regenerating places: amersham-on-the-hill & spitalfields

where is spitalfields located? describe its historical development

• spitalfields can be found in east london, in the london borough of tower hamlets, near the city of london

• initially, it was a market and residential area for immigrant communities with the textile industry as the main economic focus

• now, the function has developed into a hybrid retail-market-corporate one

why did spitalfields need regeneration?

• economic decline

• poor housing

• social deprivation

• environmental decay

describe the population of spitalfields pre-redevelopment

• dense

• high proportion of working age people

• high proportion of Bangladeshi people

describe the population of spitalfields post-redevelopment

• low income residents and people of bangladeshi origin, the latter who have shaped the culture of spitalfields and banglatown, made the spitalfields market a tourist spot, and lived in the area for decades, are being displaced

• they are being displaced by higher-income typically white individuals in managerial positions

describe employment and economic activity in spitalfields pre-redevelopment

• unstable work- temporary, part-time, low-paid

• high unemployment

describe employment and economic activity in spitalfields post-redevelopment

• more stable work- permanent, full-time, highly-paid

• office, retail and professional jobs created

• more employment opportunities locally

describe housing and property in spitalfields pre-redevelopment

• older housing

• overcrowded

• high proportion of social housing

describe housing and property in spitalfields post-redevelopment

• renovated buildings

• more high-rise luxury apartments

• house prices have skyrocketed

• more public spaces

how was spitalfields regenerated?

• an 18 year long redevelopment plan was finalised in 2005

• bishops square redevelopment- offices, retail and residential buildings created

• spitalfields market restored- historical culture preserved

• 4 acres of new public space was created

describe health and wellbeing in spitalfields

• poorer than average

• healthy life expectancy for men and women respectively: 59.2 and 60

• preventable cardiovascular mortality rate is double the rate of amersham-on-the-hill- 42.6 compared to 21.8

describe education in spitalfields 

• there is a high proportion of people with RQF4+ (67.5%)

• however, there is also a high proportion of people with no qualifications (8.7%)

• this shows the massive wealth inequality

describe crime rates in spitalfields

• 4.6% lower than the national rate

• a five-minute walk has a crime risk of 627

describe transport in spitalfields 

• liverpool street station is on central, circle, hammersmith&city, metropolitan, elizabeth and weaver tube lines

• regular TfL buses serve the area

• near to major airports connecting to the whole world

• near to railways to major UK cities

• near to Eurostar to europe

who is involved in planning and governance in spitalfields?

• local council

• private developers

• heritage/national planning bodies

what are the main challenges spitalfields face?

• ongoing gentrification

• social inequality

• deprivation

evaluation of spitalfields regeneration

• partially successful socially due to inequality and social deprivation

• economically successful due to companies attracted to areas with offices based there

where is amersham-on-the-hill located? describe its historical development

• it’s a market town in south buckinghamshire, south east england

• with the arrival of the metropolitan railway, there was a growth in tertiary services

why does amersham-on-the-hill not require major redevelopment?

• affluent area with low levels of deprivation (0.0% of households are deprived in four dimensions)

• no major changes since town was established as a commuter town

describe the population and demographics of amersham-on-the-hill

• predominantly white british (81.1%)

• ageing population

describe the employment and economic activity of amersham-on-the-hill

• low unemployment (2.9%)

• professional/managerial roles are predominant

describe housing in amersham-on-the-hill

• high value housing as amersham-on-the-hill is surrounded by green belt land, limiting development- low supply has increased value

• mainly semi-detached or detached 

• low social housing

how is amersham-on-the-hill regenerated?

• ongoing small-scale developments

• examples include king george v house (lidl), amersham hospital (converted into 32 apartments), community projects like “amersham in bloom”

describe health and wellbeing in amersham-on-the-hill

• better than average

• healthy life expectancy for women and men respectively: 65.9 and 60.7 

• preventable cardiovascular mortality rate is half the rate of spitalfields- 21.8 compared to 42.6

describe education in amersham-on-the-hill

• there is a high proportion of people with RQF4+ (50.6%)

• there is a low proportion of people with no qualifications (4.8%)

describe crime in amersham-on-the-hill

• 48% lower than the national rate

• a five-minute walk has a crime risk of 379

describe transport in amersham-on-the-hill

• served by the metropolitan line and chiltern railways

• has access to major roads (A355, A404, A416 and A413)

• is so close to london that it can share in its national and global connectivity

who is involved in planning and governance in amersham-on-the-hill?

• local council

• community groups

how is amersham-on-the-hill economically sustainable?

• high property values

• strong professional employment

what challenges does amersham-on-the-hill face?

• housing demand from commuters

• balancing new development with heritage preservation