PROCOL UK Bulletin: Prosperity in London's Royal Docks, Newham
series May 2024
Bulletin series
Authored by: Saffron Woodcraft, Jose Izcue-Gana, Georgios Melios, Nikolaos Tzivanakis, Elisabetta Pietrostefani, Gillian Chan, Zaafir Hasan and Jorge Perez
Authored by: Saffron Woodcraft, Jose Izcue-Gana, Georgios Melios, Nikolaos Tzivanakis, Elisabetta Pietrostefani, Gillian Chan, Zaafir Hasan and Jorge Perez
July 2024
Prosperity in London’s Royal Docks, Newham
Prosperity in London’s Royal Docks, Newham
Findings from the Prosperity in east London 2021–2031
Longitudinal Study
About this bulletin
Overview
This bulletin reports on levels of prosperity in the Royal Docks, in the London Borough of Newham. It focuses on Custom House, Silvertown Quays, Beckton and North Woolwich – four Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in the larger Royal Docks & Beckton Riverside Opportunity Area, one of London’s largest regeneration districts.
The bulletin uses data from the Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 Longitudinal Study, and it includes household survey data collected between December 2021 and June 2022, and simultaneous equation modelling to report on prosperity in each LSOA and for the Royal Docks as a whole.
What?
The study tracks prosperity using the Citizen Prosperity Index – new metrics co-designed with citizen social scientists based on in-depth research about lived experiences and local determinants of prosperity in east London. It also addresses the lack of research around the long-term impacts of regeneration on prosperity, life chances, and quality of life, while offering a hyper-local look at who benefits and how from regeneration investments.
Where?
4 areas in the Royal Docks, Newham, east London
When?
Between December 2021 – June 2022
How?
Uses a mixed methods approach that combines household surveys with qualitative research undertaken by citizen social scientists - local residents employed and trained by the UCL Citizen Science Academy to work and social scientists.
Main findings
Citizen Prosperity Index data suggests livelihood insecurity is becoming entrenched in east London. Households in Custom House, Silvertown Quays, Beckton, and North Woolwich are experiencing multiple forms of livelihood insecurity.
Livelihood insecurity does not map in a straightforward way onto employment status and household income in the Royal Docks. Levels of financial stress and debt burdens vary significantly within areas that report similar levels of income security. Housing affordability is an ongoing problem in all Royal Docks surveyed areas.
Preliminary analysis of prosperity levels by gender, age, and for different ethnic groups indicates complex patterns of social and spatial disadvantage. Overall, we can see women report lower levels of prosperity than men. People from non-white backgrounds report lower levels of prosperity than people from white backgrounds. Older people are less prosperous than younger people.
While livelihood security is a major challenge, Citizen Prosperity Index data indicates high-levels of satisfaction with the quality of education services, and high-levels of people reporting that they have strong social relationships. But a wider sense of community belonging is generally lacking and participation in arts, sports, and cultural activities is generally low across sites.
Prosperity measures that report on what people say makes a meaningful difference to their lives, rather than conventional metrics such as employment and income, reveal patterns that challenge mainstream policy assumptions about how to generate prosperity.
Hyper-local Citizen Prosperity Index data identifies the particular pressure points that local communities are experiencing. Aggregate secondary data of the kind that currently informs regeneration strategies masks the hyperlocal nature of these experiences and the intersectional complexities that affect outcomes for individuals from different backgrounds.
Overview
Prosperity
in east London
2021-2031 (PieL) is a 10year study examining the prosperity of over 4,000 households in 15 areas of east London where largescale 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 London¹. Unlike traditional approaches to measuring prosperity that focus on household income and employment, the Citizen Prosperity Index has five domains: Foundations of Prosperity; Opportunities and Aspirations; Power, Voice, and Influence; Health and Healthy Environments; and Belonging, Connections and Leisure.
Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is a mixed methods study. It combines data from the Citizen Prosperity Index Household Survey and Obstacles to Prosperity qualitative research, undertaken by citizen scientists –local residents employed and trained by the UCL Citizen Science Academy to work as social scientists in their neighbourhoods. Data will be collected in three waves between 2021 and 2031.
Research questions
Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 explores how the ‘prosperity gains’ from regeneration investments are shared in and between local communities. It looks at how regeneration affects the prosperity of people from different backgrounds and neighbourhoods in the longterm, asking:
• Who benefits and how?
• What are the obstacles to prosperity for different groups?
By examining these core questions, Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 aims to address specific gaps in knowledge about the long-term, hyper-local, and unequal impacts of regeneration on prosperity, life chances, and quality of life. See About the Study for a discussion of the knowledge gaps this research aims to address.
