The Wicked Problems of British Cities

In effect what is clear is that cities are still characterised by social and spatial segregation, although new forms now interact with and overlay more traditional forms. The scale of the problem is rather simply expressed by the following government statistics referring to the gap between the most deprived areas and the rest of England:.
             In the 10 per cent most deprived wards in 1998 44 per cent of people relied on means tested benefits, compared with a national average of 22 per cent; .
             In the 10 per cent most deprived wards in 1998 over 60 per cent of children lived in households that relied on means tested benefits;.
             In 1998-99, the employment rate in Tower Hamlets was 55 per cent, compared with 74 per cent nationally;.
             The domestic burglary rate in North Manchester in 1999-2000 was 24.8 per 1000 population – compared with 8.7 nationally. Violence against the person was 37.8 per 1000 population compared with 11.4 nationally;.
             In 1998 only 11 of the 488 schools with more than 35 per cent of pupils on free school meals attained the national average level of GCSE passes;.
             During 1999, 26 per cent more people died from coronary heart disease in the 20 per cent most deprived Health Authorities than in the country as a whole;.
             43 per cent of all housing in the 10 per cent most deprived wards is not in a decent state, compared with 29 per cent elsewhere, and.
             19 per cent of all homes in the 10 per cent most deprived wards are in areas suffering from high levels of vacancy, disrepair, dereliction or vandalism, compared with 5 per cent of homes elsewhere. (SEU, 2001, pp12-13).
             Ironically many commentators would argue that these figures are an underestimate, but they graphically illustrate the problems.
             Moreover, some British cities also exhibit entrenched racial/ethnic segregation patterns (see Mason (ed), 2003). Such areas have often been the spaces in which urban unrest has exploded in Britain's urban areas (Bradford, Oldham and Burnley in 2001 were the latest examples in a long line stretching back to the 1950s – see Atkinson and Moon, 1994).