Case Study - Cambridge, changes in employment
structure
Cambridge in Cambridgeshire is a very old settlement which has been
dominated by the presence of the renowned university,. Cambridge. The
city has narrow medieval streets which are difficult to navigate by car. The
university has many impressive buildings within the city and it has a
powerful influence on the council. Cambridge has a higher than average
percentage of economically active people who also have better
qualifications than the rest of England. This is because people who study at
the university tend to stay within the area after they have got their degree.
There has been a change in the employment structure within the area over
the past 40 years.
The Cambridge phenomenon
During the 1970’s the first science parks were erected on the outskirts of
the city (rural/urban fringe). These parks attracted:
Electronic companies
Research and development
Design
Hi-tech firms
Links to the university
Many people who study at the university often do their year placement at
the science parks.
The second change to the employment structure happened in the late
1990’s, there was an explosion of telecommunication companies and Biotech
companies.
Biotechnology:
.The use of micro-organisms to perform specific industrial or manufacturing
processes.
. It is used in the production of drugs, synthetic hormones and bulk foods
like quorn.
. Cambridge has a strong scientific community that links the university with
the companies.
. The biotech labour market is very flexible: a high degree of mobility
encourages innovation.
This movement of employment out of the city centre to the rural-urban
fringe meant that Cambridge city centre had suffered economically. The
council faced many difficulties. There is not enough space within the city to
expand. High priced premises in the centre make it difficult for small
businesses to afford and high housing costs force people out of the centre of
town. Accessibility around the city is difficult because of its narrow streets.
The public was attracted away to out of town shopping developments. The
council in Cambridge has been working hard on various schemes to
encourage businesses and tourists back into the city centre.
Limiting out of town development
The council has said that no more development can happen until the A14
road is widened. The growth of out of town development is restricted by
large areas of greenbelt land. This encourages growth in the city and
prevents urban sprawl.
A14 road expansion
The council is preventing this road from being widened even though the
road is very congested. To widen the road would mean that there would be
no objection to build an out of town shopping centre which would attract
people away from the city centre.
Sign posts
There are two main shopping areas in the city ,to enable shoppers and
tourists to move round the centre more easily sign posts have been erected
all over the city. This makes the city accessible and encourages the visitors
to explore other areas within the centre of the city.
The Grafton Centre
IT is situated in the East of the city centre. Originally it was supposed to be
a large shopping mall similar to Bluewater. The plans were scaled down
after objections from people and the university.
The market square
The market is situated in the very centre of the city. It is a busy market
selling local farm produce and various other things such as clothes and
books. During the traffic ban in the 1990’s trade was severely affected.
Successive councils have had plans to refurbish the market but so far
nothing has happened.
Lion Yard
In the 1970’s the Lion Yard shopping centre was opened, it was the first
shopping centre in Cambridge. Originally the building of it was opposed to
by the university. During the 1980’s it became rundown and dated the
council modernised it in the 1990’s and connected a pedestrianised street to
encourage more shoppers.
Bus Lanes
The city centre was very congested, to encourage people to use public
transport the council increased the car parking charges to be comparable to
charges in London to encourage people to use the buses. Special bus lanes
were introduced, only taxi and buses are allowed to use these lanes. Buses
and taxis have priority at traffic lights this reduces congestion and improves
travelling time.
Park and ride
It is very expensive to park in the city. The council wanted to encourage
more people into the city but did not want to encourage more cars which
would add to the already excessively congested streets.12 years ago the
first of 5 park and ride schemes were put into operation on the outskirts
(rural/urban fringe) of the city. The scheme was to encourage shoppers to
park their cars free of charge in a huge outdoor car park then travel into the
city by means of a bus. The scheme has been a great success with over 3
million passengers using the service every year. The service runs every 10
minutes and the council prides itself on the enthusiasm and helpfulness of
the staff and the cleanliness and efficiency of the buses. This scheme has
cut congestion, noise and pollution in the city centre. The price of a return
ticket is £2, children up to the age of 16 travel free.
Cambridge website
Many towns and cities now provide a website service, it offers advice about
the city or towns shopping, accommodation and transport. Councils see the
internet as a valuable way of promoting themselves to encourage more
visitors. The Cambridge website is www.visitcambridge.org