Living at High Density in London
Living in High Density in London Film. LSE Film and Audio
Residents of several high density housing developments in London talk about their homes in a new film highlighting research by LSE Cities and LSE London.
Historically, London has been a low-rise city of Victorian terrace houses. But most of the city's new homes are flats in blocks and towers, often built at very high densities – which means at least 100 dwellings per hectare.
However, if the city is to accommodate a rapidly growing population without – as Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised – impinging on the Green Belt, new developments will have to incorporate more housing units per plot of land.
Despite dense new towers, courtyard blocks and riverside homes popping up across London, there has been little research asking residents themselves what works and what doesn’t.
Since 2016 a team of LSE researchers has been investigating how residents experience living in high density housing in 14 developments in London.
Using online surveys, interviews and focus groups, the researchers asked residents what it is like to live in these developments physically, practically and socially. They also looked at who lives in these developments, why they are living there, residents’ day-to-day lives and how they feel about their communities and wider neighbourhoods.
The researchers are working with the GLA, residents, and built environment professionals to think about how their findings can be translated into specific recommendations for policy and practice.
Read more at the LSE London Density Project
The research was supported by the Greater London Authority.