Community,Ethnicity and Neighbourhood

The empirical focus is two small adjacent estates in West Newcastle; one with a mostly Bangladeshi population, the other white. The contrasts between them form the basis for a discussion of low housing demand and high turnover; forms of social exclusion; community and ethnicity. The Bangladeshi population experience exclusion from housing. Their estate has high demand and low turnover. Their housing options are highly constrained by a combination of low income and fear of crime and harassment. On the other hand they are comparatively well integrated into the local economy and a strong community structure. In contrast, the white population has more housing choice as a result of low demand, but exhibit greater exclusion from the labour market and from 'civil society'. Recent proposals to restructure the housing of the West End could increase housing opportunities for the Bangladeshis, but their impact on the white estate is more uncertain.