Research sites
Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 examines the experiences of households in 15 areas that are part of, or neighbour, large-scale and long-term strategic regeneration programmes. The 15 areas have been selected because they include ‘established’ communities – places where households often experience multiple forms of deprivation and inequality – as well as ‘new’ mixed-income communities –places where new housing development and job opportunities are changing the demographic make-up of local areas. The 15 areas in the study are sites of rapid socio-economic change, having experienced deindustrialisation and population loss, followed by regeneration, economic transformation, repopulation and demographic change within mere decades.
Each of the 15 research sites is a Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) – small geographic areas with an average of approximately 1,500 residents or 650 households. Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 has adopted a small-area research design to address a lack of evidence about the hyper-local impacts and outcomes of urban regeneration. Evidence from four decades of regeneration in London shows that gains are not equitably shared². Strategic regeneration programmes often target ‘under-developed’ areas, often former industrial sites, where investments in housing, commercial spaces, and transport infrastructure are intended to drive economic development, job growth, and deliver improved social outcomes such as tackling worklessness and housing need. Strategic regeneration sites are often surrounded by low-income neighbourhoods, where long-term residents struggle to access high-quality jobs created by new employers, and are disproportionately affected by rising living costs linked to the redevelopment of affordable housing and the loss of affordable community and commercial spaces³.
The 15 LSOAs in the study are in 5 London Boroughs –Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, and Barking and Dagenham – and span 4 Opportunity Areas where long-term urban regeneration is taking place. These are:
– The Olympic Legacy Opportunity Area (OA). – Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside OA. – Poplar Riverside OA. – London Riverside OA.
This report focuses on 4 LSOAs - Beckton, Custom House, North Woolwich, and Silvertown Quays – that are part of the Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside OA. The Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside Opportunity Area is one of the largest regeneration areas in London. It occupies a large area in the southern part of the London Borough of Newham, extending to Canning Town District Centre to the west, Beckton to the east, Custom House to the north, with the Thames forming the southern boundary. The Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside OA is a 1,200acre site that, over the next 20 years, will create 30,000 new homes and over 40,000 jobs and will house London’s only Enterprise Zone. The Royal Docks is part of the UK’s Innovation Corridor, which connects research, technology, and bio-science clusters in the Olympic Park, London’s Kings Cross, Stansted, and Cambridge.
1 The Citizen Prosperity Index is based on empirical work from citizen-led research in five east London neighbourhoods and reflects issues of specific concern to individuals and communities in east London (Moore and Woodcraft 2019; Woodcraft and Anderson 2019).
2 Two decades of urban regeneration in London and other UK cities shows an uneven and inequitable distribution of gains from regeneration investments (Tallon 2013; Atkinson and Bridge 2010; Butler and Rustin 1996).
3 Low-income households are disproportionately affected by rising land values following the development of ‘vacant’ post-industrial areas (Imrie, Lees, and Raco 2009). This has been linked to increasing social inequalities (Poynter and MacRury 2009), displacement (Bernstock 2014; Watt 2013; Cohen 2013), and the suburbanisation of poverty (Bailey and Minton 2018). New hyper-local geographies of inequality and exclusion have emerged with ‘established’ and ‘new’ communities facing starkly different life opportunities, quality of life and levels of prosperity in the wake of regeneration interments (Tallon 2013).
Overview
About the Citizen Prosperity Index Household Survey
The data presented in this report is the preliminary evidence from the first wave of the Citizen Prosperity Index Household Survey carried out between December 2021 and June 2022.
The survey sampled 4,093 households, representing 7,741 residents. Considering recent Census population data, the survey covered about 20 per cent of the total population of all the surveyed sites in the study, providing a representative account of current socio-economic conditions in east London.
IGP researchers designed the survey questionnaire to cover questions about the five domains of prosperity identified in research about the determinants of prosperity for people living in east London4. The survey recorded an overview of household members. The survey includes questions from national surveys such as Understanding Society5, Eurobarometer, and locally developed questions. It builds on the Prosperity Index Pilot Study, which ran in five research sites in east London in 20176
4 Moore and Woodcraft (2023).
5 Understanding Society: Waves 1-12, 2009-2021 and Harmonised BHPS: Waves 1-18, 1991-2009. 17th Edition. UK Data Service. SN: 6614, http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-6614-18
6 Woodcraft and Anderson (2019).
Figure 1 Contextual map of the Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 research sites (coloured in purple) within the London Boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, and Barking and Dagenham.
