Spring/Summer 2012 issue - School of Geography - Queen Mary ...

Will the Olympics improve London’s Health?East London playshost to the OlympicGames this summer,and researchersfrom the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Geography</strong> led byPr<strong>of</strong>essor Steve Cummins areinvestigating what the Games’legacy will be for the city.As Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Cummins says, over thepast decade health and life chancesin urban environments have seenincreasingly large differences growingbetween the richest and poorestpeople and between the richest andpoorest areas. With over half <strong>of</strong> the<strong>of</strong> the world’s population now livingin cities, understanding how urbanenvironments shape the health <strong>of</strong>populations is a top priority for nationaland local governments, researchersand non-pr<strong>of</strong>it organisations. Tacklingthe risks to health where we live, workand play may play a key role in helpingameliorate the widening health ‘gap’between people and places.So an interdisciplinary group <strong>of</strong> QMULresearchers from across the social,medical and life sciences, led by the<strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geography</strong>, have cometo together to think creatively abouthow changing the social and physicalenvironments <strong>of</strong> cities might contributeto improving health. The new Centrefor Urban Health at QMUL will conductbasic science in order to betterunderstand the urban environmentalrisks to health, and crucially, undertakeevaluations <strong>of</strong> interventions that aim toimprove the health and life chances <strong>of</strong>urban communities.A current flagship project for theCentre is the £2 million ORiEL Study,which seeks to evaluate the healthand social legacy <strong>of</strong> the <strong>2012</strong> LondonOlympics. This project will follow thelives <strong>of</strong> approximately 3000 familiesover the next five years to investigateif the <strong>2012</strong> games, and its legacy <strong>of</strong>change in East London, will have alasting impact on their lives.<strong>Geography</strong> and Community: The Big Society?Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Jane Wills<strong>of</strong> the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Geography</strong> is beingfunded by the LeverhulmeTrust to studythe government’sdrive to encourage local communityinvolvement in politics, part <strong>of</strong> what iscalled “the Big Society”.Her project Place and Politics:Localism in the United Kingdom willexplore how far the new Localism Actprovides scope for local authoritiesand local communities to develop agreater role in planning, local servicesand community-based assets (likelibraries, community centres andparks). The project will chart theoutcomes <strong>of</strong> top-down and bottom-uplocalism and determine whether it isproducing democratic renewal in theUK. Jane plans to conduct interviewswith national policy makers, andidentify case study locations wherepeople are mobilising around localismto try and effect change in their03areas. She hopes this will allow her tocontribute to policy debate about thedemocratic deficit, the Big Society andthe role <strong>of</strong> localism in the UK.The project reflects Jane’s widerinterests in community organising.She has got second year studentsin the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geography</strong> involvedin running research projects forcommunity organisations and sheconvenes the first ever Mastersprogramme in Community Organising.Students study communityorganising in small-groupseminars, but they alsocomplete a practicalassignment working asa volunteer communityorganiser for 5 months withCitizens UK, the network <strong>of</strong>community alliances thatincludes London Citizens,Citizens:MK and NottinghamCitizens. The studentsalso work with expertsin film studies to make ashort film about their experiences(see our website). Experiences haveincluded working with the Chinese andCongolese communities in London;focusing on black-majority churchesin London; the launch <strong>of</strong> new alliancesin North London and Shoreditch;campaigning for a green-man crossingin West London; mapping civilsociety in Goodmayes; and makinglinks between health services andcommunity organising in South London.www.geog.qmul.ac.uk