My Square Mile, Mapping the history of Repair and Maintenance business in Bristol

Dillon, Teresa; Pietrangleo, Carmela

Abstract

My Square Mile is a pilot study into the history
of repair and maintenance businesses in a square mile around Bedminster, Bristol. The project maps changes in businesses that deal with repair and maintenance from 1938 to 2018.

Drawing for example on archival data, fire insurance plans and trade directories the findings indicate a significant decrease in businesses dealing with the repair and maintenance of clothes, boots and shoes. With bicycle repair and metal work businesses (blacksmith, smelters and scrap merchants) disappear, the number of electrical repair businesses actually increases. This is reflected in part by the number of high street stores now dealing with basic mobile phones fixes and upgrades. As well as changes in consumption patterns with declines in radio, TV and video
repair being the most significant and the increase in general domestic appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers increasing post 1958. The distribution of businesses also reflects changes in neighborhood centers’ such as Totterdown and Bedminister.
The findings illustrate not just changes in the types of repair business but where they were situated. From this we can begin to infer how proximity, accessibility and the visibility of businesses dealing with the repair and maintenance of goods plays an important role in understanding, how we value materials. While the presence of such business practices address more broadly how we may achieve UN sustainable goals relating to responsible consumption and production and viable cities.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: EUGEO, Association of Geographical Societies in Europe
• Start Date: May 15, 2019
• End Date: May 18, 2019
• Deposit Date: Mar 10, 2020
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5634111
• Publisher URL: http://www.eugeo.eu