geography - evoltairehg · vocabulary . the dover/calais ferry route and the channel tunnel carried...

Falling transport and communication cost

Massive world capital flows between advanced and developing economies (trillion dollars, 2010), Bain Report, 2012.

London is the most competitive financial centre in the world, overtaking New York and utterly dominating the rankings compiled by analysts at the Z/Yen Group this year. The capital topped every single category in the in-

dex, with the best business environment, the most developed financial cen-tre, the most impressive infrastructure, the best human capital and the top overall reputation.

London received a substantial boost from the Conservative victory in May’s general election, the Global Financial Centres Index report said. Labour, led at the time by Ed Miliband, was notably more hostile to busi-

ness in the run-up to the vote. The rejection of independence by Scottish voters was also a positive, with foreigners assessing the stability of London and Britain as a place to do business. The depth and breadth of business

activity also helped, with the strength of the professional services and insur-ance industries alongside banking giving London a boost in the rankings. All the finance professionals surveyed ranked London very highly, indicating

that it is a stable place to work. “Rule Britannia: London overtakes New York as the world's best financial centre”, Tim Wal-

lace, The Telegraph, 23 September 2015

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

GSK company is improving the efficiency and competitiveness of its manufac-turing network. It means investments for respiratory and HIV medicines manu-facturing in the UK and strategic reviews, including the sale or closure of UK

manufacturing sites. GSK has a significant presence in the UK with 9 manufacturing sites, a global R&D site and corporate headquarters. GSK is one of the largest private R&D

investors in the UK spending over a £1billion a year. Overall, GSK employs a total of around 17000 people across the UK of which 5000 are in manufactur-ing operations. GSK exports around 80% of UK manufactured products

(pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare) and has nearly 100,000 employees in over 100 countries. GSK's outgoing chief executive said that leaving the EU would be a mistake

as the company benefited from the free movement of highly qualified scientists across Europe and a single EU framework for regulating and approving drugs. But the company has clearly decided that Britain's highly-skilled workforce,

relatively low tax rates, and incentives for investing in research outweigh Brexit concerns. There is also the benefit of a cheaper pound when producing prod-ucts bound for foreign markets.

“GSK: UK still 'attractive' post Brexit”, BBC News, 27 July 2016.

CS1 ◄Global flows & the UK ► Which massive flows interconnect the world & the UK?

1. Worldwide trade & investment

Structure Key notions Vocabulary

The immigrant population of England and Wales increased by 2.9m in the decade to 2011, bring-ing the number of people born abroad close to one in eight, according to census results. […]

India, Poland and Pakistan were the top three countries from where foreign-born people had arrived since 2001, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said ; the biggest rise was from Po-land. […] The largest increase in non-UK born population was in London, where over a third of

residents were born abroad and almost a quarter were not British nationals. "Today we are painting a picture of our society, where we are born, our ethnicity, our religion, our health and much, much more," said Guy Goodwin, census director at the ONS. "The release

is giving a picture of big change since 2011 and a population that is increasingly diverse." […] "What is your main language?" was a new question for 2011. In 91% of households everyone spoke English, while in 1% of households no adult spoke English but at least one child did. In 4%

of households no one spoke English as the main language. Mixed-ethnicity Britain is a growing trend as 12% of households had members who were of different ethnic groups, three points more than in 2001.

“Census: almost one in eight people in England and Wales born abroad”, Robert Booth, The Guardian, 11 Dec. 2012

Global people flows

(millions) G.J. Abel and

N. Sander, Quantifying

Global Inter-national

Migration Flows, 2014.

“Fuelled by the American Dram, immigration may be US primary population growth driver by 2027”, Moni

Basu, CNN, May 17th, 2013.

Oxford University's Migration Observatory found that 7% of those who came to the UK from the EU were born outside the continent. […] But why abandon the good life in Sweden, or the Netherlands, to start again from scratch in Britain?

"I think the UK is more open," says Jibril, whose family fled Somalia in 1989 for Holland where he worked for a printing firm and now a London bus driver. He admires the success of non-white people in Britain – totally absent on the continent, and mentions the Asian commu-

nity who came to the UK from Uganda. "They are landlords, businessmen, lawyers. It's amaz-ing," he enthuses. For Kevin Obudako, who was born in Nigeria but came to Britain from Ger-many where he was racially taunted, "London has become a place where black people can

live." An awareness of British post-colonial migration drew him here. "You had Nigerians, Ja-maicans. Everyone was accommodated." It's no surprise when immigrants flatter Britain. People from brutal dictatorships admire our

freedoms. The global poor dream of our prosperity. But these EU migrants with all of western Europe at their feet are drawn to Britain – even if they are at first poorer as a consequence. Their admiration of our society seems to indicate some kind of "British dream."

