Some Aspects of the Changing Distribution of Coloured Immigrants in Birmingham, 1961-66

Abstract

The development of 'enclaves' or 'colonies' of coloured immigrants in British cities is examined in terms of ecological concepts. Although dispersal from limited areas of origin is the normal ecological process for urban immigrants, it has been thwarted in North American cities as far as negro immigration is concerned, thus leading to 'ghetto-formation'. Problems of data comparability between I96I and 1966 restrict analysis in Britain to a study of aggregated data for all immigrants from the 'New Commonwealth' which includes countries such as Malta and Cyprus besides the major source areas of the West Indies, India and Pakistan. The distribution of coloured immigrants in Birmingham (the second largest focus of coloured immigration after London) is analysed for I96I and 1966. Basic morphological and ecological relationships and intercensal changes are discussed. While evidence of a limited centrifugal dispersal exists, the largest increases in numbers of immigrants have occurred in a concentric zone of immigrant concentration already evident in I96I. In the immigrant 'clusters' delimited within this zone, segregation increased rapidly between 1961 and 1966, although it is well below levels in North American cities. However, the divergent trends of the white and immigrant populations indicate that this segregation will continue to increase. BOTH from a theoretical and applied point of view, the distribution of coloured immigrants in British cities must rank as a major field of research in urban geography. The dominant features of the distribution pattern of the immigrants in England and Wales have been demonstrated on a variety of levels (P. Collison, 1967; R. B. Davison, 1963; R. Glass, I960, 1965; G. C. K. Peach, I966A, 1968) but there still exists a need for further research into the distribution of coloured immigrants within these urban areas. Many problems in the fields of social administration and urban planning have been linked with the influx of coloured Commonwealth immigrants. The most acute area of conflict between resident city and immigrant populations undoubtedly centres on housing availability and utilization, as J. Rex and R. Moore (1967) have so graphically described in the case of Birmingham. In this area of conflict we can witness the merging of urban sociological and ecological theory, and practical administrative action in the series of decisions and regulations which control entry into the various branches of the urban housing market. Similarly, the emergence of 'enclaves' or 'colonies' of immigrants within our cities has been the subject of much comment and indeed speculation, being associated with severe if localized pressures on education and other social services, and also with what K. Little (1967) has termed 'colour-shock'. Undertones of 'ghetto-formation', with its suggested implications of violent stress, are present in many spheres. Against this background the changes which occurred in the distribution of coloured immigrants between 1961 and i966 are obviously significant, particularly in the light they may shed upon the underlying trends at work in these 5 years.