Figure 2 Close-up map of the four LSOAs included in this bulletin.
Demographic profiles East London and Royal Docks
Survey sampling overview
In 2020, east London had an estimated population of 2,869,200 (32% of the total population in the capital) –the largest among all five sub-regions of London7. Black or other ethnic minorities comprised 44% of residents in east London – higher than the London average of 40%. East London also had the second-largest population density (6,214 residents per km²) and the second fastest population growth (13% increase from 2010 to 2020). These statistics are highly mirrored in our sample.
The sampling strategy aimed for a fully representative sample of the population in each LSOA surveyed8. The four survey sites in Royal Docks included a total of 865 households. Respective survey counts for each LSOA are North Woolwich (209), Silvertown Quays (277), Custom House (213), and Beckton (166).
Income, education and age distributions
The two heatmap visualisations (Figures 3-4) show income distribution across various demographic slices. In the first plot, income is broken down by gender and ethnicity across the four LSOAs. The colour gradients represent income levels, with purple indicating higher income brackets and orange indicating lower income9
The pattern highlights significant variations across different ethnic groups in the four areas. For example, in Beckton and Custom House, black males are in the middle of the income scale, performing worse than the other ethnic groups, while in North Woolwich and Silvertown Quays, people of mixed ethnicities have lower income. Women of mixed ethnicity have relatively low income in Beckton and North Woolwich. Women in Silvertown Quays have slightly higher incomes (on average) than male counterparts of the same ethnicity.
The second heatmap depicts income distribution across age groups and gender within the four Royal Docks LSOAs. The heatmap allows for comparison of male and female income levels within the same age brackets, providing insights into the gender wage disparity across different life stages. Older people (60+) tend to have lower incomes than their younger counterparts. In contrast, people in the middle age brackets (40-60 years) have higher earnings. We don’t see a clear cross-site pattern in terms of income differences based on gender and age combined, but there are some site-specific disparities depending on the age bracket.
The second heatmap depicts income distribution across age groups and gender within the four Royal Docks LSOAs. The heatmap allows for comparison of male and female income levels within the same age brackets, providing insights into the gender wage disparity across different life stages. Older people (60+) tend to have lower incomes than their younger counterparts. In contrast, people in the middle age brackets (40-60 years) have higher earnings. There is not a clear cross-site pattern in terms of income differences based on gender and age combined, but there are some site-specific disparities depending on the age bracket.
Figures 5-7 describe the demographic composition of the four Royal Docks LSOAs, each focusing on a different attribute: gender, education level, and age. By using a structured sampling strategy for the household survey, the gathered population data closely follows current Census findings, especially in relation to these three attributes.
In Silvertown Quays, there is a considerable concentration of working-age people. In contrast, families with children are more prominent in the other three areas, with many households spanning multiple generations. Figures 5-7 depict various demographic characteristics that serve as a foundation for more sophisticated knowledge and computation of overall prosperity within these areas10.
7 Trust for London. (2022). Key population statistics for London and its sub-regions.
8 ONS. (2020). Lower layer Super Output Area population estimates.
9 The income levels are shown by the different colours on the graph. The purple scale shows incomes from £17,500 to £100,000, with darker shades of purple showing higher incomes within this range. The orange scale shows incomes between £0 and £17,499, with the orange getting darker as incomes drop within this range. Questions about income were answered by roughly 50% of respondents, so sample sizes in these charts are smaller than total households in the study area. To get more responses, income was asked in ranges (e.g: £25,000 – £29,999)
10 The Appendix includes summary statistics and further demographic composition of Figures 1-5.
Figure 3 Income by gender and ethnicity in the Royal Docks LSOAs. Sample size: 341 – Beckton (76), Custom House (85), North Woolwich (65), Silvertown Quays (115).
Figure 4 Income by gender and age in the Royal Docks LSOAs. Sample size: 341 – Beckton (76), Custom House (85), North Woolwich (65), Silvertown Quays (115).
Woolwich
Demographic profiles
East London and Royal Docks
Figure 7 Population by age
Figure 6 Population by education group in each of the 4 Royal Docks LSOAs
Figure 5 Population by gender in each of the 4 Royal Docks LSOAs
Citizen Prosperity Index
Foundations of Prosperity
Secure livelihoods
An inclusive economy
A good start in life
Opportunities and Aspirations
Good quality basic education
Lifelong learning
Freedom, choice and control
Power, Voice and Influence
Political inclusion
Voice and influence
Belonging, Connections and Leisure
Social relationships
Sense of community
Arts, leisure and sports
Health
and Healthy Environments
Healthy bodies and healthy minds
Healthy, safe and secure neighbourhoods
Sustainable and resilient communities
The Citizen Prosperity Index measures current levels of prosperity in east London. 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 reports on what matters to local communities.