“The British dream: why Europe's African citizens come to Britain”, Mukul Devichand, The Guardian, 28 Jan. 2013.

The latest data on outbound tourism spending are very encouraging. Despite the many chal-lenges of recent years, results of spending on travel abroad are consistent with the 4% growth to 1.2 billion international tourist arrivals 2016 benefits many countries all around the world, translat-

ing into economic growth, job creation and opportunities for sustainable development. 2016 was another strong year for outbound tourism from China, the world’s leading out-bound market. […] This growth consolidates

China’s position as number one source market since 2012, following a double-digit growth in tourism expenditure since 2004. Tourism

spending from the United States the world’s second largest source market increased 8% in 2016. Germany, the UK, France and Italy are

the four European markets in the top ten and all reported growth in outbound demand last year.

“2016 Tourism market trends”, World Tourism Organization UNWTO, 12 April 2017.

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS1 ◄Global flows & the UK ► Which massive flows interconnect the world & the UK?

2. People on the move


The Dover/Calais ferry route and the Channel Tunnel carried more than 28.8 million passengers in 2013. The huge volume of international traffic passing through Calais, and its geographical

position as the closest point to the UK, may both be factors in attracting migrants intending to access the UK by clandestine means. Besides, the route between Calais and Dover is hugely significant for the UK both in practical

terms – as a major route in and out of Britain for people and goods - and symbolically as both a gateway to Britain and a barrier that protects it. […] While Dover is seen to represent the solidity of Britain’s coastal borders, Calais has traditionally represented a source of potential threat to

Britain’s borders. […] The migrant crisis turned it into a source of real threat as immigrants who don’t get the right to come to the UK are stopped, and cluster, there. While those migrants in Calais hoping to travel to the UK are very visible, research suggests

that vastly greater numbers of irregular migrants in the UK arrived by air rather than in the back of a truck, and that most started out with legal status, but subsequently lost it. So, while Calais is a very visible bottleneck through which many of those intending to enter the UK by clandestine

means may pass, it does not seem to be the main route into the UK for irregular migrants. "Calais and clandestine migration into the UK”, The Migration Observatory, Oxford University, 24 Oct 2014.

Europe, a Haven. "The New Europeans", National Geographic, October 2016

The EU's external border force, Frontex, monitors migrant routes and numbers and put the figure

crossing into Europe in 2015 at more than 1,800,000 - compared to 280,000 arrivals in 2014. The majority of the refugees seeking asylum are from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The conflict in Syria continues to be by far the biggest driver of migration but the ongoing violence in Afghanistan and

Iraq also leads people to look for new lives elsewhere. Tensions in the EU have been rising due to the disproportionate burden faced by countries where the majority of migrants have been arriving: Greece, Italy and Hungary. In September, EU

ministers voted to relocate 160,000 refugees EU-wide. The huge influx and the 13 November Paris attacks caused six EU states in the Schengen zone to impose temporary border controls. The UK has opted out of the Schengen Agreement and signed the Le Touquet treaty with France

to prevent refugees from setting feet on UK soil and thus claim asylum. The UK has also refused the EU relocation plans but 1,000 Syrian refugees were nevertheless resettled in 2015 and Prime Minister David Cameron has said the UK will accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the

next five years. "Europe Migrant crisis", BBC News Special report, 4 March 2016.

"Calais migrants: Hundreds moved from 'Jungle'

camp", BBC News, 24 October 2016.

Media dealing with the ‘threat’ posed by Calais have tended to focus on its role as a transit point for ir-regular migrants intending to access the UK by stowing away on vehicles and trains passing through the Channel Tunnel. Up to 10,000 migrants are now living at the Calais Jungle camp and are using desperate

and violent measures to cross the Channel. Footage of a group of refugees attempting to force their way onto a passenger ferry, with the intention of entering the UK unlawfully, possibly to claim asylum later on, created something of a media sensation in September 2015.

