Who benefits and how from urban regeneration in east London?

About the study

Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is a 10-year study examining the prosperity of over 4,000 households in 15 areas of east London where large-scale and long-term urban regeneration is driving rapid physical, economic, and social changes in local communities. 

It is the first longitudinal study in the UK to use the Citizen Prosperity Index: a new way of measuring prosperity that reports on what matters to local communities. The Citizen Prosperity Index was co-designed with a team of citizen scientists based on in-depth qualitative research about lived experiences and local determinants of Prosperity in east London. The Citizen Prosperity Index has five domains: Foundations of Prosperity; Opportunities and Aspirations; Power, Voice, and Influence; Health and Healthy Environments; and Belonging, Identities and Culture. 

Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is a mixed methods study that combines data from the Citizen Prosperity Index household survey and Obstacles to Prosperity qualitative research, which is undertaken by citizen scientists – local residents employed and trained by UCL’s Citizen Science Academy to work as social scientists in their neighbourhoods. Data will be collected in three waves between 2021 and 2031.

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.
   

Summary of impact from wave 1

• 10 citizen scientists employed and trained by UCL Citizen Science Academy.
• 4,093 households surveyed: representing 7,741 residents, covering 20% of the population in 15 research sites.
• 8 citizen scientists awarded UCL’s Citizen Science Certificate.
• Citizen scientists engaged in a wide range of impact and career development activities including walking tours and research briefings for policymakers and practitioners, co-design of future Citizen Science Academy courses, teaching and contributing to a new citizen science MOOC, being contracted to work on community-based research projects, and citizen scientist Regina Rahman, being elected as a ward councillor in Barking & Dagenham.
• Adoption of 2 new methodologies to influence regeneration policy and planning: Citizen Prosperity Index adopted to measure regeneration, livelihood, and social value impacts by organisations including Royal Docks Partnership, London Borough of Newham, Growth Boroughs Partnership, Hill Group and Poplar HARCA. Citizen science adopted as an approach to developing local, policy-relevant knowledge by several London Prosperity Board partners including £1 million ESRC funding for We are Newham Community Research Network, led by Compost, in partnership with Newham and UCL Citizen Science Academy.
• Influencing policy and practice around the UK – 21 policy citations including Greater Manchester Independent Inequalities Commission, Bristol Council, New Local think tank, Frontier Economics, Labour councillors.
• Read the full report: Prosperity in east London 2021–2031 Longitudinal Study Outputs and impacts from Wave 1 and plans for Wave 2.  

Resources 

• About the study: Prosperity in east London 2021-2031
• PROCOL UK bulletin series: first findings from the study
• Zines co-produced with Citizen Social Scientists
• A Citizen Prosperity Index for east London: new evidence and a new approach to tackling inequalities
• East London Citizen Prosperity Index dashboard

Funders

Managed by the Institute for Global Prosperity’s (IGP) Prosperity Co-laboratory UK (PROCOL UK) in partnership with the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, the study was co-designed with members of the London Prosperity Board. The study is jointly funded by London Prosperity Board members: Royal Docks, Lendlease, London Legacy Development Corporation, Hill Group, Poplar HARCA, and the London Boroughs of Hackney, Waltham Forest, and Barking and Dagenham.

Team members

• Dr Saffron Woodcraft, Project Lead
• Rafael Carrascosa Marzo, Project Manager
• Dr Nikolaos Tzivanakis, Head of Data
• Dr Marcell Kurbucz, Research Fellow
• Nil Sari Aslam, Research Fellow
• Joseph Cook, Citizen Science Academy Lead