Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• The UK's population has increased considerably since 1900 at a variable rate, with population change determined by natural change, the difference between births and deaths, and net migration, the difference between immigration and emigration.
• The UK's population is unevenly distributed, with higher densities in London and major urban areas and lower densities in upland areas, reflecting differences in relief, climate, employment, transport and services.
• Industrialisation concentrated manufacturing jobs in towns and cities, encouraging rural-to-urban migration and helping to establish the UK's present urban pattern.
• Birmingham is in the West Midlands of England, where its central location, transport connections, universities, businesses and tourism give it regional, national and international importance.
• Deindustrialisation reduced Birmingham's manufacturing employment, while economic restructuring increased service-sector employment and sometimes created a skills mismatch between available workers and new jobs.
• Internal and international migration have increased Birmingham's population and cultural diversity, providing workers, skills and business opportunities while increasing demand for housing and services.
• Birmingham's universities provide education, skills and employment, while spending associated with students, tourism and regeneration creates further jobs and income through the multiplier effect.
• Inequality means differences in resources and opportunities between people or places, while deprivation means lacking essential resources or conditions across areas such as income, employment, education, health, housing and the living environment.
• Birmingham's spatial inequalities can be reinforced by a cycle of deprivation, in which unemployment and low income restrict housing choices, damage health and limit educational opportunities, making future employment harder to secure.
• Sustainable transport can reduce car dependency, congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions, while active travel, such as walking and cycling, also increases physical activity.
• Urban greening provides habitats, supports biodiversity, intercepts rainfall and offers shade and cooling, improving quality of life and potentially attracting visitors and investment.
• Brownfield sites are previously developed land, whereas greenfield sites have not previously been developed, so brownfield redevelopment can reduce pressure on countryside but may require costly clearance or decontamination.
• Population growth increases demand for development on Birmingham's rural–urban fringe, where urban sprawl, the outward spread of built-up areas, can remove countryside and increase commuting, car dependency and pollution.
• Managing Birmingham's waste requires collection and treatment capacity, with waste reduction, reuse and recycling conserving resources and energy recovery reducing the amount sent to landfill.
• Regeneration improves areas experiencing decline, while sustainable development meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs by balancing social, economic and environmental needs.
• Deindustrialisation left Eastside with derelict buildings and underused brownfield land, and redevelopment including Eastside City Park has provided green space, recreation and a more attractive environment for investment.
• Eastside's regeneration is not automatically sustainable because benefits may be unevenly distributed and construction can consume resources, generate waste and produce carbon emissions.
• Freiburg supports sustainable urban living through solar energy, energy-efficient buildings, waste separation and recycling, alongside measures such as permeable surfaces that encourage infiltration and green roofs that retain rainfall and reduce runoff.
• Freiburg integrates trams, buses, trains, walking and cycling to make connected journeys easier and encourage modal shift, a change from one form of transport to another, particularly away from private cars.
• Freiburg's carrot-and-stick transport approach combines incentives such as reliable public transport and safe cycle routes with restrictions such as parking controls and car-restricted areas to discourage unnecessary car use.

• Interpret UK population graphs and distribution maps to identify changes in growth rates and areas of high and low population density, supporting descriptions with data and named locations.
• Calculate natural change from births and deaths and net migration from immigration and emigration, then explain how both contribute to total population change.
• Explain Birmingham's social, economic and environmental opportunities using causal chains that connect universities, migration, regeneration or transport improvements to specific benefits, including the multiplier effect where relevant.
• Assess the effects of migration on Birmingham by weighing contributions to employment and cultural diversity against increased demand for housing and services.
• Construct a chain of reasoning showing how manufacturing job losses and a skills mismatch can contribute to unemployment, low income and a cycle of deprivation.
• Compare brownfield and greenfield development and assess waste-management approaches using their effects on land, resource use, pollution and costs.
• Evaluate Eastside's regeneration against social, economic and environmental sustainability criteria, using Eastside City Park and brownfield reuse as evidence while considering uneven benefits and development costs.
• Assess Freiburg's sustainability by explaining how its energy, water, waste and integrated transport measures reduce resource use, runoff or car dependency, while considering accessibility and economic benefits.
• Write an extended judgement about Birmingham's environmental challenges that explains at least two challenges, uses place-specific evidence, considers environmental improvements as counterarguments and reaches a supported conclusion.