Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 Longitudinal Study

This is a research project from the UCL institute for Global Prosperity.

About the study

Who benefits and how from urban regeneration in east London? 

Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is a 10-year mixed-methods study tracing the effects of large-scale and long-term urban regeneration on local communities in east London. The study has been funded and co-designed with the London Prosperity Board. 

Drawing on 3 waves of Citizen Prosperity Index household surveys and citizen-led qualitative research, the study aims to examine how regeneration affects the prosperity of people from different backgrounds and neighbourhoods in the long-term, asking:

1. Who benefits and how?

2. What are the obstacles to prosperity for different groups?

    

Tracking what matters to local communities

The Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 study is the first longitudinal study in the UK to use the Institute for Global Prosperity’s Citizen Prosperity Index: a new way of measuring prosperity that reports on what matters to local communities. 

Unlike most indicators and metrics that are decided by experts in government, universities or business, and assumed to be relevant to communities everywhere, the Citizen Prosperity Index was co-designed with a team of citizen social scientists based on in-depth qualitative research about lived experiences and local determinants of prosperity in east London.

Citizens leading research on lived experiences of regeneration

The study equips local residents with the tools to examine prosperity in their communities, producing citizen-centred insights on people’s lived experiences of regeneration. 

Through the UCL Citizen Science Academy, based at the IGP, they are employed as citizen social scientists and receive practice-led training on research design, ethics, qualitative data collection, public speaking, and social impact strategies.

Main findings from wave 1 

Livelihood insecurity is becoming entrenched across all areas under study, regardless of the income and employment status.

• Drivers of livelihood insecurity include unaffordable housing and food and energy insecurity.
• Citizen Prosperity Index data shows significant differences in prosperity across the 15 research sites, and identifies intricate, place-specific patterns of opportunity and inequality across gender, age, and for different ethnic groups.
• Overall, women generally report lower levels of prosperity than men.
• People from non-white backgrounds report lower levels of prosperity than those from white backgrounds.
• Older people tend to be less prosperous than younger people.

Resources and outputs

• Citizen Prosperity Index for east London: New Evidence and a New Approach to Tackling Inequalities (report)
• Outputs and impact from Wave 1 and plans for Wave 2
• Prosperity in east London bulletins

• Our citizen scientists tell their stories through our zine series

   

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