My_Chosen_Street

Drawing on what you have learned about City Road, outline some of the inequalities on a street that you know. Introduction Drawing on the evidence of Blakely et al City Road, Cardiff; I will compare City Road with Gold Street, Northampton. Inequalities in streets in the UK can be perceived differently based on our personal experiences. We sometimes categorise people based on what we see or hear through others and how society affects our thoughts. This essay will describe the inequalities of Finance, Access, Impact of Immigration and the Sharing of Social Space and Safety. Northampton is a historical town famous for its shoe making industry since the 15th century. The industry has declined over recent years but there is still a small industry making specialised shoes for the higher end designer market. This can be compared with the decline of the motor industry on City Road. Gold Street is a small shopping street lying to the west of the main town centre area. (Northamptonshire-history, accessed May 2011) Gold Street had not been upgraded for many years and in 2009 work begun to make the street pedestrian-friendly. This led to digging up the road where a glimpse of medieval road was found below the surface of the street. There were other artefacts found by archaeologists. Councillor Hawkins said: " It's not surprising in Northampton to find evidence of the shoe industry, but some of the things they have found are really beautiful, they are a real part of the town's history." (Northamptonchron, accessed May 2011) As this was a much neglected part of the town, the purpose of the project was to make the street more welcoming to pedestrians and boost businesses in the area. This was also to balance the road space in favour of pedestrians and public transport, eliminate the traffic and parking issues on the street, thus making it safer. This can be compared to some parts of City Road in the film (Making Lives DVD, 2009) and in this case there are winners and losers. The road users who used to find it easy to quickly park outside with no parking fee can no longer do so, thus attracting additional time and cost. For those who have a physical disability the change is also not ideal as they have further to travel unless they use public transport. However, for those who are students, families without cars, those who cannot afford their own transport and those who frequent this street browsing and shopping, this new layout is safer. Gold Street more recently became famous for its residents attitude to safety where it made the national headlines. One elderly lady, Ann Timson, who saw thieves breaking into a jewellery store, attacked them with her handbag and on-lookers helped her to hold some of them whilst the police were called. These thieves were from London and have since been prosecuted. (Metro, accessed May 2011) Northampton town changed to a university status in 1999, which has attracted a large number of students to the area. Some are from other parts of the UK whilst others are from Europe or other countries. In addition, with the current economic climate and the large unemployment in the area, Gold Street has changed a number of the shop owners. There are many similarities to City Road in catering for students with fast food restaurants; however, this street differs from that of City Road in that it has 99p stores, £1 shops and others for £5 or more to cater for those in a very low income bracket. It is also situated near to the town’s outdoor market which is available five days per week unlike City Road, which caters for students once per week. Riley’s a UK leading cue sports operator also offers good value food and entertainment with quality pool, snooker tables and giant screen TV’s, which caters for students and all who are seeking a social atmosphere. Over the last 10 years there has been an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa which has created some inequalities. Some of these migrants have difficulty with the English language and they have differing cultures. Gold Street caters for the population of Northampton and you will find a diverse range of shops, bars, restaurants, café’s and hairdressing facilities. To cite a few; there are British owned shops and bars, a French restaurant, a polish grocery store, a café with French and Muslim delicacies and Asian shops selling British and Asian style clothing. There is also a hairdresser that specialises in African, Caribbean and European hair. Conclusion This essay has attempted to address the inequalities with Gold Street, Northampton compared with City Road Cardiff. The findings are that there are many similarities as well as differences. City Road is very multi-cultural whereas Gold Street is still very British with an addition of multi-cultural cohesion and awareness. Gold Street caters for the less privileged in society and leaves other areas in the town to cater for those who can afford higher prices and the more affluent in society. Word count 824 References: Metro (2011) ‘Hero granny fights off sledgehammer gang with handbag’, Available from: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/854890-hero-granny-fights-off-sledgehammer-gang-with-handbag#ixzz1NvRI8LH1 (Accessed 31 May 2011) Northamptonshire-history (2010) ‘Shoemaking in Northampton’, Available from: http://www.northamptonshire-history.org.uk/'p=10 (Accessed 31 May 2011) Northamptonchron (2009) “Medieval find”, available from: http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/medieval_find_in_northampton_s_gold_street_1_885112 (Accessed 31 May 2011) Blakely G., Bromley S., Clarke J., Raghuram P., Silva E., Taylor S. (2009) DD 131 Learning Companion 1, Introducing the social sciences: part one, Milton Keynes, The Open University 'Making social lives on City Road' (2009) Making Social Lives [DVD], Milton Keynes, The Open University