Consequently construction work has begun on a UK-funded wall. The 4m barrier will run for 1km along both sides of the main road to the northern French port. Dubbed the "Great Wall of Calais" by some me-dia, it is an attempt to deter would-be stowaways and address business decline due to attempts by mi-

grants to board trucks. Clandestine crossings, however, roughly equals only 0.3 per cent of all arrivals in Dover. Home Office figures suggest that there are 7,000-18,000 attempted clandestine border crossings annually, but because

people try and are thus counted repeatedly the actual number of individuals involved would be smaller. "Calais migrants: Work begins on UK-funded border wall", BBC News, 20 September 2016.

Seeking asylum in Europe, "Refugee crisis: Migration to Europe

explained in seven charts", BBC News Special report, 4 March 2016.

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS2 ◄The Calais migrant crisis ► What does the Calais Migrant crisis tell us about international migration to the UK?

1. Coming to Calais


Refugee city , "What is the Calais Jungle, how many refugees live there and will they claim asylum in the UK?",

T. Gillespie and J. Hale, The Sun, 24 October 2016

The example of a previous Calais crisis is in everyone's minds - Sangatte. From 1999 to 2002, a Eurotunnel hangar was turned into a Red Cross centre for migrants. Originally conceived for just

a few hundred, by the end it was holding 2,000 refugees, many being smuggled into the UK. The French and UK governments agreed that Sangatte was attracting migrants and closed it down, the UK accepting half the migrants in exchange for the Touquet treaty.

Over the next decade numerous makeshift camps would spring up around Calais with police regularly closing them down. The Jungle took on its current form and became notorious during the European migrant crisis which began in 2015. In January 2015, the French government

opened a day centre to accommodate 50 displaced women and children. A report by The Guard-ian in April 2015 found that more than 1,000 men were sleeping rough in the wasteland around the centre - now closed, with the makeshift town quickly becoming known as the “Jungle”.

The French authorities have made detailed plans for moving migrants out of the camp. But what happens next? Does emptying the Jungle mean the Calais problem is solved once and for all? Or will the same process soon start all over again? After all, just because the migrant camp has

been closed, that does not mean the draw of England is any the less strong. “What next after the Jungle?", Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris, 24 October 2016 .

A person’s rationale for travelling to the UK rather than another EU member state to claim asylum or to reside illegally will vary: People

may fear for their treatment in certain states, and consider the UK to be safer, but other factors such as language skills, family or

friends networks and expectations based on press, TV and internet may all play a role. […] A recurring narrative in the UK media is that

the UK is seen as a ‘soft touch‘ by migrants intending to come and either claim asylum or live in the country without legal status. And the

mayor of Calais claimed that Calais was being over-loaded with migrants because: “because they believe they will be looked after if they get

to Britain.” She believed that they saw Britain as an “el Dorado” where they could “Work the black market easily.” […]

The UK has made significant efforts not to be seen as a ‘soft touch’ for asylum seekers. Asy-lum seekers are not allowed to work or claim

benefits. Those in need of financial support are provided with about £5 per day and, if they are provided with accommodation, they are not

able to choose where they live. […] Irregular migrants cannot claim benefits, cannot work legally, do not have access to services such as

healthcare, and are subject to detention and subsequently deported if found.

"Calais and clandestine migration into the UK", The Migration Observatory, Oxford Uni., 24 Oct 2014.

The fear of invasion: hysteria in the British press and social

media, 31 July 2015.

As the sun sets on Calais, a new barbed wire fence glints, casting a shadow over the growing migrant camp known as the “Jungle”. On the other side of the fence, cars and lorries trundle towards the port of Calais

and the northern edge of the Schengen Area, where people can move freely across much of Europe. On what was once an industrial dumping ground, tents and tarpaulin

stretch into the distance. These are the makeshift homes currently pro-viding insufficient shelter from the elements for more than 3,000 refugees living in appalling conditions that would not meet any humanitarian stan-

dards. They are hungry and distressed. Toilet facilities are limited. Piles of rubbish attract rats and other pests. There is only access to cold water, often at some distance.

The aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres carried out a survey in May which found 82 per cent of the refugees in the camp were aiming to reach Britain. Most believe there is a better prospect of finding work, legal

or not. Many want to claim asylum, although others want to enter incog-nito. The language issue is also important: many migrants speak English and no French. Others have relatives in the UK which is a big draw.

Some believe that there is better housing and education available. "Is this really Europe? », Surindar Dhesi, The Conversation, 24 July 2015.

Seen in Cal-ais’ “Jungle”

camp.

Photo: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images,

iNews, 30 August

2016

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS2 ◄The Calais migrant crisis ► What does the Calais Migrant crisis tell us about international migration to the UK?

