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Citizen social scientist Zarah Oke writes about her own lived experience of growing up in a construction site.
Introduction
I am a resident of Wornington Green, a residential square in North聽Kensington, where I have grown up. For more than a decade, we have聽been living through an extended regeneration project led by Peabody聽Housing Association, for which construction started in 2012 and is聽not due to be completed until at least 2026. This means that all my聽teenage years and most of my twenties will have been spent living in a聽construction site.聽Living in an ongoing regeneration project has major implications for聽how young people experience their neighbourhood and how they聽think about the future. It shapes whether or not we will be able to live聽in the area in the future, and where we call home. This regeneration聽project is unusual in London as it offers young people the chance to聽gain their own homes. Young Adults 18+ are being classified as Adult聽Household Members and can be rehoused separately from their聽families. This is a huge opportunity, especially at the moment, when we聽are in the middle of a housing crisis. Londoners are facing incredibly聽high private rents and are finding it increasingly harder to get on the聽property ladder in the long run.聽Being a young adult resident of Wornington Green who is going聽through this process, I decided to make this the focus of my research聽project, reflecting on my experiences and how young people are聽engaged 鈥� or not 鈥� in the neighbourhood鈥檚 plans for the future.
My main research questions were
鈥� What are the impacts to young adult residents undergoing the聽Wornington Green regeneration?
鈥� What opportunities does the regeneration create for young adults?
鈥� What is their vision for the future (does the regeneration make this聽possible)?聽
鈥� How do Peabody engage with young adults in their regeneration聽planning?聽
Access to important information
During my online research, I aimed to try to understand the聽background and vision for the regeneration project. I discovered聽that there was an abundance of information on the history, proposal聽Zarah V1.indd 2 31/05/2024 13:43and current plans for Wornington Green but there was little to no聽information on the Young Adults position in this. I also found it very hard to access anyone that could help me gain this聽information. Information on key people in the regeneration and their聽roles were not available on the Peabody website.聽
The impact of a changing neighbourhood
I carried out many walking ethnographies at different times throughout聽my research and collected many pictures and videos of the current聽area and the current Phase of the construction works. Although I have聽been living in the project, and the regeneration has been ongoing聽for what seems like forever, by taking photographs and looking聽more closely I was able to see the different phases of work and聽consider the different ways in which construction work can change a聽neighbourhood very fast.聽I reflected a lot on my own neighbourhood throughout this process.聽
Finding the online proposals and plans for the regeneration and the聽current plans for the next phases, and then comparing this to what I聽saw in my walks around the regeneration project caused me to reflect聽on the neighbourhood visually in a different way. The difference聽between the online visions and the on the ground experience could聽be quite different. I understood how much a community needs to聽be involved during a regeneration otherwise in order to ensure聽companies like Peabody can be accountable for the promises聽originally made.
Interviews
I carried out interviews and informal conversations with many聽professionals/key informants in the regeneration project. To my聽surprise, finding Young Adult residents of the completed buildings聽proved much harder. I was not able to interview or have any聽informal conversations with any Young Adult who had moved into,聽or planned to move into, the new buildings. I did however reflect on聽my own process of moving as a Young Adult being offered the same聽opportunity.
Young and old have different ideas about the future
Affordable and sustainable聽housing is a large part of living聽a good life in North Kensington.聽For residents that have lived聽in the area for 30+ years, their聽
communities are a large part of聽their lives. When a regeneration聽starts it can cause a large聽amount of anxiety for the future聽for those long-term residents.聽I found that for most long-term聽residents, many of whom were聽keen to express their concerns,聽they prefer as little change as聽possible when it comes to the聽design and layout of streets聽and buildings. They also can聽get very restless the longer the聽regeneration takes.
Whereas younger residents聽(children of those living聽here 30+ years) seemed to聽be generally less involved聽in their community, at least聽until it becomes necessary聽for them. This can mean that聽they find themselves not聽knowing anything about the聽regeneration and their place聽within it up until it is time for聽them to move.聽
Young Adults' Lack of聽Community Engagement
The Golborne Forum Chair聽(Community group), while聽not directly affected by the聽regeneration plans but who is a聽resident of Wornington Green,聽expressed getting involved聽with the regeneration plans as聽soon as he found out the park聽outside his house would be聽affected by the regeneration聽for a long time. His concerns聽for the park made him become聽very interested in the plans聽for the regeneration as he聽expressed keeping up with聽the plans every week. When聽I asked about Young Adults鈥櫬爌articipation in the Golborne聽forum, he explained that they聽used to come sometimes but聽not so much anymore.聽
He was keen to invite me and聽observed that my age group聽should be more involved in the聽regeneration and the area as聽we will be the ones living here聽at the end of it.聽These sentiments were聽confirmed in my interview聽with the Senior Development聽Manager and my informal聽conversation with the聽Rehousing Coordinator. They聽both stated Young Adults聽tend to get more involved in聽the regeneration when it will聽directly affect their housing聽rather than when it is more聽about general community聽engagement.聽
They are open meetings, so聽anyone could come if they聽wanted to.鈥�
- Golborne Forum Chair
When people think it鈥檚 their聽time to start moving, you start聽to see a real pickup in things.鈥澛�
- Senior Development Manager
Changing responsibilities聽
Planning for a future聽can become hard when聽housing lacks security or聽when there is uncertainty聽about what kind of a聽neighbourhood might聽exist in the future.聽The regeneration has聽had a long history of聽disappointment for some聽of the residents and聽therefore community聽engagement is proving聽hard in Wornington聽Green.
