TS-9.3

74 Have your students hit the streets and find out first-hand whether the costs of urban regeneration can be justified OUTWITH THE OLD? Lesson plan: GEOGRAPHY KS4 teachwire.net/secondary DOWNLOAD a FREE KS4 lesson plan exploring global inequality teachwire.net/ geo-wealth WHYTEACHTHIS? Regeneration is big business. With stretched government budgets, it’s increasingly difficult to find funding for large-scale improvements without turning to the private sector. Studying a local example can help students to consider the justifications for real world projects. KEYCURRICULUM LINKS • Help your students prepare for familiar and unfamiliar fieldwork questions in their exam by involving them in the design and completion of a local study, incorporating evaluation at all stages. Data collection also provides opportunities to work on geographical and mathematical skills. STARTER ACTIVITY Explain to the students that they’ll be conducting fieldwork on the need for regeneration in a local area, and ask them to imagine that they’re a local councillor.Their budget depends on what they receive from the government and local taxes. Show students a local example of a proposed regeneration project with a cost prediction – it’s now their job to decide how much of this money they’d like to spend.Will they fund the whole project?What are the costs and benefits of spending this money, and where will it come from?What services will they have to reduce funding for to help pay for it? The Perry BarrAthletes’Village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham,for example,(pictured) is projected to cost £496.2million,but will lead to 1,500 new homes, improved public transport and increased health and sport facilities. Why do some places need regenerating? Q With the World Bank reporting that 83.4% of the UK population live in urban areas, it’s important for students to understand the pressures this can create. Significant trends, such as deindustrialisation and the rise of online shopping, have contributed to major changes in our towns and cities, and attempts at developing or dealing with resulting problems have often led to increasing inequality. Studying the need for regeneration is a great way of making links between these concepts and the lived experience of people in the UK, including the students themselves. Fieldwork allows students to use their skills in a practical context, and see how what they’re learning has practical applications for local people, government and in careers. Editor’s Note This piece was commissioned and produced prior to the measures adopted by the UK in response to the COVID-19 outbreak