The Index is based on in-depth qualitative research about lived experiences and local determinants of prosperity in east London, carried out by a team of citizen social scientists. This research identified five prosperity ‘domains’ visualised in the Citizen Prosperity Index model (figure 8).
Foundations of Prosperity Domain
This domain assesses efforts to foster a local economy that prioritises the building blocks of prosperity - livelihood security, fairness, equity, and sustainable local value creation for those facing the most significant challenges.
Opportunities and Aspirations Domain
The Opportunities and Aspirations domain encompasses three subdomains: Good Quality Education, Lifelong Learning, and Freedom, Choice and Control, incorporating 5 indicators. It aims to evaluate the educational standards, lifelong learning opportunities, and individuals’ sense of autonomy and control over their future, aligning with the domain’s primary objective of assessing prosperity through inclusivity and equitable opportunities for all.
Power, Voice, and Influence Domain
The third domain, Power, Voice, and Influence, consists of two subdomains: Political Inclusion, and Voice and Influence, with two composite indicators. This domain measures the level of political participation and trust in institutions, focusing on inclusivity and empowerment, while also considering individuals’ perceptions of the impact of their participation on social change.
Belonging, Connections, and Leisure Domain
The Belonging, Connections, and Leisure domain includes three subdomains: Social Relationships, Sense of Community, and Arts, Leisure and Sports, covering eight individual indicators. This domain takes account of the levels of social connectedness and community involvement through formal and informal participation in community activities, along with equitable access to arts, sports, and leisure activities.
Health and Healthy Environments Domain
Health and Healthy Environments incorporates three subdomains: Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds; Healthy, Safe and Clean Neighbourhoods; and Sustainable and Resilient Communities, with 7 indicators. This domain measures individuals’ well-being and health, including mental and physical health, life satisfaction, and access to related services. It also assesses the quality of housing, safety, cleanliness, and access to green spaces in neighbourhoods. The Sustainable and Resilient Communities sub-domain is calculated using the Natural Environment indicator, which is based on survey data around the satisfaction of residents with the local natural environment.
Figure 8 Citizen Prosperity Index Model
Prosperity in the Royal Docks, Newham
We use data from the Citizen Prosperity Index Household Survey and a simultaneous equation model to estimate values reflecting levels of prosperity in the Royal Docks as a whole and individually for each LSOA (Figures 9-14).
Figures 9-14 present the individual subdomain prosperity scores using radial ‘spider-charts’, enabling us to observe how the LSOAs perform across distinctive subdomains of the Citizen Prosperity Index. Figure 9 provides an overview of the subdomain scores for all four LSOAs on average, whilst Figure 10 shows the average prosperity scores for the four Royal Docks sites but separately, to allow for comparisons. Subsequent figures zoom in on each LSOA’s performance within specific subdomains, organised according to their respective domains.
Prosperity ‘scores’ in the model range from 0 to 10 (the lowest and highest values). The score determines how far each point radiates from the centre to the spider-chart’s periphery. The greater the value, the farther the point is from the centre.
Figure 10 clearly depicts the disparity in prosperity across the four LSOAs within the Royal Docks and multiple Index subdomains. When we examine indicators such as ‘Secure Income and Good Quality Work,’ ‘Affordable Housing,’ and ‘Food and Energy Security,’ all of which are significant parts of the ‘Foundations of Prosperity’ domain, we can find clear strengths and weaknesses in various areas. On average, the Royal Docks is stronger in the Health and Healthy Environments domain, as well as on the Opportunities and Aspirations domain, whilst other domains vary depending on the specific subdomains.
Figure 10 reveals a consistent level of income and job security in the four Local Super Output Areas (LSOAs) when we look at the ‘Secure Livelihoods’ sub-domain, which includes Secure Income and Good Quality, affordable and secure housing, food and energy security, perceptions of future security, financial stress, and access to basic public services. There are considerable differences in the level of financial stress that individuals experience, notably in their capacity to manage costs, debt, and savings. Silvertown Quays has the highest ‘Freedom from Financial Stress’ score at 7.23, making it the least financially stressed area in the surveyed regions.
Although there is considerable strength in social connections and political activity, the continuous issue of livelihood insecurity remains a major concern in east London. Considering these challenges, the Citizen Prosperity Index prioritises livelihood security and highlights its critical importance in the broader context of regional prosperity11.
