Gentrification in Forest Gate

Designing creative research methods to map collective concerns about regeneration in E7

We increasingly use the term gentrification to describe a broad and complex range of urban issues. In doing so, we often and miss the opportunity to engage with the wider context in which gentrification exists.

As we creep closer to the arrival of the Crossrail, Forest Gate has seen substantial change in demographics and property prices. The changes, both physical and cultural, can be clearly ‘read’ in the visual language of the High Street. New shops and businesses signify the the change in demographic and aspiration and become symbolic of the marginalisation of other residents. Increasing polarisation can be felt between different groups of resident, for whom the physical space of the High Street is the only point of convergence.

I interviewed different community stakeholders in order to map the local community. I designed a series of different participatory research methods for key groups, using a range of different community venues appropriate to those groups. I anaylsed the collected data using reflexive thematic analysis to identify themes of shared concern among the many different stakeholders. I then used the themes to analyse quantitative data and explored them using data visualisation in order to frame the themes into in local and national contexts.

The research resulted in a publication in which I discuss the shared local concerns in relation to the housing crisis, austerity politics and regeneration. Written and designed to be accessible and hyper-local, the short A5 zine aimed to shift the conversation from the bitter ‘us’ and ‘them’ of local gentrification discussions towards a collective focus on the larger failures of policy and planning.

The work allowed me to more expand my understanding of the role of visual research methods in research. It was also an opportunity to explore the role of the graphic designer as facilitator and visual methods as knowledge production. It was awarded a Distinction and a commendation for academic achievement by Kingston University.