2. Living(?) in and leaving(?) Calais


Since the 1990s, immigration from the “old” Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, New Zea-

land, South Africa) and Ireland has progressively shifted towards the “new” Commonwealth countries (primarily India, but also Pakistan, Jamaica and other Caribbean states) and since 2004 to the new EU countries such as Poland. […] Due to long-established social, cultural and economic ties between the UK and its former

colonies, citizens of Commonwealth countries have well established networks that lower the considerable financial and social costs and risks of migration. These costs are much lower if a potential migrant knows family or friends in the UK or has knowledge of the English lan-

guage and British culture. Kinship networks lower costs for job search, housing and child care, and can also help to cope with personal and cultural stress associated with migration. The drastic increase in immigration from Eastern Europe after the 2004 ‘A8’ enlargement

was partly the consequence of a political decision. Although the UK opted-out from the Schengen border free agreement, it was one of the few EU member states that did not im-pose temporary restrictions on the employment of A8 nationals.

"Determinants of Migration to the UK", The Migration Observatory Briefings, Oxford University, 21 Jan 2014.

Wage and income differentials are the most important drivers of international migration, and the UK is no exception. For people living in poorer countries, migration can be an

effective strategy to increase their income and to protect their families from poverty. […] The UK’s has drawn in a strong inflow of workers from the European Union for low-wage jobs. (Note that UK immigration laws do not allow employers to bring non-EU workers to

the country for low skilled jobs), even if UK’s large income inequality means that income levels are relatively low for less skilled migrants. […] Increasing income inequality also plays a major role in attracting high-skilled immigrants because it means that they can

command higher incomes compared to countries with greater income equality. Economic growth and a flexible labour market are major determinants of migration to the UK as they drive a structural demand for migrant labour in high- and low- skilled sec-

tors of the British economy.. […] After 1994, the GDP in the UK grew by an annual rate of 2 to 4% for almost ten years. This decade of stable economic progress, however, was followed by a lower economic growth, although higher than much of the Eurozone. "Determinants of Migration to the UK", The Migration Observatory Briefings, Oxford University, 21 Jan 2014.

Top ten

birth coun-tries of non-UK

residents in England

and

Wales, 2011 Census

analysis Immigration

Patterns of Non-UK Born Populations, ONS 2013.

The Conservative party target to reduce net migration from the ‘hundreds’ to the ‘tens of thou-sands’ has been reflected in stricter policies for admitting non-EU students, family members and workers.

Eligibility criteria for work visas have become more selective but numbers remain similar to 2010 levels. British citizens and settled residents must now earn at least £18,600 if they want to bring their

spouse to the UK, up from an income of £5,500 before July 2012. The exact number of family visa applications this policy has prevented is not known. Student work rights have been reduced and more scrutiny introduced over sponsoring non-EU

students. Under the new rules over 800 colleges either lost or didn’t reapply for their license. Visas issued to international students fell by more than 50,000 from 2010 to 2014.

Net migration was almost 200,000 above the 100,000 target when the last statistics were released

before the election. Failure to meet the target was driven by both EU and non-EU migration. Had EU net migration remained at 2010 levels, it would still have been more than double the target.

"UK Migration Policy since the 2010 General Election", W. Allenn & M. Sumption, Election 2015 Briefing,

The Migration Observatory, Oxford University, 13 Apr 2015.

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS3 ◄ Immigration to the UK ► What is the impact of the UK being a ‘magnet for immigrants’?

1. A too attractive country?


While immigration issues in Britain used to focus on race, the current debate hinges on social class. And Eastern European migrants are often discriminated against on the basis

of their class because they take low-paid jobs. Social class has been reduced to their wealth. It is assumed that people who are well-off will also have high levels of cultural and social capital, such as a university degree and good social networks. And vice versa.

But my research on Serbian Londoners illustrates this oversimplification. They have come to London for a variety of reasons: economic opportunity, seeking adventure or to escape the political situation. People without a degree have started their own business gaining

economic capital. Yet, while they are now financially middle class, they don’t necessarily have greater cultural and social capital. This means their circle of close friends is still lim-ited to a group of people they had known before, and their cultural and social tastes have

not changed. The opposite is also true. Other studies of migration have documented how some migrants are overqualified for the jobs they undertake in Britain. They lost on eco-nomic capital but their cultural and social capitals remained high..

“Class pervades the way migrants are viewed in Britain“, Sanja Vico, The Conversation, March 28, 2017

Poll by YouGov finding that most voters felt Brexit would bring immigration down.

Source: The Migration Observatory, Oxford University.