The post-pandemic economy, marked by rising inflation, higher interest rates, and an energy crisis, has had a detrimental impact on the Royal Docks area. Rates of unemployment in the Royal Docks have risen, and most citizens’ disposable income is alarmingly low, around 50% of the respondents in the four LSOAs report a disposable income of £300 a month or less. To see more details on employment levels, refer to the summary statistics table included on the appendix.
Figure 10 Prosperity in subdomains in Royal Docks – site comparison
11 Woodcraft, Collins and McArdle (2023).
Figure 9 Prosperity in subdomains in Royal Docks survey sites on average
Prosperity in the Royal Docks, Newham
Prosperity in Beckton
Figure 11 depicts Beckton’s prosperity levels. The indicators for Secure Livelihoods under the domain ‘Foundations of Prosperity’ present a mixed picture. Beckton has a relatively high level of food and energy security, with only 5% of residents experiencing food insecurity the previous year (compared to 15% in Custom House). Housing affordability is a significant issue across all study sites, and there are barriers to accessing services, highlighting the need for significant improvements in service delivery.
Beckton performs well in terms of political inclusion, a secure future, and high-quality basic education. Beckton excels at social relationships in the Belonging, Connections, and Leisure domain. While it scores well in Health and Healthy Environments, it has the lowest self-reported happiness and self-perceived health among Royal Docks residents.
The area faces challenges in the Power, Voice, and Influence domains, with residents expressing a perceived inability to influence local decisions. Despite this, residents generally trust government officials, local governments, and other institutions.
Prosperity in Custom House
Figure 12 depicts the prosperity values for Custom House. Within the Livelihood Security subdomain, the headline indicator Feeling Secure About the Future scores 8.59. This sentiment is influenced by trust in the availability of social support during difficult times and a lower perceived risk of displacement due to housing costs. Affordability and tenure type are important factors influencing perceptions of housing security, and they contribute to the larger context of livelihood insecurity, which is still a pressing issue in the region.
The diagram shows decent results in the Opportunities and Aspirations domain, particularly in education. Most Custom House respondents (96%) are satisfied with the quality of local education, a finding that is also true for the other Royal Docks sites.
Prosperity in North Woolwich
Figure 13 depicts the levels of prosperity in North Woolwich. The area performs relatively well in the category of Health and Healthy Environments, but concerns do exist within the domain, as a large proportion of residents feel unsafe when walking at night (62%) and healthcare access could be better.
Within the Foundations of Prosperity domain, the situation is mixed. Although there is a general sense of optimism for the future and a certain amount of stability in people’s lives, there are very high levels of financial stress. This underscores the importance of prioritising economic inclusion and creating support mechanisms for residents experiencing financial difficulties. North Woolwich also suffers housing affordability and insecure housing challenges. Only 12.5% own their accommodation, and the area has the highest proportion of residents renting from the council across the 15 LSOAs in the study.
Prosperity in Silvertown Quays
Figure 14 reports on prosperity in Silvertown Quays, demonstrating overall positive performance across multiple subdomains. The area does notably well in the Opportunities and Aspirations domain, partially driven by 98% of residents expressing satisfaction with educational quality.
Silvertown Quays shares patterns with other areas of the Royal Docks in terms of Secure Livelihoods, demonstrating space for improvement in economic inclusion and housing affordability. However, it outperforms in metrics such as Freedom from Financial Stress and Access to Key Basic Services, indicating resilience in dealing with economic hardships and gaining access to required services including internet access, childcare, and public transport.
Figure 11 Beckton
Figure 12 Custom House
Figure 13 North
Conclusion
This Citizen Prosperity Index bulletin offers an initial analysis of prosperity as a lived experience for residents of four areas of London’s Royal Docks –Beckton, Custom House, North Woolwich, and Silvertown Quays.
Using new indicators co-produced with citizen scientists and based on extensive qualitative research about the determinants of prosperity for residents of east London, the Index offers rich and nuanced insights about socioeconomic and spatial patterns of prosperity. Conventional prosperity measures focus on earnings, employment, disposable income and household wealth, with attention being paid more recently to personal wellbeing as a supplementary measure. This bulletin shows that prosperity measures reporting on what people say makes a meaningful difference to their lives, reveal patterns that challenge mainstream policy assumptions about how to generate prosperity. Index data shows deeprooted challenges of livelihood insecurity that do not map straightforwardly onto employment status and income. Levels of financial stress, food and energy insecurity, and debt burdens vary significantly within communities that report similar levels of income security for example, and preliminary analysis of prosperity levels by gender and for different ethnic groups indicate intricate, place-specific patterns of experience. While the current cost of living crisis might explain low levels of livelihood security, the consistent pattern in the Royal Docks, and throughout the 15 areas in the longitudinal study, is cause for concern. Earlier waves of research undertaken by the IGP and citizen scientists in 2015 and 2017 identified livelihood insecurity as the main obstacle to prosperity12 in east London13. New Citizen Prosperity Index data suggests livelihood insecurity is becoming entrenched in east London.
Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is a mixed methods study. Qualitative research undertaken by citizen scientists alongside the household survey identifies the complex strategies that people living with high-levels of insecurity employ to mitigate its effects, from local food bank use to relying on family or neighbours for childcare to enable people to manage short-term or temporary work. Such activities often rely on voluntary support in communities already under great pressure14, 15 This research also identifies how histories of deindustrialisation, economic development, migration, and welfare interventions, such as post-war social housing, have place-specific legacies that continue to exert concrete effects on peoples’ daily lives. Housing tenure, for example, is closely linked to housing affordability, housing security, and housing quality, which intersect with health, wellbeing, and household disposable income, among other factors shaping lived experiences of prosperity. More research is needed to understand the long-term social, cultural, and psychological effects of living with insecurity for individuals and for networks in communities exposed to
multiple forms of insecurity. Future waves of Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 qualitative research by citizen scientists and IGP researchers will explore these issues.
While livelihood insecurity is a major challenge, the Citizen Prosperity Index data indicates areas of strength in all four neighbourhood research sites in the Royal Docks. These include high-levels of satisfaction with the quality of education services, and high-levels of people reporting they have strong social relationships and networks to draw on. Sense of community is rather low, but this is driven by specific indicators depending on the site. In Silvertown Quays only 16% reported exchanging favours with neighbours, but 95% feel that they belong to the neighbourhood. In Beckton only 22% agree that people in the neighbourhood can be trusted and 54% feel they belong to the area, but 89% say they regularly stop to talk with acquaintances in the neighbourhood. This reflects the complexity of community perceptions and dynamics at the hyper-local level and could be further analysed in the future.
Self-reported levels of health and wellbeing vary at the neighbourhood level, as do perceptions of neighbourhood safety and community resilience. Together, these indicators drive differences in the Health and Healthy Environments domain. Perceptions of neighbourhood safety are lower for North Woolwich.
The hyper-local focus of the Citizen Prosperity Index identifies the particular pressure points that local communities are experiencing today, and provides a framework for measuring social, economic and spatial changes over time. It has been designed to offer decisionmakers a new, and nuanced, kind of evidence about the strengths, needs, and vulnerabilities in local communities, and to identify meaningful and sustainable pathways to prosperity that can offer new directions for regeneration planning. Aggregate secondary data of the kind that currently informs regeneration strategies masks the hyperlocal nature of these experiences and the intersectional complexities that affect outcomes for individuals from different backgrounds. In a context of sustained cuts to local government budgets, strategic investments in urban regeneration are being expected to work harder to deliver ‘social value’ in the form of better social, economic and health outcomes for local communities, as well as housing, commercial and retail space, and built environment improvements. The Citizen Prosperity Index provides a framework to understand how regeneration planning, policy, and investment, can be more effectively targeted.
This preliminary analysis is published alongside bulletins about prosperity in the Olympic Park and surrounding areas. Future bulletins will investigate how health and wellbeing outcomes vary across research sites and intersect with gender, ethnicity, livelihood insecurity, and community connectedness. In 2024, IGP will launch an open-access Citizen Prosperity Index dashboard to share analysis and data. Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is a rich resource that will yield detailed insights and evidence about who benefits, and how, from investments in urban regeneration in the years to come.
12 Moore and Woodcraft (2019).
13 Woodcraft and Anderson (2019).
14 Alexis, (2022). Repackaging poverty. UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/publications/zines/ repackaging-property Terry and Twinkle, (2022). The abandoned side of North Woolwich. UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. Available at: https:// www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/publications/zines/abandoned-side-northwoolwich Terry, (2022). A tale of two sides. UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/publications/ zines/tale-two-sides
15 Moore and Woodcraft (2023).
Partners and Funders
Prosperity in east London 2021-2031 is an innovative cross-sector research collaboration that brings together university, government, voluntary sector, business, citizen scientists, local residents, and community organisations. Managed by the Institute for Global Prosperity’s (IGP) Prosperity Co-Laboratory UK (PROCOL UK), the study was co-designed with members of the London Prosperity Board – a cross-sector partnership between the IGP, London government, local councils, public agencies, businesses, the third sector, and local communities in London, to change the way decision-makers think and act for prosperity by developing new forms of evidence and new ways of working. 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.
