The Problems of Glasgow's Inner City

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The Problems of Glasgow's Inner City

Glasgow is located in the south of Scotland; it is the largest city in

Scotland with a population of 630,000. There have been many changes in

industry and city planning throughout its history.

Glasgow was founded in the 19th century. It was a good settlement sit

because it was located near the River Clyde which was essential for

trade and fishing. Nearby coalfields made the city successful. One

fifth of all the ships in the world were built in Glasgow. It was said

that Glasgow “provided the world with ships”.

Glasgow’s main products included coal, iron and steel. The city was

very successful and made lots of money. Most of the money was spent

putting up lots of new buildings.

Everything changed towards the 20th century mainly because of the two

world wars. The city’s industry stopped producing so much money and

there was a high number of unemployment. There were no work for years.

In 1958, 29 districts were marked as a comprehensive redevelopment scheme. People were moved out; the tenements were knocked down and new buildings were built on top of the demolished buildings. In many parts where the old tenements were knocked down, multi-storey flats at between 8-30 storeys high were built. The newly build flats were the highest in Britain.[IMAGE]

a disaster, large areas of housing in the city were among the worst in

Britain.

The quality of employment declined. Skilled steel workers are out of

job and working on the River Clyde was hard work which never paid

enough.

People were living in slum conditions. The old Victorian houses were

wearing out and were beyond repair. Tenements became the most...

... middle of paper ...

...still have their friends and neighbours nearby. The people are

very happy about the scheme. Although they feel that some buildings

shouldn’t be knocked down. Around 10,000 families have been re-housed

in the new tenements in the inner city. Improving the past has been

very successful.

Today, the industry have virtually disappeared from the inner city.

The docks are far away from the inner city, they are at the mouth of

the River Clyde. There is only one shipyard left in the inner city.

The city’s last iron steelworks are now gone forever. Many people are

beginning to ask whether the schemes were worth it at all. Old jobs

including working in the steel factories have now disappeared forever

and the landscape has been dramatically changed. The city is still

suffering, at present the city is losing 25,000 people a year.

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