Many people are concerned that immigration reduces the pay and job chances of the UK-born due to more competition for jobs. But immigrants consume goods and services and this helps to create more employment. Immigrants also might have skills that complement UK-born workers.

New evidence shows that the areas of the UK with large increases in EU immigration did not suffer greater falls in the jobs and pay of UK-born workers. The falls after 2008 are due to the global financial crisis and a weak economic recovery. Studies also show no correlation between

EU immigration and reduction in the pay and employment of less skilled UK workers.. Overall, EU immigrants are more educated, younger, more likely to be in work and less likely to claim benefits than the UK-born. About 44% have higher education compared with only 23% of

the UK-born. EU immigrants pay more in taxes than they take out in welfare and the use of pub-lic and local services such as education, health, or social housing. They therefore help reduce the budget deficit.

And last but not least, the refugee crisis has nothing to do with EU membership. The UK is not in the Schengen passport-free travel agreement so there are border checks on migrants. "Brexit & the Impact of Immigration on the UK", Jonathan Wadsworth, Swati Dhingra, Giancarlo Ottaviano & John Van

Reen, Center for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, May 2016.

Measuring integration in England & Wales, 2011. “How can we count immigration and integration?”, Dynamics of

Diversity briefings, Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity, January 2013

Why did Britain vote for Brexit? Many of Leave's 17.4 million voters have done so as a way to tackle immigration. […] After David Cameron's painful struggle to get net migration down below his promised level of 100,00 a year, a considerable number of voters have seen vot-

ing Leave as a way to finally reduce it. […] Voters sympathised more with the Leave side's stance on immigration throughout the campaign, with polling finding that one third of Leave voters chose to back Brexit as they saw it "offered the best chance for the UK to regain con-trol over immigration and its own borders." […] So Leave voters certainly believed what they

were voting for was very likely to help reduce immigration. But how actively did Brexiteers encourage that idea? The Vote Leave campaign didn't say so overtly, preferring to talk of a Leave vote helping Britain "take control" of immigration

rather than how far they could cut it by. […] But, crucially, these Brexiteers avoided getting specific on how much it would fall after Brexit. […] Nigel Farage - UKIP's leader, a chief sup-porter of Leave.EU, the unofficial Brexit campaign - refused to specify how much Brexit

could reduce immigration by, saying in a pre-referendum interview it would be "up to us". […] And many Britons have interpreted the offer of "control" over the country's borders as a "cut".

"Did Britain really vote Brexit to cut immigration?", Asa Bennett, The Daily Telegraph, 29 June 2016.

From left to right: Priti Patel (MP), former England footballer Sol Campbell, former London mayor Boris Johnson and his counsellor Michael Gove during a

Vote Leave rally.

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS3 ◄ Immigration to the UK ► What is the impact of the UK being a ‘magnet for immigrants’?

2. The subsequent debates



Source: http://www.carterlaw.co.uk/uk-immigration-facts-infographic/, 2013.

With the internationalisation of education and the “flight to quality” of overseas students to highly rated institu-tions, UK’s higher education is evolving into an increasingly global context, significant for our university sys-

tems and our national economy. Education represents the fifth largest service sector export in the UK, with overseas students contributing over £10bn (through fees and expenses) to the sector in 2011-12 and with an anticipated growth of 15-20% in the coming years.

Figures indicate that the major trend is the ongoing increase in Asian students. Between 2011 and 2013 there was a 6% increase in Chinese students, a 15% increase of students from Hong Kong and a 13% in-crease in Singaporean students. They accounted for more than 87,000 students at English universities in

2012-13, while EU students are just below 98,000. One international student in five remains in the UK after their initial visa has expired, according to Home Office research. The study reveals that almost 40,000 of those who arrived on an overseas student visa in

2004 remained in Britain last year. Damian Green, the immigration minister, who is reviewing student visas, said he would be looking hard at the "very high numbers" of international students who remain, as part of gov-ernment's plan to introduce an immigration cap.

“You might be surprised to find out who is living in London’s luxury apartments”, Nicola Livingston, The Conversation, 5 August 2014.