About us References
The Institute for Global Prosperity
The Institute for Global Prosperity aims to rethink what prosperity means for people around the globe. Our vision is to help build a prosperous, sustainable, global future, underpinned by the principles of fairness and justice, and allied to a realistic, long-term vision of humanity’s place in the world. The IGP undertakes pioneering research that seeks to dramatically improve the quality of life for current and future generations. Its strength lies in the way it allies intellectual creativity to effective collaboration and policy development. Of particular importance to the IGP’s approach is the way in which it integrates non-academic expertise into its knowledge generation by engaging with decision-makers, business, civil society, and local communities.
PROCOL UK
Prosperity Co-Lab (PROCOL) UK is an innovative initiative to develop transformational thinking and action on shared prosperity for the UK. Our goal is to achieve a sustained shift in public debate, policymaking, investment and community action for shared prosperity. Led by the IGP at UCL, PROCOL UK brings together citizen-led research, cutting-edge academic research, and collaborative, multistakeholder partnerships with communities, government, business and researchers, to develop new forms of knowledge and new ways of working that bring about transformational change. PROCOL UK’s work addresses the question ‘What are the pathways to shared prosperity in the UK?’ in the context of pressing challenges facing British society: climate emergency, rising social and financial inequalities, Brexit, austerity and public services, and the changing nature of work in the era of AI and robotics. We work across major challenges to identify the new forms of knowledge, governance and ways of working for shared prosperity.
London Prosperity Board
The London Prosperity Board is an innovative crosssector partnership established by the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) to rethink what prosperity means for London. The goal of the London Prosperity Board is to change the way decisionmakers think and act for prosperity by developing new forms of evidence and new ways of working that make shared and inclusive prosperity a reality.
Alexis, (2022). “Repackaging poverty”. UCL Institute for Global Prosperity. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/publications/zines/ repackaging-property
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Appendix
The following tables show all the measures that make up the Citizen Prosperity Index. Each of these represents a survey question (e.g ‘thinking about your main job, how many hours excluding meal breaks but including overtime do you work in a normal week?’ = Satisfactory Hours (49h or less/week) indicator).
We aggregate these measures under composite ‘headline indicators’, such as ‘Secure Income and Good Quality Work’, which is informed by 11 measures. And these headline indicators belong to specific subdomains, which are part of the five wider domains that make up the Prosperity model.
1. Foundations of Prosperity
Secure livelihoods Secure income and good quality work
Genuinely affordable and secure housing
FOUNDATIONS OF PROSPERITY
OPPORTUNITIES AND ASPIRATIONS
POWER, VOICE AND INFLUENCE
BELONGING, CONNECTIONS AND LEISURE
HEALTH AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS
Freedom from financial stress
Food and energy security
Access to key basic services: public transport, internet and childcare
Feeling secure about the future
An inclusive economy Fairness and equity
A good start in life
Childhood poverty
Adolescent transitions to work or study
(survey question description)
Pre-tax income
Real household disposable income
Proportion of Permanent Contracts
Commute time
Satisfactory leisure time
Overall job satisfaction
Satisfaction with opportunities for promotion
Satisfaction with quality of available jobs
Affordable housing
Size of House
Mortgage (i.e., whether they have a mortgage or not)
House ownership
Ability to keep up-to-date with bills
Debt burden
Ability to save
Eating less due to lack of money
Use of food banks
Ability to keep accomodation warm
Affordable public transport
Satisfaction with public transport
Mode of transportation for work/education
Internet access
Having social support when in need
Anticipation of moving out of the area
Childcare spending
Part time or full time Job
Ability to save
Income Inequality
Use of Childcare
Household Size
Children present in the household
Students leaving key stage 4 and transitioning to any sustained educational destination
Unemployment
School attendance
Appendix
The following tables show all the measures that make up the Citizen Prosperity Index. Each of these represents a survey question (e.g ‘thinking about your main job, how many hours excluding meal breaks but including overtime do you work in a normal week?’ = Satisfactory Hours (49h or less/week) indicator).
We aggregate these measures under composite ‘headline indicators’, such as ‘Secure Income and Good Quality Work’, which is informed by 11 measures. And these headline indicators belong to specific subdomains, which are part of the five wider domains that make up the Prosperity model.
