Qualitative Interview Data From "Beyond 'Left Behind Places'" Project, 2021-2024

These are transcripts from qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted as part of the project "Beyond 'Left Behind Places': Understanding Demographic and Socio-economic Change in Peripheral Regions in France, Germany and the UK". The interviews were conducted in the two UK case study areas that were part of the project: Bishop Auckland and its surrounding villages in County Durham, and Walsall in the West Midlands. The aims of these interviews were: to understand the experiences and perceptions of local residents of these two areas, and to get a sense of the local policy and practice in the areas in terms of regeneration and service delivery (skills, housing, health, community services, etc.). Residents often reported a sense of place attachment and belonging, but many perceived that the two areas had both experienced a degree of decline over past decades, particularly in terms of a diminished retail and hospitality offer and the withdrawal of some services, particularly in more rural parts of the Bishop Auckland area. Trust in national politicians and policymakers was low, but views of local politicians were more mixed. In terms of policy responses, the two areas had differing strategies, with Bishop Auckland being more focused on a tourism- and heritage-led regeneration strategy (alongside retail developments and investment in infrastructure) whereas in Walsall there was an emphasis on brownfield redevelopment into both industrial/commercial property and housing, as well as investment in creative industries, (digital) skills, and community and voluntary sector organisations.<p>Social and spatial inequalities between and within core and peripheral regions have re-emerged as a major economic and political issue in developed economies. Such divisions have generated economic and social discontent and growing levels of political support for populist and nationalist parties in peripheral regions, particularly certain old industrial areas. This turmoil fuelled the Brexit vote in the UK and the election of Donald Trump in the US as well as support for the Rassemblement National (National Rally) and Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) in France and the Alternative für Deutschland in Germany. In response, researchers, commentators and politicians have voiced concerns about the places 'left behind' by globalisation, technological and economic change. While welcome in increasing the political visibility of social and spatial inequalities, the 'left behind' category risks hiding and over-simplifying the different experiences and development paths of people and places.

The aim of the project is to develop a new understanding of demographic and socio-economic change in peripheral regions, examining the circumstances and prospects of places and people currently categorised together as 'left behind'. It will advance understandings of peripheralisation as an on-going process driven by the geographical concentration of people and prosperity in large urban centres alongside the decline or stagnation of other regions. The research is concerned with inner peripheries defined by their disconnection from external territories and networks, particularly urban regions and intermediate areas close to cities experiencing demographic and socio-economic stagnation or decline.</p>

本数据集为项目“超越‘被遗忘之地’：理解法国、德国与英国边缘地区的人口与社会经济变迁（Beyond 'Left Behind Places': Understanding Demographic and Socio-economic Change in Peripheral Regions in France, Germany and the UK）”中开展的定性半结构化访谈（qualitative semi-structured interviews）转录文本。本次访谈覆盖该项目下设的两个英国案例研究区域（case study areas）：达勒姆郡的毕晓普奥克兰及其周边村落，以及西米德兰兹郡的沃尔索尔。本次访谈旨在达成两大目标：其一，了解当地居民对这两处区域的体验与认知；其二，把握两地在区域复兴（regeneration）与服务供给（service delivery，涵盖技能、住房、医疗、社区服务等领域）方面的本地政策与实践现状。受访居民普遍提及对所在区域的地方依恋与归属感（place attachment and belonging），但多数人认为两地在过去数十年间均出现了一定程度的衰退，尤以零售与餐饮业态（retail and hospitality offer）萎缩、部分服务供给缩减（withdrawal of services）为甚，毕晓普奥克兰的乡村片区这一问题尤为突出。民众对国家政客与政策制定者（national politicians and policymakers）的信任度较低，但对地方政客（local politicians）的看法则褒贬不一。在政策响应层面，两地采取了差异化的发展策略：毕晓普奥克兰更侧重以旅游与遗产为引领的复兴策略（tourism- and heritage-led regeneration strategy），辅以商业地产开发与基础设施投资；而沃尔索尔则重点推动棕地再开发（brownfield redevelopment），将其改造为工商业地产（industrial/commercial property）与住宅用房，同时投资发展创意产业（creative industries）、（数字）技能培训以及社区与志愿部门组织（voluntary sector organisations）。

社会与空间不平等（social and spatial inequalities）在核心与边缘区域（core and peripheral regions）之间以及区域内部重新抬头，成为发达经济体（developed economies）面临的重大经济与政治议题。此类分化引发了经济与社会不满，也让边缘区域的民粹主义与民族主义政党（populist and nationalist parties）获得了越来越多的政治支持，尤以部分老工业区（old industrial areas）为甚。这一动荡局势助推了英国脱欧公投（Brexit vote）、美国唐纳德·特朗普的当选，以及法国国民联盟（Rassemblement National，National Rally）与黄背心运动（Gilets Jaunes，Yellow Vests）、德国选择党（Alternative für Deutschland）在当地的声势壮大。对此，研究者、评论员与政客纷纷关注全球化（globalisation）、技术与经济变革（technological and economic change）下的“被遗忘之地”。尽管“被遗忘之地”这一分类提升了社会与空间不平等的政治能见度，但它也存在掩盖差异、过度简化不同人群与区域的发展体验与路径的风险。

本项目旨在对边缘地区的人口与社会经济变迁形成全新认知，剖析当前被一并归类为“被遗忘之地”的区域与居民的处境与前景。研究将进一步厘清边缘化（peripheralisation）作为一个持续进程的内涵：该进程由人口与财富向大型都市中心的地理集中，以及其他区域的衰退或停滞共同驱动。本次研究聚焦于内部边缘区域（inner peripheries），即那些与外部地域及网络脱节的区域，尤其是临近城市、正经历人口与社会经济停滞或衰退的中间区域（intermediate areas）。