Britain has for centuries been a country of emigration, rather than immigration. Immigrants only

began to outnumber emigrants in the mid 1980s - and since 1997 their numbers has increased sharply, but UK's fondness for emigration is the neglected side of the migration debate. "We need to understand how people migrate in a globalised world and why more young peo-

ple head off on overseas adventures, more skilled people are lured away by other countries, and more pensioners retire to all corners of the map," said Dr Sriskandarajah, director of the Institute of Public Policy Research. A strong economy is attracts economic immigrants but also

encourages Brits to broaden their opportunities. Two-thirds of Britons who leave do so to seek employment abroad - and are replaced by skilled professionals from elsewhere in the world. "Britain is truly at the crossroads of the global movement of people as cheap travel, better

communications and free movement around the European Union mean that emigrating is easier than ever," he said. "Britain has developed a particularly global outlook thanks to centuries of in and out flows. The challenge for British policymakers is to harness the potential of one of the

largest diasporas in the world." "5.5m Britons 'opt to live abroad'", Dominic Casciani, Brits Abroad, BBC News Special Report, Monday, 11 Decem-

ber 2006.

Source: The Migration Observatory, Oxford University, 15 Aug 2016.

PETER LOGAN, Consultant in emergency medicine, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

My wife and I came to Australia 3 years ago. We decided to move because we were poorly paid and worked excessive hours. We can afford a nice house here. My wife is an intensive care nurse. She is respected by the patients and she can also take more time

off to care for our children. HEATHER SAVILLE, Head of an advertising agency, MUMBAI, INDIA I had a great job in advertising and loved living in London. But I was getting bored with

my life. First I spent a year travelling. Then I worked in Thailand. After that I moved to Mumbai. Life here is always in the extreme. People are very hospitable, which you don't get in England, and that makes life easy. On the other hand poverty and bureaucracy

make lots of things difficult. But I do love it and I have no plans to go back the UK. JON REYNOLDS, co-founder of a high-tech start-up, SILICON VALLEY, USA I moved over to California in 2014. In the Valley there is a fearless, energetic, ambitious

sense of opportunity that’s given fuel by the California sun, the rivers of cash that pour into tech firms and the diverse community made up of the most talented thinkers from all around the world. There’s 10 times more of everything here. It makes sense for us to be

here but we maintain a very strong link with the UK and I connect back every day. Brits Abroad: Cases Studies, BBC News Special Report, 11 December 2006 - US update 2016.

Net migration flows, "UK Migration Policy since the 2010 General Election", W. Allenn & M. Sumption, Election 2015 Brief-

ing, The Migration Observatory, Oxford University, 13 Apr 2015

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS4 ◄ Emigration from the UK ► Is the UK still a country of emigra-tion?

1. A long-established tradition 2. The case of circular migration


Polish

shops, a com-

mon sight on

many UK high

streets. "Poland overtakes India as country of origin", BBC News, 25 Aug. 2016

Since some former communist countries joined the European Union in 2004, about

1.3 million East Europeans have travelled to Britain to work - creating something of a scare about the cheaper 'Polish Builder'. But by the end of 2008, almost half of them had already returned home and fewer new migrants are coming although many mi-

grants decided to stay on in their new homes and try to survive the economic downturn. The reasons are simple: when Poland joined the EU in 2004, unemployment was at 20% whereas the British economy was strong and there were plenty of jobs. All that

has changed now. While the UK has been in recession, Poland has just registered modest growth of 1.1%. Warsaw now has an unemployment rate below that of London. A report by the Migration Policy Institute says movement between the Eastern Euro-

pean countries and Britain is now "temporary and circular", with people coming and going all the time, often seasonally. The freedom of movement within the EU means that the UK labour market is always just a budget airline ticket or bus fare away.

"Recession moves migration patterns", Rob Broomby , BBC News, 8 September 2009.

France, the third EU destination for Britons, with

190,000 in 2015 - the most popular 'department' being the Dordogne. "How many British expats in other

countries?", StatsLife.org.uk, 18 November 2015.

It is a pretty, well-preserved and prosperous little market town like so many in south-west England: a pub, a tea-room, a cricket club. Except Eymet is in south-west France, in the Dordogne, an area to which Francophile Brits – drawn by hills that feel like home,

sunshine that doesn’t, a cheaper housing market and good wine – have been migrating since the 1970s. Helped since those days by cheap flights to Bergerac airport, 20 min-utes’ drive away, TV shows vaunting the joys of a new stressless life abroad, and high-

speed internet, the British population of this medieval bastide has swollen. Many are retired. Others are younger, with thriving small businesses and children at the village school. Days from a referendum that could result in Britain leaving the European

Union, all are anxious. “Two big things, really,” says Robert Johnson a retired manage-ment trainer who moved five years ago. “The exchange rate. We’re pensioners. We live on a fixed income. If the pound falls …” And healthcare, of course. The French system

covers 70% of their treatment costs. “But that’s because we’re in the EU...” he says. Any barrier to British visitors and residents will not be welcome in Eymet. “They keep the place going,” says Patrick Diemert, who runs an antiques shop and reckons 65% of

his clients are British. “The shops, the restaurants, the bars ... You look at some similar-sized towns in France, even not far from here. They’re half-dead.”

