A_Case_Study_of_the_Results_of_the_Urban_Dynamics_in_a_Large_City

A case study of the results of the urban dynamics in a large ciyt: SYDNEY SOCIAL STRUCTURE & SPATIAL PATTERNS OF ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE, WEALTH & POVERTY, ETHNICITY CLASS Sydney has well defined class structure Class determined by a person’s occupation in terms of prestige, financial rewards & material lifestyle Where one lives and what kind of housing reflects income, occupation & education SOCIAL EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING Major effect of economic restructuring has been growth in the producer services & finance sectors & a decline in manufacturing jobs Economic restructuring involves massive job cuts Differences in living standards growing Pockets and districts of poverty, unemployment, violence, poor health & social distress now feature in Sydney’s social morphology There are also areas of wealth & privilege, producing security apartment buildings & ‘gated communities’ Australia’s changing social structure End of 1990’s: 1% of the population controlled 25% of Australia’s personal wealth the wealthiest 10% owned 60% of the total wealth the least wealthy 30% had no wealth 50% of Australians had just 7% nearly 2.1 million of Australia’s 19 million people live at or below the poverty line about 21% of children live in poverty Growing divisions socially and economically have risen spatial inequality (distinct geographical divisions between poor & affluent) Between 1976 & 1991, the average household income in the 1000 poorest neighbourhoods declines $8000 p.a. The richest neighbourhoods rose almost $20 000 p.a. Poor are becoming increasingly concentrated in one set of neighbourhoods and rich in another Rising poverty & social disadvantage because of: High levels of unemployment Casualisation of the workforce Falling wages Cuts to welfare & public services Concentration of economically & socially disadvantaged into particular neighbourhoods often results in association with high crime rates, drug dependency, domestic violence, urban decay & vandalism Advantage or disadvantage depends on class (or socio-economic status) Spatial patterns of advantage & disadvantage 3 most common indicators: - occupation - education - income Spatial concentration of disadvantaged can lead to being caught up in a cycle of poverty Intergenerational transmission of unemployment – ‘underclass’ & a ‘culture of poverty’ (in the US but not Australia) This is because Australia’s welfare system provides a working safety net. Spatial patterns of wealth & poverty Wealthy zone: 40% of men 25 – 44 earn $1000+/week : north & harbour side :- Sydney - Mosman - Pittwater - North Sydney Poor zone: >17% of men 25 – 44 earning