Drumchapel Social Factors

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Question: The divided city and public policy responses. Drumchapel is a working-class area located in the most north westerly suburb of Glasgow, known for its vast housing estate which was erected in the 1950s as a solution to overcrowding in Glasgow. With a population of around 13,000 people, most residents are of working age i.e. between 16 and 64 years old with 35.8% of those people claiming benefits. The percentage of ethnic minorities living in Drumchapel is low with 95% of residents being white British. The standard of life is below average with 47.9% of children living in poverty, (Gowellonline.com, 2018). A survey carried out in 2011 showed that 75% of residents felt part of their community and 78% felt satisfied with their neighbourhood …show more content…

The quality of the housing was poor. Too many people were housed in these schemes where little resources were available, no adequate shopping centres to tend to the needs of the locals, leaving many having to travel to the city centre to pay rent or to buy essentials, (Anon, 2018). The 1970s recession also created high unemployment and social deprivation. This had a huge impact in Drumchapel, as most of the residents were employed by factories nearby such as the Goodyear tyre …show more content…

This could be a factor generated by the lack of opportunities that the neighbourhood offers. Poverty is a vicious cycle and can have damaging effects to those experiencing it. A study from ‘Edinburgh Youth Transitions and Crime’ shows that, “Young people living in a family where the head of the household was unemployed were also more likely to participate in criminal behaviour,” (The Borgen Project, 2018). This suggests that poverty influences everyone living in and around it. Having explored the area of Drumchapel one came across an old ‘youth centre’ however, this was closed, run down and covered in graffiti. This undoubtedly has a negative impact on the youth as there is nowhere for them to socialise and escape the real life of poverty that most of them are accustomed

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