5. People in citiesAIMS:

To compare the characteristics of 2 of the following areas:

1) An area of rural settlement

2) An area of rural / urban fringe

3) A suburban area

4) An inner city area

5. People in citiesAlvechurch Selly Oak

Description - A suburbanised village located in the rural-urban fringe of Birmingham- In the county of Worcestershire, 11 miles south of Birmingham CBD- M42 passes very close to the north of the village and is on a rail line which runs between Birmingham and Redditch- Population just over 5000- The settlement is very old (8th century) but has grown rapidly since the 1950s as a result of counter-urbanisation

- An inner suburb of Birmingham located to the south west of the CBD- It is bordered by the wealthier wards of Edgebaston and Harborne- The A38 (Bristol Road) passes through the middle of Selly Oak and it is located on the same train line as Alvechurch- Much of the area is more typical of the inner city as industry grew in the 19th century due to it’s location at the junction of the Worcester and Dudley canals. This resulted in the construction of a large number of Victorian terraced houses (usually found in inner city areas)

Age and ethnicity Average age – 42

% over 65 – 21%

% between 16 & 74 full time students – 7%

White British – 96%

Asian – 0.5%

Average age – 29

% over 65 – 10%

% between 16 & 74 full time students – 31%

White British – 76%

Asian – 8%

Black – 3%

Wealth Average weekly income per household - £690

In full-time employment – 40%

In part-time employment – 12%

Type of work:

Managers and senior officials – 21%

Professional occupations – 15%

Elementary occupations - 8%

Total unemployed – 2%

Average weekly income per household - £439

In full-time employment – 30%

In part-time employment – 7%

Type of work:

Managers and senior officials – 21%

Professional occupations – 24%

Elementary occupations - 12%

Total unemployed – 6.4%

5. People in citiesHousing Average property price - £235,712

Typical 2 bedroom property - £153,000

Typical 5 bedroom property - £560,000

Interquartile range of property prices - £150,000

Most common type – semi-detached 41%

Average bipolar scores - +22

Average property price - £147,923

Typical 2 bedroom property - £126,000

Typical 5 bedroom property - £153,000

Interquartile range of property prices - £80,000

Most common type – terraced 41%

Average bipolar scores - -6

Shops and services

Recreation and leisure services – 10%

Service shops – 7%

Specialist shops – 13%

Recreation and leisure services – 23%

Service shops – 16%

Specialist shops – 12%

Social welfare issues – what (if anything) is being done to resolve these issues?

Lack of entertainment and facilities for the relatively small group of teenagers that live in the village resulting in anti-social behaviour around the park area. (the elderly population may be less tolerant of bad behaviour)

The majority of the population is mobile (has a car) commutes to work and can access shops and services as and when needed – this leaves a group of aging residents that rely of public transport and need specific health care facilities which are not always viable to provide (these people then become very isolated)

Anti-social behaviour as a result of the ‘party’ mentality of students often clashes with the ‘local’ residents (in 2000 Selly Oak appeared on the ‘Neighbours at war’ TV program)

There is a significant gap in levels of education and earning potential between the student population and the group of unemployed / lower income households.

Students are often promiscuous resulting in an increased need for sexual health clinics

New migrants may struggle to integrate into society and access work due to language barriers.