"Lost in France: the Britons facing Brexit limbo", Jon Henley, The Guardian, Tuesday 19 July 2016.

‘France has always been a destination for the upper and middle classes. It’s close, people have learnt French at school and this gives them a sense that they can live there,’ explains Dr Michaela Benson, author of a study into the lives of Brits living in France. ‘When people are drawn on the image of the

“French Dream”, a lot of nostalgia is involved. Life in France, they claim, is how it used to be in the UK.’ Dr Benson adds that the move to France also depends on economic factors in the UK. 'The last big wave was in the early 1990s during the recession. It doesn’t surprise me that this is occurring again.’ In

2011, France overtook Spain as the number one destination for Brits buying abroad. While just 590,000 houses were sold in 2009, in 2010 that figure had reached 800,000. In the Dordogne, which was featured in the recent ITV series Little England, one property in three was sold to a British buyer. This stands to

reason, according to Dr Benson: ‘Property prices in France have dropped – this is a big incentive.’ But before being seduced by thoughts of an inexpensive house and an idyllic location, consider this: what estate agents won’t tell you is the stress and strain such a move can put on a relationship. Buying a

property to renovate is an all-too-common scenario in France, which places a marriage under unknown pressure. Of those five couples who moved to my village four years ago, only one is still together.

“Channel hoppers: How our French dream became a nightmare”, Daily Mail, April 2012.

Regional UK connections to France & Italy in 2003 and 2013. “A multi-airport system works for London and the UK”, Richard Moxon, The Con-

versation, August 2, 2013.

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS4 ◄ Emigration from the UK ► Is the UK still a country of emigra-tion?

2. The case of circular migration 3. A new trend : amenity migration

“Leader: Sadiq

Khan, the son of a Pakistani bus driver who grew up on a

south London

council estate, has been elected as London’s first

Muslim mayor.” The

Financial Times, 7 May 2016.

Greater London power and connectivity

Marked out with iconic red lanterns London’s Chinatown in Soho […] was a visible layer of Chinese com-merce in food, and a magnet for newly arrived, often undocumented, migrants looking for jobs and contacts.

But London is changing and Chinatown too as businesses had to move to cheaper locations. […] Thus instead of a “Chinatown” in London, we need to think about a less visible - but more polarised, Chi-nese London. The new immigration rules ensure that newcomers are wealthy. They live all over London,

including in some of the most expensive areas. But there’s more to Chinese London. Chinese tourists have increased by 40% and their spending is among the highest. Record numbers of Chinese students attended British private schools and universities paying a

fortune in living expenses and tuition fees. Most important of all is a stream of investments in infrastructure providers such as Heathrow Airport and in new prestigious high-rise business and residential facilities

“As Chinatown is eroded, Chinese influence throughout London spreads”, Caroline Knowles, The Conversation, May 5, 2016

The development of multi-airport systems like London’s has been a recent trend in global commercial air travel. […] Multi-airport systems serving the same metropolis always have a dominant or primary airport, with a high,

and constant, levels of traffic. Secondary airports with lower and more vola-tile traffic often specialise in a particular market segment not shared with the dominant rival.

At the top of the airport food chain London is Europe’s largest multi-airport system with no fewer than six airports as serving the city. Heathrow clearly dominates - the system’s primary airport. However, 48% of London passen-

gers still used other airports in 2012. Gatwick which lost the competition to Heathrow offers a mix of scheduled short and long-haul full-service, sched-uled low cost and charter carriers. Stansted, Luton and Southend, the new

kid on the block, specialize in budget low cost carriers while City airport in the Docklands focuses on business passengers.

“A multi-airport system works for London and the UK”, Richard Moxon, The Conversation, August 2, 2013. In a world where labour and capital can move so freely, the competition

between major cities has never been more intense. That’s why the image a city projects to the rest of the world is so important. Brand London has been experiencing a renaissance recently thanks to the Olympics. London 2012

created an image of the city that all Londoners could be proud of – a brave, diverse, open and confident place full of creative attitude. After all, there is compelling business logic for properly managing London’s image. It could

give us the edge in competing for visitors, business investment and help us to export our goods and services abroad. The image London projects to the world is vitally important and yet the mes-

sage is not always a positive one. Take the immigration issue. London thrives on its openness and ability to attract worldwide talent. Therefore, any mes-sage that indicates Britain is closing its gates is bound to do massive damage

to London’s economy. And, likewise, is the ongoing debate over the UK’s membership of the EU sending off the right message?

