Yesterday, we launched Living in a denser London: How residents see their homes, the culmination of a three-year research project investigating how residents experience living in high-density housing in London.
Dense new towers, courtyard blocks, and riverside homes are appearing across London, but there has been little research asking residents why they chose to live in high-density housing, what they like most, and they dislike. Since 2016, a team of LSE Cities and LSE London researchers has spoken to over 500 residents from 14 high-density developments about how residents view their built environment, community engagement, and connection to surrounding neighbourhoods. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the 14 schemes, as well as a series of best practice recommendations for high-density housing to inform planners, designers, and academics.
The report was launched at a public event. Kath Scanlon, report author and Distinguished Policy Fellow, reviewed the report's key findings. Loretta Lees, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Leicester, Sripriya Sudhakar, Head of Regeneration at London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and Bob Allies, architect and founding partner of Allies and Morrison, commented on the findings of the report from the social science, policy, and design perspectives.
In addition to the full report, you can explore the findings in a user-friendly format on the project's website.