Ongoing and concluded PhDs

PhD researcher or student information

Farjana Islam

Discipline: Sociology

Degrees BA: MSc

MA/LLM:

PhD Research Information

ETHNIC MINORITY RESIDENTS IN OLYMPIC 2012 LEGACY: RHETORIC AND REALITY

Brief description:

The rhetoric of Legacy 2012 regeneration is to ‘transform the heart of east London’ emphasising creation of employment for local people and modern facilities, which were anticipated to attract mega-sporting events in the future. Since industrialisation, East London is known to contain the poorest ethnic minority population in London, the majority of whom lives in diverse ethnic enclaves. In the aftermath of deindustrialisation, the residents are experiencing unemployment, poor housing, and lower levels of educational qualities while often becoming dependent on benefit payments. In addition to the Legacy Master Planning Framework (2007), London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) published the ‘Equality and Inclusion Policy (2012)’ to create opportunities for the locals with a view to minimising the chronic deprivation and social exclusion. But experiencing the contemporary reality, it could be argued that the game-led regeneration is perhaps leading to an unjust trade-off between ‘deprived’ and ‘middle class’ gentrifiers ignoring the real and organic need of the poor ethnic minority residents. There have been many ‘legacy statements’ along the way from different actors explaining the inclusion of the Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) people. But the challenge is to understand the actual benefits derived from these projects because usually there is an enormous gap between rhetoric and reality in the market driven urban regeneration projects. In this context, the research aims to explore the extent in which the legacy 2012 regeneration process has supported the inclusion of the ethnic minority residents in Hackney Wick and Bromley-by-Bow area under a ‘right to the city’ perspective. The notion of the ‘right to the city’ could be a platform to legitimise the de facto rights of the local ethnic minority people as de jure claims and translating their need into ‘communal cry’. The research also explores how the ethnic minority residents are perceiving and conceiving the socio-economic impact of the 2012 legacy transformative changes underpinned by Lefebvre’s (1991) philosophical notion of ‘right to the city’.

Methodology:

Keywords: UK, Diversity, community

Language(s) of writing: English

Country: United Kingdom

Home University:

Heriot-Watt University

Faculty:

Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design, School Energy Geoscience Infrastructure and Society

Supervisor: Dr. Harry Smith
Start date: 07-01-2013
PhD current status: PhD Ongoing
PhD URL:
PhD research funded by:
Name of grant:
Added to catalogue on: 14-10-2018

Additional information: