Mixed-income communities and the wellbeing of low-income young people
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Education,Communication & Society
Abstract
This fellowship aims to contribute to academic debate and research-informed policy and practice around young people's experiences of social housing estates being regenerated into mixed income communities. This will be achieved through a package of research dissemination and knowledge exchange activities that will increase the social impact of my doctoral research and facilitate its uptake by academics, policy makers, practitioners and communities.
My doctoral research revealed that working class teenagers are not reaping the benefits of transforming deprived council estates into socio-economically mixed communities. On the contrary, it seems that the regeneration processes further restricting their opportunities and ability to live a good life. My PhD aimed to give prominence to youth voices in understanding how their neighbourhood affects their wellbeing. To that end I spent 12 months in 2018/19 conducting immersive fieldwork in an inner-London council estate that has been turned into a mixed community. I volunteered at the local youth centre and engaged 40 young people (12-19 years) in partiticaptory activities and group discussions. I also interviewed 36 adult stakeholders, including regeneration decision makers and local service providers. Findings showed that, contrary to policy expectations, young people are not able to benefit from the new facilties and improvements in their area and that their wellbeing is undermined by increasing social inequalities and divisions, their exclusion from public spaces and local decision making and their diminishing sense of belonging.
These findings have clear implications for the policy and practice of social housing redevelopment, particularly in London and other cities of Western countries where social mix is a common feature of urban regeneration. They are also of relevance to academic debates and literatures on community and place, youth wellbeing and the use of collaborative participatory research methods.
Building on my PhD work, this fellowship aims to: (a) enhance the understanding of the influence of mixed communities regeneration on working class young people's wellbeing; (b) advance a conceptualisation of youth wellbeing that foregrounds their lived experiences; (c) contribute to the literature on youth-centred participatory methodology; (d) promote youth-inclusive social housing regeneration policy and practice; and (e) create opportunities for future research collaborations.
These aims will be achieved through a programme of activities that include developing academic publications, presenting at conferences and seminars, organising knowledge exchange events with young people, policy makers, practitioners, campaigners and interest groups, co-producing a manifesto for youth-inclusive regeneration policy and practice, writing for a wider audience, scoping post-fellowship research plans and initiating forums for discussions with colleagues about directions for future projects.
My doctoral research revealed that working class teenagers are not reaping the benefits of transforming deprived council estates into socio-economically mixed communities. On the contrary, it seems that the regeneration processes further restricting their opportunities and ability to live a good life. My PhD aimed to give prominence to youth voices in understanding how their neighbourhood affects their wellbeing. To that end I spent 12 months in 2018/19 conducting immersive fieldwork in an inner-London council estate that has been turned into a mixed community. I volunteered at the local youth centre and engaged 40 young people (12-19 years) in partiticaptory activities and group discussions. I also interviewed 36 adult stakeholders, including regeneration decision makers and local service providers. Findings showed that, contrary to policy expectations, young people are not able to benefit from the new facilties and improvements in their area and that their wellbeing is undermined by increasing social inequalities and divisions, their exclusion from public spaces and local decision making and their diminishing sense of belonging.
These findings have clear implications for the policy and practice of social housing redevelopment, particularly in London and other cities of Western countries where social mix is a common feature of urban regeneration. They are also of relevance to academic debates and literatures on community and place, youth wellbeing and the use of collaborative participatory research methods.
Building on my PhD work, this fellowship aims to: (a) enhance the understanding of the influence of mixed communities regeneration on working class young people's wellbeing; (b) advance a conceptualisation of youth wellbeing that foregrounds their lived experiences; (c) contribute to the literature on youth-centred participatory methodology; (d) promote youth-inclusive social housing regeneration policy and practice; and (e) create opportunities for future research collaborations.