Since 2010 when the聽regeneration project聽was confirmed, the聽housing association that聽owns the estate 鈥� and聽is thus responsible for聽the regeneration 鈥� has聽changed three times. The聽construction company聽has also changed聽three times. Inevitably,聽this has brought a lot聽of uncertainty. There聽has been conflicting聽information, different聽websites and emails that聽need to be accessed, and聽confusion about who is聽responsible for what.
Such changes have an聽impact on residents, who聽can feel disheartened聽or distressed by聽the unpredictability聽and uncertainty. My聽interview with the聽
Senior Development聽Manager shed more聽light on the lack of聽community engagement聽that can occur when a聽regeneration is taking so聽long.
鈥�A commitment from Kensington聽 Housing Trust, at that time, who聽 then turned into Catalyst housing聽 to turn into Peabody housing as聽 part of the residential charter.鈥澛�
- Senior Development Manager聽
鈥�For some people [the length聽of project] can become so聽demoralising. [they can feel]聽like this has taken so long that聽they just don鈥檛 want to engage聽anymore.鈥澛�
- Senior Development Manager
鈥�We do need to do a bit more聽[engagement], because I think聽historically it has been lacking鈥�.聽聽
- Senior Development Manager
Opportunities for Young People
One of the most聽surprising things to come聽out of my research is聽that there are actually a聽lot of opportunities for聽Young Adult residents聽within the regeneration聽project. However, these聽are often not known聽about due to poor聽communication channels.聽
For example, there are聽job opportunities and聽schemes to help Young聽Adults with planning to聽move, but there is limited聽take up. This information聽needs to be much more聽accessible to the public聽and to young residents.
On the one hand,聽Peabody seemed to be聽completely aware of聽their failure to provide聽information in this area,聽but also did not seem to聽be doing much to change聽this fast enough. For聽example, not having up to聽date information available聽on their website or clearly聽indicating where more聽details could be obtained.Peabody were also aware聽that they needed to聽work more directly with聽Young Adults to improve聽engagement, rather than聽鈥渦s being in some sort of聽office trying to engage聽with people.鈥� (Senior聽Development Manager).聽However, there did not聽seem to be any plans in聽place to put this idea into聽action.
One of the challenges聽is that because the聽regeneration project is聽taking so long, residents聽who were young adults聽at the start are now in聽their thirties, and those聽who were small children聽are now young adults.聽Regeneration takes聽years and someone聽who was not 18+ initially聽could be by the time it聽is their phase to move.聽This means that any聽resident engagement聽strategy aimed at Young聽Adults must constantly聽keep up with a changing聽community. This has not聽been happening and so聽many do not know what聽is going on or what their聽options are. This makes聽it difficult to plan for the聽future.聽
Overall, I feel the biggest聽takeaways from my聽research are to find better聽and more efficient ways聽of providing information聽to Young Adults and the聽Young People that are聽soon to be offered rehousing. This could include:
鈥� The 鈥楬ere and Now鈥櫬爎esident newsletter聽could be targeted at聽the families of young聽people to highlight聽the 18+ offer and the聽importance of getting聽involved.
鈥� An accessible website聽for Young Adults聽to understand their聽offer, the support and聽schemes available to them to help with聽rehousing, the key聽people to get in聽contact with, and聽stories from newly聽moved Young Adults.聽
The regeneration of Wornington聽Green, and the decade-long聽construction we have been living聽through, has caused a lot of聽upheaval and distress for some聽residents. However, there are聽more opportunities for young聽residents than in many other聽urban regeneration schemes聽around London. Having the聽chance to move into your own聽space is not something to be聽taken lightly in London, one of聽the most expensive cities in聽the world. In theory this should聽allow us to make plans for the聽future and continue to feel like聽we belong to North Kensington聽rather than being displaced. But聽there is not enough being done聽to communicate with young聽adults who feel outside of the聽plans that will directly affect their聽futures.
It is important for Young Adults聽to be a part of the regeneration聽and their communities. Peabody聽need do more to improve their聽engagement, but we as young聽adults collectively need to be聽more intentional about being聽involved in what our community聽can become in the future.
About the Good Life in North Kensington
The Good Life in North Kensington brings together a team聽of residents to explore what a 鈥榞ood life鈥� means for people聽in North Kensington, London, and what some of the barriers聽are to achieving it. In 2023, seven local residents became聽鈥榗itizen social scientists鈥� and carried out their own research聽projects, investigating issues which matter to them and their聽communities.聽They have been trained and supported by 香港六合彩聽Citizen聽Science Academy, based at the Institute for Global聽Prosperity, in collaboration with the University of Manchester聽and the Westway Trust. They have since been awarded the Citizen Science Certificate by the 香港六合彩 Office for Open聽Science and are now working with local organisations to聽help ensure citizen voices are part of decision-making聽processes.聽
The Good Life in North Kensington is part of a larger project聽on rethinking neighbourhood change and urban futures in聽the aftermath of housing tragedies. The project is led by聽Dr Constance Smith (University of Manchester) as part of a聽UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship.聽