« Brand London: The importance of attracting investment and talent », Peter Knapp, Real Business, October 9, 2013

London’s new economy: creative-digital clusters, “The new boomtown? Creative city to Tech City in east London”, Jo Foord, Cities, 2012. GEOGRAPHY

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CS5 ◄ London, a global city ► What are the characteristics of a global city?

1. An attractive city


The Shard is exceptional in its size, its architecture, its location and its status. On the one hand, it acts as a model for signalling urban revitalisation in South-wark, a borough polarised by office districts around London Bridge station in

the north and deprived housing estates in the south, inspiring similar construc-tions, particularly in east London. On the other hand, it is exemplary […] as it is the threedimensional embodiment of a policy that seeks to increase density

and encourage mixed use (shops, offices, a 5-star hotel, housing and an ob-servation platform) in the vicinity of public transport hubs. […] The Shard shows how aesthetic and environmental considerations are mobilised to com-

pensate for the intrusion of its silhouette in the urban landscape and skyline. Lastly, it reflects a willingness to use bold architecture to promote the interests of economic, as well as political, players. […] In response to this trend, a regu-

lation seeking to protect views and perspectives of historic monuments (St Paul’s, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, etc.) from the proliferation of towers was introduced by the GLA in 2007.

“Skyline policy: The Shard and London’s high-rise debate”, Manuel Appert, Metropolitics, 14 December 2011.

Aerial photography of London, Kevin Allen, 2013. 1 St Paul’s cathedral 2 the City 3 the Docklands 4 Tower Bridge 5 the Shard 6 the Tate Modern

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.In the 2016 Sustainable Cities Index, com-piled by consultant Arcadis, London is ranked in fifth place, behind Zurich, Singapore,

Stockholm and Vienna, but ahead of major global cities. London’s high placing is largely thanks to

strong scores in the profit -reflecting business environment and economic health, and planet sections, with its 3,000-plus parks and green

spaces boosting its rating. […] London and the other five British cities all ranked inside the global top 25 for environ-

mental sustainability, but Arcadis said all needed to do more to improve the quality of life for inhabitants. This is especially true for

the capital, which has now reached a “tipping point” demonstrated by the large difference between its people and profit rankings.

Arcadis director Richard Bonner said: “As one of the world’s greenest capitals and posi-tion at the centre of international trade, Lon-

don can reap the long-term benefits of being a truly sustainable world city. Central govern-ment can also help by investing in local trans-

port and connectivity infrastructure.” “London ranked 5th in 2016 Sustainable Cities Index”,

Daniel Kemp, Construction News, 1 Sept. 2016.

Congestion, Oxford Street, London.

Khan’s manifesto emphasised infrastructure as his main priority to secure big projects and improve the transport networks that will be key for London’s expansion and economic growth. […] London is

currently at a competitive disadvantage as a result of its increas-ingly poor air link connections with growing markets in Asia and Latin America. The city’s airports are operating close to capacity

and the new mayor must oversee their expansion. […] A wider issue that Khan must tackle is housing and, specifically, affordable housing for all Londoners. Housing has become one of

the city’s biggest problems in recent times – not just because of soaring prices and rents, but also because much of the stock being built is luxury flats for the global super-rich. Khan has pledged that

half of new housing construction in London should be affordable to people on average incomes. […] If Khan delivers on his promises to improve the city’s infrastruc-

ture, allow new industries like fintech (financial technology) to flour-ish and increase available affordable housing, London will succeed in retaining its status as the go-to global financial centre.

“New mayor Sadiq Khan bodes well for London’s global financial status”, Nafis

Alam, The Conversation, 18 May 2016

The One Hyde Park development, among the most expensive real estate in Europe. Photo: Matt LLoyd/REX

A gold Ferrari parked in Sloane Street in London. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

London to remain a 'magnet for global super-rich despite Brexit', The Guardian, 1 March 2017.

GEOGRAPHY ◄ ►

CS5 ◄ London, a global city ► What are the characteristics of a global city?

2. New challenges


geography - evoltairehg · vocabulary . the dover/calais ferry route and the channel tunnel carried...

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