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

About the project

This project brought together seven citizen scientists to research what the local residents of North Kensington perceive ‘good life’ to mean to them and their communities. Using qualitative research methods including walking ethnographies, photo-elicitation interviews, and sensory mapping, the citizen scientists used story-telling techniques to identify and share findings about what makes a good life in North Kensington, and how this could be improved.

Overview 

The Good Life North Kensington brought together a team of residents to explore issues that matter to them and their communities.

Over three months in 2023, seven ‘citizen social scientists’ explored what a ‘good life’ means for people in the North Kensington area of west London, and what some of the barriers are to achieving it. They learned about social science research methods and how to put their own knowledge and experience of their neighbourhoods into research practice. They then carried out their own research projects, investigating issues which matter to them and their communities, before analysing their findings and presenting a showcase of their projects to the community, and to local stakeholders and decisionmakers.

Meet the Good Life North Kensington team below and find out more about their research into mental health, learning and skills development, and urban regeneration. In the video of the showcase, we also discuss why we think it’s important to foreground the voices of citizens in research and recognise their expertise as vital to meaningful urban transformation. 

The project was directed by UCL Institute for Global Prosperity’s Dr Saffron Woodcraft and Dr Constance Smith, with Dr Hannah Sender (High-Rise Landscapes) as the course lead. Suraya Miah and Sarah Smoured provided teaching and research assistance. 

This UCL Citizen Science Academy project is a collaboration between the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL, The University of Manchester and the Westway Trust team in North Kensington, London. It is funded as part of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship led by Dr Constance Smith (Social Anthropology, The University of Manchester). The findings will be used to inform how the Westway Trust works with local residents.

Meet the citizen scientists

Aisha was interested in how research can contribute to a more sustainable future. Her project for the Good Life North Kensington focused on mental health among young adults in North Kensington.

Coco is a North Kensington resident and aspiring filmmaker. She was interested to find out how North Kensington creatives make a good life for themselves, and if they can build this within the local neighbourhood. 

Maysa was interested in the relationship between mental health and housing in her area, and especially the experiences and stigmas surrounding issues of mental health and ill health for Muslim women. 

Paula’s work explored the importance of community in urban regeneration projects, and how this is or isn’t a focus for different development projects. She was especially interested in how funding for community spaces and engagement could improve residents’ experiences of change. 

Razan worked to research what local residents believe makes a ‘good life’ in North Kensington through a focus on Portobello Market. In particular, she was interested in the different experiences of tourists and local residents.

Sarah was interested in how different members of society can work with researchers and contribute towards improving communities through different forms of data. For this project, she explored access to skills and learning opportunities in North Kensington, and how this relates to ideas of the good life. 

Zarah got involved with the citizen science research as she believes it is important for the people in her area to be involved in decision making. ‘Citizen science allows the voices of a community to be heard through our research and this research can then impact the decisions made about the area’. Her project focused on the lived experience of an urban regeneration project in Wornington Green, North Kensington. 

Project team 

 

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