400,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in London

  • In 1971, one million people were employed in manufacturing

  • By 2004, it was only 245,000

• The unemployment rate in 1981 was almost 18%

  • Over 60% of the docklands area was derelict or vacant by 1981

Decentralisation 

• Competition for space within cities makes land expensive to buy or rent, and access is limited

• This has led to many businesses and shops relocating to the rural-urban fringe (the edge of the city)

• Business and retail parks have room for expansion and usually have good transport access and parking 

• Examples of decentralisation in London include:

  • Shopping centres such as Bluewater, Dartford and Centrale, Croydon

  • Retail parks such as Cork Tree, Tottenham, Grove Farm, and Ilford

  • Business parks such as Uxbridge Business Park and Riverwalk Business Park in Enfield

• A shortage of housing and land in London has led to a number of new homes being given planning permission on London’s rural fringe 

• These homes have been built on the opposite side of the green belt and created commuter towns such as Reading, Milton Keynes, Luton, Chelmsford, etc.

• There has been an increase in online shopping, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic

  • This has led more businesses to locate outside the city, as they do not need to be located near to customers 

Transport changes

• Many main roads, motorways and train lines link the suburbs with the city centre

  • This allows commuters easy access to work, shopping and entertainment

• Park and ride schemes have been particularly important to enable people to travel to events without taking their cars, e.g. football matches and arena concerts

Inequality in London

Inequality in London