Studentification

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Studentification is a neologism, coined to describe the effects that a large student population can have on an area. Possibly the first university researcher to use the term studentification was Dr. Darren Smith of the School of Environment at the University of Brighton, who in 2002 published the first of his research on the topic. As of 2005, the term is gaining in popularity within its field, particularly amongst permanent residents who live in 'studentified' areas.

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[edit] Symptoms

A range of symptoms have been identified / proposed for studentification. They include factors caused both directly and indirectly by students. For example, the presence of a large population of students will often attract many take-away eateries, displacing traditional family-oriented retail outlets - this is not a direct action taken by students, but is an indirect reaction to their presence; similarly, house prices may rise substantially in the area making it unaffordable for families - this is another 'indirect' symptom, which is caused by the reaction of property investors to students' presence; student rental properties usually bring a higher-than-average return on investment. This effect ultimately can snowball, forcing year-round residents out of near-campus areas because of growing student numbers and property prices rising beyond the reach of families.

Examples of 'direct' results of students' presence could include their drunken and noisy behaviour late at night, or their persistent failure to remove 'wheely bins' from the pavement after emptying. (This is not to indicate that these are inevitable in every area where students are based, rather that if these things do occur, they are the results of the students' own actions, rather than indirect responses to their presence).

[edit] Cities and Towns noted for studentification

The following is a list of some cities (and areas thereof) that have been identified as showing some of the typical symptoms of studentification.

  • Leeds, particularly Hyde Park and Headingley
  • Manchester, particularly Fallowfield
  • Nottingham, particularly The Arboretum, Dunkirk and Lenton
  • Newcastle, particularly Jesmond, Sandyford and Heaton
  • Sheffield, particularly Hunter's Bar
  • Loughborough, particularly the areas around the university and the town centre. The presence of such a large university in such a (relatively) small town has led to several court cases between 'locals' and students over the past few years. There are more security staff at Loughborough University than there are police officers in the town, and residents finding students committing anti-social behaviour more commonly telephone campus security directly for a faster response time.
  • Aberystwyth, Wales. The student population is close to that of the seaside town, and in a recent study, 67% of all housing in the town was a house of multiple occupancy.
  • Cardiff, specifically the area of Cathays, located close to the university.
  • Southampton, generally in all parts of the city due to Southampton University being on one side and Southampton Solent University on the other.
  • Hull in particular Newland area of the city (e.g. Newland Avenue, Beverley Road and the surrounding areas) which happens to be close to the main Hull University campus. Cottingham Village is home to the Lawns, a student village home to 7 halls of residence contaning 1300 students. George Street in the city centre has recently became a student zone due the relocation of the city's University of Lincoln campus.
  • Norwich, especially the Golden Triangle area of the city - once home to families of all classes and now home to a certain type of middle-class student who have ensured that the area is completely unaffordable for 'normal' people.

[edit] See also

  • College town - this term is used particularly in the USA to indicate a town or small city with a dominant student population. Many UK cities have smaller student populations that have studentified one or more sections of the city.
  • Student ghetto
  • Town and gown

[edit] External links

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