Quality of life mapping: Harlow and Gilston Garden Town
Client: Harlow & Gilston Garden Town
Project type: Quality of Life Mapping
Location: Harlow and Gilston and the surrounding areas
Timeline: April 2022-January 2023
Reports: Your Quality of Life community feedback report and Your Quality of Life reflections and recommendations report
What was the project?
Harlow and Gilston was designated as a garden town by the Department for Homes, Communities and Local Government in January 2017. In total, 16,000 new homes will be delivered by 2033, with a further 7,000 planned for the Gilston area to be built from 2033 onwards.
But how could Harlow and Gilston Garden Town (HGGT) – the partnership of local authorities – measure the impact of such a significant period of change, and involve local people in that process?
With PropTech funding from the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, HGGT commissioned the Quality of Life Foundation to deliver ‘Your quality of life’ – a social value mapping and monitoring project via digital and in-person engagement across the Garden Town.
We worked with expert partners to build a clear picture of what people currently value, need and dislike in their local area, alongside socio-economic and environmental data, to establish a quality of life baseline for the garden town area.
The baseline will be used to support master planning and stewardship arrangements for the Garden Town, and to shape strategies and delivery of development. It’ll also enable monitoring of any changes to quality of life and social value in relation to the growth in the area.
The methodology for this project came out of the UKRI-funded research project, Community Consultation for Quality of Life (CCQOL). We’re collaborating on that major project with the universities of Reading, Cardiff, Ulster and Edinburgh.
This is an example of our Quality of Life Mapping service.
What was the impact?
We can only design with community in mind when we understand what the community needs, which is why it is so important to understand those needs from the very beginning of a development process.
Part of that process must involve the input of those people living there, both for the knowledge acquired through lived experience and for the sense of influence or agency that it gives, enhancing people’s health and wellbeing.
Our extensive engagement more than tripled the number of people taking part in conversations about their local area, compared to previous Garden Town consultations. It also increased participation from both younger people under 35 and those over 75, from people in ethnic minority communities, and from people who have a disability or long-term illness.
This project focused on people’s quality of life in Harlow, Gilston and surrounding areas. It is part of ongoing efforts to ensure that the health and wellbeing of current and future residents is protected and promoted to the highest standard.
By combining existing data about the local population with comments made by individuals through consultation, the five local authorities in the Garden Town area are now better placed to develop evidence-based interventions and to assess the impact of any changes that may occur over the coming years.