Practices of urban inclusion: designing an experiment in education

This report outlines the process and initial findings from a collaborative EU funded project titled: DESINC LIVE – Designing and Learning in the Context of Migration (desinclive.eu). Since September 2019, the project has brought together a group of fourteen educators, researchers and practitioners from four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and three Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) based in four European countries to jointly design, test and evaluate an experimental educational offer. The offer focuses on the interface between questions of migration and urban inclusion on the one hand, and the field of urban planning, architecture and spatial practice on the other

Measuring the initial social sustainability impacts of estate regeneration: a case study of Acton Gardens, London

In the context of UK housebuilding this paper explores and critically reviews the initial measurement of social sustainability in the first phase of a new housing project on a large estate regeneration development in South Acton, London (conducted in March–April 2015). The research uses an existing “ex post” social sustainability framework adopted for use in other new UK housing projects and also examines local residents’ attitudes to the first phase of the estate regeneration. The social sustainability assessment framework (created to reflect a UK housebuilder's perspective) is based on the analysis and comparison of a range of national datasets and interviews and survey work with new and existing residents and other stakeholders on the estate, and the surrounding areas. The research shows stronger ratings for a number of physical improvements in the new development, but weaker scores for local identity and links with neighbours. The research also shows a mixed picture in their attitudes towards the urban regeneration. The paper provides a critical discussion of the results and the framework, and concludes by setting out the lessons learned from the research for social sustainability assessment. The research will be useful for practitioners, housebuilders and policy makers involved in housing, and those with a wider interest in community wellbeing