Bristol: A UK Core City

• Bristol is a UK city in the South West of England.
• Found on the coast of the Bristol Channel
• One of the UK's ten core cities.

Key Aspects of Bristol

• A leading green city.
• Home to Wallace and Gromit's creation.
• The origin of the street artist Banksy.
• Hosts an international hot air balloon festival that attracts 100,000 tourists a day.
• Located on the M4, an important transport route between London and Wales.
• Houses a massive container port where 700,000 cars are imported each year.
• Features large-scale industry, including the second-largest silicon chip manufacturers globally.

Bristol's Migration

• Has been a multicultural city since the 1800s, due to its international port.
• Currently, 16% of Bristol's population is of non-white ethnicity, including Black, Asian, and Mixed-race individuals.
• Migration has positively contributed to Bristol's growth.
• Migrants fill employment gaps, which allows Bristol's economy to continue growing without service shortages.
• Migrants introduce new culture, enhancing Bristol's entertainment and hospitality industries.
• The food industry is diverse.
• The St Paul's Carnival is hosted in Bristol to integrate and celebrate migrants, attracting 40,000 visitors and benefiting Bristol's economy.
• Rapid population growth creates issues, such as housing shortages and pressure on services like education and healthcare.

Changes in Bristol

• Bristol Rovers Football Club is constructing a new stadium.
• Local sports clubs can hire the grounds, inspiring athletes.
• Businesses can hire conference rooms, so the stadium can become a local fixture
• Shopping centers like Cabot Circus offer leisure opportunities and retail jobs for locals.
• Shopping centers can reduce crime by utilizing derelict land.
• Shopping centers attract shoppers away from the city center, impacting the high street.
• High-tech manufacturing industries, including aircraft companies, have been located to Bristol due to international links and government grants.
• Tech industries offer good wages and salaries.
• Bristol is increasing green open spaces via urban greening, including eight nature reserves and 30% tree cover.
• Green spaces minimize urban sprawl and air pollution, improving quality of life.
• Wildlife levels have increased in nature reserves

Challenges with Bristol's Growth

• Growth isn't always positive, the city is struggling with population growth and evolving industry.

Dereliction

• Old industrial mills and buildings have been left abandoned
• New industries need high-tech buildings and cannot afford to renovate these buildings
• They become targets for crime and vandalism, pushing residents to the city's edges for safety.

Solution

• The government offers grants for businesses to renovate protected industrial buildings.
• Some buildings are listed, meaning they hold special historical meaning and cannot be demolished.
• Some industrial areas become leading nightlife areas, especially for urban restaurants and modern art galleries.

Waste & Pollution

• Bristol produces half a million tonnes of waste per year
• Increased vehicles on the road lead to air pollution
• Air pollution causes respiratory conditions for locals and increases the death rate for the population

Solution

• 50% of household waste is recycled and shipped to other cities across the UK.
• Education about recycling is taught in schools.
• Pedestrianizing parts of the city center
• Reducing car speeds on nearby motorways
• Constructing over 40 charging points for electric cars

Housing Shortages

• More people are trying to buy fewer houses
• Government wants to build more houses, but where?
• Building on greenfield land will cause sprawl and decline in the city center

Solution

• The Government needs to build on a mixture of greenfield and brownfield land:
• Greenfield land allows for larger houses with gardens to attract wealthy families.
• Developing brownfield land prevents the city center from becoming derelict and allows for high-value apartments.

Inequality in Bristol

• Despite improvements, some areas of Bristol have developed faster than others.
• This creates a difference in the quality of life between residents, leading to social inequality.

Filwood:

• One of the top 10% of most deprived areas in the UK
• 94% of residents report street litter.
• Many residents report poor general health
• Above average are of overweight children
• 56% of adults are overweight.
• Crime is higher than the Bristol average, including antisocial behaviour.

Stoke Bishop:

• 20% of the population is aged above 65, which is higher than the Bristol average.
• In the lowest 10% of deprived areas in the UK
• Only 4% of households have a smoker, and 37% of adults are overweight.
• Crime rates are significantly below the Bristol average.
• 75% of the population own their home, with houses having on average 3 bedrooms.