These aims will be achieved through a programme of activities that include developing academic publications, presenting at conferences and seminars, organising knowledge exchange events with young people, policy makers, practitioners, campaigners and interest groups, co-producing a manifesto for youth-inclusive regeneration policy and practice, writing for a wider audience, scoping post-fellowship research plans and initiating forums for discussions with colleagues about directions for future projects.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Rana Khazbak (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Description | Collaborating with three third sector organisations to advocate for and raise the voices of young people in their communities will put youth needs on local agendas with the goal of creating lasting policy change. The organisations involved in this project have been working in communities affected by urban regeneration and gentrification for many years. They have strong community ties and a deep understanding of the needs of the local youth. They also have accumulated experience of engaging with local decision makers By combining their practical experience with my academic expertise in researching the effects of neighbourhoods, we have developed a program for our summer workshops that is based on evidence. For example, while I shared my research results and policy recommendations, they informed me about their successful and unsuccessful engagement with local policy makers based on their experience. Additionally, they appreciated my theoretical knowledge that provides a foundation for the issues they have been addressing. The collaboration between the different parties involved in this project has already started to have some impact, even though the project is still in its early stages. It is worth noting that this impact will continue to evolve and develop over the next six months. At this stage, it is likely that the collaboration has helped to identify important issues and challenges that the young people in the community are facing. By working together, the different parties involved have been able to develop an innovative and evidence-based project to address these challenges. The impact of this intervention may not yet be fully realised, but the collaboration has set the foundation for meaningful change. Over the next six months, it is expected that the collaboration will continue to deepen and become more effective, leading to further impact and progress towards the shared goals of the project. This project is now complete and has sown seeds for policy change and engagement more generally. As part of the research impact project called 'London: A home for young people?' I led a workshop in August 2023 that brought together young people with decision makers and practitioners from three of London's largest housing associations, the London's Violence Reduction Unit based at City Hall (Greater London Authority), Lambeth Council and two third sector organisations involved in policy campaigning and advocacy. The attendees engaged in discussions around solutions to some of the problems young people face when their communities undergo regeneration. The project has produced a report with clear recommendations for changes to housing and urban regeneration policy and practice. Changes that we believe ensure youth voices and needs are foregrounded in their communities. Recommendations covered issues related to young people's access to housing, nurturing inclusive and diverse communities, preserving community heritage, mitigating the impact of the cost of living crisis and creating youth opportunities. The fact that these recommendations were developed jointly by young people and decision makers means not only that they are inclusive of youth voices but also that they are realistic and achievable. Based on this work, we have been invited to participate in a working group collating evidence and recommendations for the upcoming London Mayor elections and national elections. I am hopeful that on the long term, this work will impart tangible change on policy and society more generally. |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy |
Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
Description | London: A home for young people? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I led a research impact project that aimed to amplify young people's voices in decision-making about urban and housing regeneration in London. The project involved organising four workshops in the August 2023 that brought together young people, policymakers and practitioners from local government, housing and voluntary sectors. Discussions revolved around key themes from my PhD findings focusing on developing solutions and recommendations for change in policy and practice. Pracitioners and policy makers who participated made pledges to improve engagement with young people, including from large organisations such as the MTVH, Clarion and Notting Hill Genesis housing associations. Some of the pledges : (1) Extending a peer research programme to amplify young people's voices in decision making across the housing sector; (2) setting up a Youth Ambassadors group to help gather data from the local community to help shape our next regeneration scheme; (3) Create a (paid) opportunity for a young person/people to manage and communicate our opportunities to young people; (4) Look at ways the community and young people can influence how the social value of the scheme should be used; (5) More inclusive work with young people - not just 'selective' groups of young people. Making sure to reach harder to access young people and including them in our work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/london-a-home-for-young-people |
Description | Research workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I organised a 2.5 hour participatroy workshop for youth professionals on 9 January at KCL, where I presented my research findings and held small group discussions on how to support young people influence urban regeneration decision makers. During the event a group of young people from a community theatre company also gave a performance that creatively presented some of the themes from the research including social exclusion and gentrification. The event was attended by youth workers, third sector organisations, postgraduate students and young people engaged with the charities present at the workshop. The workshop was part of my research impact objectives. Its aim was to share my research and connect with organisations interested in collaborating with me on an initiative that brings together young people and decision makers. The event was successful at achieving these aims; it has triggered a collaboration between myself and three organisations on a project that involves organising a summer residential for groups of young people from three London boroughs and a symposium with relevant decision makers (e.g. local authorities, housing landlords, and private developers). The project ourputs will include a manifesto for youth-inclusive urban regeneration. The organisations involved are Hackney Quest, Advocacy Academy, and the London Development Trust. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/influencing-change-in-regeneration-policy-and-practice-a-research-works... |
Description | Talk at panel: This Must Be The Place |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was invited to speak on a panel at This Must Be THE Place conference in November 8th 2023 in Gravesend. My talk reflected on some findings from my PhD and research impact activities I led during my ESRC posdoc fellowship. I spoke about the most effective ways to engage young people in decisionmaking in urban development and regeneration. This includes how planning structures and regulations need to change to become more inclusive of youth voices and needs. The event was attended by about 80-90 people including low authority practitioners, planners and property developers. The event has increased awareness and interest in engaging young people in the regeneration of Ebbsfleet Garden City, Kent. I have been invited to become a consutlant on their new youth engagement project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://thismustbetheplaceebbsfleet.org/this-must-be-the-place-conference-placemaking-with-young-peo... |