2. Opportunities and Aspirations
Subdomain
Headline (Composite) Indicator
Good quality basic education Access to good quality education
Lifelong learning Access to skills and training for work
Opportunities for self-improvement and personal development
Freedom, choice and control Freedom from discrimination
Measures (survey question description)
Level of education attained
Satisfaction with education
Participation in professional training through work
Participation in adult learning classes
Degree to which people with different backgrounds can live in harmony
Degree to which different cultures, beliefs and identities can flourish in the area
Having choices and control over one’s future Feeling free to make decisions about one’s life
Degree to which people feel they can take steps to improve their life
FOUNDATIONS OF PROSPERITY
OPPORTUNITIES AND ASPIRATIONS
POWER, VOICE AND INFLUENCE
BELONGING, CONNECTIONS AND LEISURE
HEALTH AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS
3. Power, Voice and Influence
Subdomain
Headline (Composite) Indicator
Political inclusion Political inclusion
Voice and influence Feelings of influence
Measures (survey question description)
Trust in the Local Authority / Council
Trust in political parties
Trust in the Parliament
Trust in the police
Trust in the British legal system
Trust in the Greater London Authority (GLA)
Trust in the National Government
Taking part in political party activities
Degree to which people feel they can influence decisions about their local area
Taking part in demonstrations
Boycott
Contacted a politician, local, non-local government official
Appendix
The following tables show all the measures that make up the Citizen Prosperity Index. Each of these represents a survey question (e.g ‘thinking about your main job, how many hours excluding meal breaks but including overtime do you work in a normal week?’ = Satisfactory Hours (49h or less/week) indicator).
We aggregate these measures under composite ‘headline indicators’, such as ‘Secure Income and Good Quality Work’, which is informed by 11 measures. And these headline indicators belong to specific subdomains, which are part of the five wider domains that make up the Prosperity model.
4. Belonging, Connections and Leisure
Subdomain
Social relationships
Headline (Composite) Indicator
Regular contact with family, friends, and neighbours
Sense of community Community cohesion
FOUNDATIONS OF PROSPERITY
OPPORTUNITIES AND ASPIRATIONS
POWER, VOICE AND INFLUENCE
BELONGING, CONNECTIONS AND LEISURE
HEALTH AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS
Arts, leisure and sports
Getting involved in community life
Measures (survey question description)
Having contact with family at least 2-3 times per week
Having contact with friends at least 2-3 times per week
Having contact with neighbours at least 2-3 times per week
Feelings of loneliness
Feeling like they belong to the neighbourhood
Plans to remain in the neighbourhood for a number of years
Feeling like the friendships and associations in their neighbourhood mean a lot to them
Trusting people in their neighbourhood
Feeling like their neighbours will help them
Borrowing and exchanging favours with neighbours
Volunteer work
Membership in civic and voluntary organisations
Participation in local social activities
Participation in arts, sport, and leisure activities
Participation in organised arts or cultural activities
Membership in club (e.g., sports club)
Appendix
The following tables show all the measures that make up the Citizen Prosperity Index. Each of these represents a survey question (e.g ‘thinking about your main job, how many hours excluding meal breaks but including overtime do you work in a normal week?’ = Satisfactory Hours (49h or less/week) indicator).
We aggregate these measures under composite ‘headline indicators’, such as ‘Secure Income and Good Quality Work’, which is informed by 11 measures. And these headline indicators belong to specific subdomains, which are part of the five wider domains that make up the Prosperity model.
5. Health and Healthy Environments
Subdomain
Headline (Composite) Indicator
Healthy bodies and healthy minds Healthy bodies
Wellbeing
FOUNDATIONS OF PROSPERITY
OPPORTUNITIES AND ASPIRATIONS
POWER, VOICE AND INFLUENCE
BELONGING, CONNECTIONS AND LEISURE
HEALTH AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS
Access to health and care services
Healthy, safe and clean neighbourhoods Good quality housing
Safe and clean neighbourhoods
Access to green space
Sustainable and resilient communities Natural Environment
Measures (survey question description)
Subjective health
Health and disability status
Visited Nature Recently
Number of days where respondent walked more than 10 minutes in past 10 days
Happiness
Life satisfaction
Feeling life is worthwhile
Anxiety
Access to mental healthcare
Access to physician for physical health problems in your local area
Satisfaction with quality of health services
Satisfaction with local housing quality
Satisfaction with living conditions
Safety at night
Safety in the day
Satisfaction with green/open spaces
Satisfaction with local natural environment
Summary statistics
The following Table and Figures show the key summary statistics for the surveyed population across all Royal Docks sites, collectively and individually, by LSOA. These statistics include essential demographic characteristics, employment, housing and educational attainment information.
