Drawing_on_What_You_Have_Learned_About_City_Road,_Outline_Some_of_the_Inequalities_on_a_Street_That_You_Know.

Drawing on what you have learned about City Road, outline some of the inequalities on a street that you know. Close observation of the activity on London Road in Brighton & Hove and City Road in Cardiff has identified a number of inequalities. Conflicts of interest and competition for space and resources seem to be a common theme in both of these busy and eclectic streets. By comparing these two roads it can be seen that although there are obvious differences, some of the same disparities exist in both communities. Many changes have taken place in both streets in recent decades and these dynamic environments are shaped by and adapt to those changes. Georgina Blakely suggests in her commentary in ‘making Social Lives on City Road’ (2009, scene 3), that in this need to adapt, some old inequalities are re-dressed, some re-enforced and new inequalities created. This can be seen in public transport initiatives which are high on the agenda of most, if not all towns and cities and this has lead to the introduction of policies aimed at reducing personal car use and creating a more accessible transport system. The café owner in City Road (‘Making Social Lives,’ 2009, scene 5) raises an interesting example of how conflicts of interest can arise when the state attempts to re-dress existing inequalities. He states that the introduction of bus lanes in Cardiff road will have a negative affect on his business with the reduction in road side parking. In this he also touches on a less immediately visible inequity; that between the state and the citizen and a sense of being powerless in the face of this change. London road differs from City Road in that the buses are well used and run a 24 hour service. 2 The local council has taken steps to re-dress the historic inequality of accessibility of public transport between the able bodied and the physically impaired and disadvantaged. The Council states in its ‘transport and movement’ document (2005), ‘…over reliance on car travel…can increase isolation for people without access to cars disproportionately affecting older people, women, disabled people and the less well off…’ and it suggest that this can be the difference between ‘…poverty and a decent standard of living.’ However, what can be seen by some as the removal of an inequality can be seen by others as the creation of a new inequality, that being between the increase in accessibility and usability of the public transport system and the perceived negative impact on the small business owner. Some of these same small businesses present another example of inequity which can be seen in the changes in the focus of consumerism in the high street. It is argued by Helen Rimmer, (Evidence in Social Sciences, 2009),that the disparity of power and influence of the large supermarkets and the consolidation of goods into one retail outlet, is responsible for the decline of the high street, and she sites the figure of 50 small businesses closing each week. This shift in peoples shopping habits can be clearly seen in London Road with the closure of many of the more traditional high street shops, and this seems to be mirrored in the experience of the newsagent in City Road. (‘Making Social Lives’, 2009, scene 3). 3 Helen Rimmer also argues that this move away from high street shopping has created a negative cycle of decline, affecting not simply the traditional small shop, but also the look and feel of the public realm; deterring people and investment, further depressing the area. However, in the same discussion Richard Dodd argues that the introduction of the big supermarket chains is an important part of the re-generation of an area, particularly through employment. Here again appears to be an example of those who may gain as a result of these changes and those who perceive a loss by the threat to, or loss of their livelihood. By using these examples of observable inequalities, it would appear that the street can be seen as a microcosm of wider society. In identifying the activities, conflicts and competition on the street that is familiar to us we are able to recognise that there are also themes and patterns that emerge, suggesting that the same changes and re-shaping of the high street is a common feature across the UK, and therefore can helps us to understand the changes and re-shaping that take place continually in society as a whole. 753 4 Bibliography ‘Evidence in Social Sciences’ (2009) Making Social Lives [CD1], Milton Keynes, The Open University. ‘Making Social Lives on City Road’ (2009) Making Social Lives [DVD], Milton Keynes, The Open University. Transport and Movement (2005) Retrieved June 6 2011 from http://brighton-hove.sustainabilitychecklist.co.uk/checklist/category/20/overview