Bristol case study

Bristol

Opportunities

· Hard-working workforce

· Enriching the city’s cultural life

· Mainly young migrants help to balance the ageing population

Challenges

· Housing provision has not kept pace with population growth – so very expensive for rental or purchase

· Teaching children whose first language is not English

· Integration into the wider community

Social Opportunities

· Entertainment – nightclubs, bars, underground music scene. Colston Hall is a venue for concerts, theatres include Old Vic. Migrants contribute to music, art, literature and food.

· Sport – improved facilities – stadiums include leisure and conference facilities. Two professional football teams.

· Shopping is growing with out of town retail at Cribbs Causeway and the development of Cabot Circus – which opened in 2008 at a cost of £500 million.

· Bristol’s Harbourside has been redeveloped from warehouses to art galleries, museums and At- Bristol science centre.

Economic Opportunities

How has industry changed?

High tech businesses have been attracted because:

· Government grant of £100 million to become a Super-Connected City with high speed broadband

· University educated and skilled workforce

· Advanced research at university and in local IT and aerospace industries

· Clean and non-polluted environment

Defence Procurement Agency (DPA)

· Employs over 10,000 people

· Supplies the armed forces with everything from boots to aircraft carriers

· Established on a greenfield site

· Created a demand for housing which contributed to urban sprawl

Aardman Animations

· Well-known for stop-motion clay animation techniques

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