Gown and Town are the two distinct communities within a university town; Town being the non-academic population; and Gown being the university community, and has been used to describe the struggles of ancient locations of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and St Andrews with the studentification occurring within the city. Studentification refers to the impact student bodies have on the cities around them. Research by Cardiff University categorised the effects into Physical, Cultural, Social and Economic factors.
Gown
Students usually live in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), which leads to a decline in owner-occupiers. This can lead to physical changes such as unkempt properties, extensions that aren’t in keeping with the area, and neglected gardens. Other complaints include the continuous presence of estate agents’ letting boards, physical mess and noise, fly-tipping and increasing pressure of public services such as policing, traffic and street cleansing.
The transient nature of occupation where HMOs are abundant can lead to cultural changes. Community integration is usually reduced and residents have a lesser commitment to maintaining the quality of the local environment. Transient occupation also leads to part of the academic year when the area will be mostly vacant. When this occurs it reinforces the unpopularity of the area, further worsening the impact. Cultural change also occurs when existing businesses are replaced by certain types of retail such as fast food outlets and bars, to meet the needs of the new residents. However, students can also allow for the improvement of facilities in the area, such as gyms and shopping centres, they can also attract cultural and arts events which can make the area more culturally vibrant which benefits the wider community.
Town
The economic impact of studentification is largely agreed upon and can take many different forms. Firstly, studentification often increases property values in student housing areas. Regular terraced houses become income-producing assets with very favourable returns, thus increasing property values. Although this may seem positive, it often skews values, lifting properties out of the hands of families who can no longer afford them, and into the hands of investors who will pay the price premium. Students often pay higher rental rates than other groups, so the prices skewing occurs again. However, students also strengthen the economy of the city they are in.
Nottingham University recently calculated that the average student contributes £11,000 per year to the local economy, excluding tuition fees. Universities are also a source of direct and indirect employment. Universities provide a significant amount of jobs. Coventry and Warwick universities account for 10% of all employment in Coventry. They also create graduates who are more employable, and who go on to take jobs within the city, start businesses which then create more jobs.
Studentification can often displace the established residents of a community, either as they try and escape the new environment or to benefit from increased property values. The Scottish university town of St Andrews best represents this change, as since the 1990s the student population has doubled to 9,000, whereas the resident population has decreased by 40% to 7,000. The displacement of residents is sometimes associated with an increase in low-level anti-social behaviours such as noise nuisance and vandalism. The lifestyles of a younger generation can push established residents away from the area, which can result in the closure of schools, as families move elsewhere to raise their children.
Students, on the whole, create a more economically strong, socially and culturally vibrant city compared to those without. Improvements to facilities and transport links in student heavy areas benefit the wider community also. They create more employability and grow the economy, both during study and beyond. Local councils recognise the benefit of this and formulate strategies to not only increase student numbers, but to keep them around after graduation. Students are discernable consumers with capital to spend numbers are forecast to grow in future years as the Government aims to increase overseas students. However, it is clear that the meeting of two different resident groups can cause conflict, universities are recognising this and launching campaigns to smooth the concerns between Town and Gown.
References
Cardiff University. 2006. Accessed 1st November, 2019, from https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/348510/studentification.pdf
The Guardian. 2018. Accessed 1st November, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/sep/23/town-v-gown-is-the-student-boom-wrecking-communities
The Guardian. 2018. Accessed 1st November, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/dec/06/down-with-studentification-how-cities-fought-for-their-right-not-to-party
The Telegraph. 2013. Accessed 1st November, 2019, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/student-life/10155189/Town-v-gown-do-students-ever-benefit-local-residents.html
