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Industrialisation, residential mobility and the changing social morphology of Edinburgh and Perth, c. 1850-1900

The aim of this research is to advance the understanding of the impacts of the industrial revolution on urban space during the period 1850-1900. This was a period of great dynamism with high levels of social and economic change, political radicalism and urban growth that had profound effects on the urban landscape. In contrast to much previous research on Victorian urban space, the case study settlements used are Edinburgh and Perth, Scottish burghs with diverse economies not dominated by a heavy industrial sector. The analysis uses data from a variety of sources including the census, valuation rolls and the Register of Sasines. It also draws insights from structuration theory by examining the spatial outcome of various processes in terms of the reflexive relationship between structural factors such as class and capitalism and the residential movements of individuals (agents). Three scales of analysis are used. Thus, meso-scale socio-spatial change is seen as affected by both macro-scale structures and micro-scale actions of agents. By constructing a series of maps and measures of the distribution of social groups at various times over the half century, the thesis demonstrates that socio-spatial differentiation increased markedly over the period. The processes driving this socio-spatial change are identified as the operations of the housing market, structured feeling and mobility. The detailed roles of each is examined. Together, it is argued these are the modalities which link structures and agents and are thus the proximate determinants of socio-spatial change.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:750285
Date January 2002
CreatorsSouthern, Richard Lloyd Vaughan
ContributorsGraham, Elspeth
PublisherUniversity of St Andrews
Source SetsEthos UK
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Sourcehttp://hdl.handle.net/10023/13815

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