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First findings from the EX-TRA project in Redbridge

This week, the EX-TRA project has reached a major milestone as the Commonplace online citizen engagement platforms launched in London, Munich (Germany) and Bologna (Italy) will be closed for comment. Through these websites, citizens were able to respond to surveys regarding their use, perceptions, and experiences of experimental street redesigns in their local neighbourhood. In line with Commonplace’s philosophy of guaranteeing transparency in public participation, the websites and all responses will remain available to view for another two years.

Data on the views of Redbridge residents were collected between November 2021 and April 2023: through Commonplace, as well as through talking to people on the street and at a workshop for community members organised in South Woodford on 20 June 2022.

The University of Westminster team has completed its first round of analysis of the Commonplace data collected for the South Woodford and Wanstead ‘parklets’ or ‘Mobility Hubs’ (you can read more about this concept here). We are happy to provide a brief overview of this first set of research findings below. Further findings will be published on the EX-TRA website in the lead-up to the end of the project in March 2024: click here to keep an eye on our blog and visit our resource library. https://www.ex-tra-project.eu/

SUMMARY OF FIRST FINDINGS

SW = South Woodford. WA = Wanstead.

Who responded to the surveys?

We analysed data from a total of 180 individual respondents, 84 for the SW Hub and 96 for the WA Hub.

  • The majority of respondents live locally to the Hubs in South Woodford, Wanstead, or Woodford (SW 90%, WA 86%), are aged between 45-64 years old (SW 60%, 51% SW), and most often access George Lane/Wanstead High Street on foot (SW 78%, WA 63%). 12% of SW respondents and 17% of WA respondents typically drive, whereas 7% and 8% cycle, respectively.
  • Two-thirds (67%) of SW respondents had used or visited the Hub at least once, in the sense of having spent some time there, with the remaining one-third (33%) had never used or visited the SE, i.e. not spent any time there but only potentially passed by. More ‘non-users’ of the Hub responded to the WA survey, making up 65% of total respondents, whereas people who had a history of using the Hub was 35%.

    • What was the local sentiment regarding the Mobility Hubs?

    The survey asked respondents how they felt about the Mobility Hub on a scale from 1–Unhappy to 5–Happy (represented by smiley faces). There was a marked difference in sentiment towards the SW and WA Mobility Hubs.

  • For SW, the mean score was 4.31, corresponding to a sentiment somewhere in between ‘Satisfied’ and ‘Happy’. For WA, the mean score was 2.47, corresponding to a sentiment in between ‘Dissatisfied’ and ‘Neutral’.
  • Interestingly, respondents who had never used the Hub were significantly more unhappy or dissatisfied (SW 32, WA 80%) compared to Hub users (SW 0%, WA 9%).
  • Only 1% of SW respondents wanted the Hub to be removed, whereas 38% of WA respondents wanted it to be removed and 17% wanted it to be relocated. On the other hand, one-third of WA respondents (32%) wanted Mobility Hubs to be tested in other locations within the Borough, rising to 57% of SW respondents.

    • How were the Mobility Hubs used?

  • Both Hubs were primary used for public space and social activities, rather than transport/mobility activities. A caveat for the Wanstead figures is that they are based on a only 33 respondents for this survey question, as a result of the high proportion of total respondents (65%) who had never used the Hub; thus, actual use may be underreported in this data and the findings cannot be considered conclusive.
  • The most commonly reported use types were using the Hubs to drink/eat something, sitting down to relax and rest, and meeting friends and family. Spending time or playing with children was less common (6% of respondents, for both locations), as was using the Hub as a place to meet with local community groups (0-4%).
  • While many respondents walk and cycle to/past the Hubs, other transport/mobility activities were less commonly reported in our data. 20-30% of respondents reported using the bike parking stands, and 3-6% reported using the Hubs to wait for public transport services. One WA respondent (none for SW) reported using the Hub to access an electric car club vehicle, after having parked their bicycle at the stands.

    • ‘What mattered’: how did people value different dimensions of the Mobility Hubs?

    The surveys contained many questions with an open text format, i.e. respondents could freely write what they wanted. We analysed this data by categorising the values expressed (opinions, judgments, thoughts) in the text responses into 10 dimensions, spanning the high street’s dual function as a channel for movement/mobility and as a public space for community life. We were then able to compare how many comments were made in relation to the different dimensions – we use this as an indicator of what issues matter to SW and WA respondents.

  • For both Hubs, the most valued dimensions (either positively or negatively) were related to the public life function of the street: the impact on the streetscape of George Lane and Wanstead High Street (‘look’ and ‘image’), the perceived opportunities provided for so-called ‘stationary activities’ like sitting down and drinking coffee, and the quality of social and civic interaction supported by the Hubs.

    • The contrasting perspectives of SW and WA respondents overall can be summarised as:

    The Mobility Hub as... a social space for drinking coffee (SW) vs. superfluous seating ‘in the road’ (WA)

  • SW and WA respondents expressed similar values, but with a difference in the directionality of positive and negative values on the same dimensions: favourable evaluations were stronger for South Woodford, while unfavourable evaluations were stronger for Wanstead.
  • The SW Hub was perceived to ‘brighten up’ and make the high street more attractive through additional greenery and colour and by providing a seating area for socialising and drinking coffee purchased from the Tipi Coffee Co café. Many SW respondents perceived that the Hub would support local businesses, while some expressed the inverse. While many SW respondents felt that the Hub was less inclusive as it appeared to be exclusive to Tipi Coffee customers, this lack of clarity regarding the public space status of the Hub was barely mentioned by WA respondents.
  • For the WA Hub, the positive values were the same as above. However, many WA respondents perceived the parklet seating as superfluous because it was located ‘in the road’ close to noise and air pollution from passing traffic. Thus, it was deemed less pleasant to use than alternative existing seating at café frontages, on the pavement and at the adjacent park. The removal of car parking spaces and the impact of this on local businesses was valued much more negatively for the WA Hub, compared to the SW Hub.

    • There is a great richness of different perspectives that we are not able to cover in this brief summary, particularly regarding the social value of the Hubs for the local community – we hope you continue to follow our other research outputs, in which we hope to dive into this.

    Posted on 28th April 2023

    by University of Westminster

    New 'Public Space' signs installed on Mobility Hubs

    Who can use the Mobility Hubs in South Woodford's George Lane and Wanstead's High Street?

    "I thought it's for café customers" is something that EX-TRA team members have been hearing a lot, when speaking to people outside the Hubs.

    On the contrary, anyone is welcome to use the Hubs! The seating areas are designed as public space by Redbridge Council.

    To encourage all local people to enjoy the space, today EX-TRA has installed new signage on both Hubs.

    The signs read PUBLIC SPACE - this seating area is free for anyone to use , *no café purchase required* .

    If you have any feedback about the design or notice a sign has been damaged or gone missing, please email us at extraproject@westminster.ac.uk .

    P.S. Please continue to spread the word about our Commonplace survey, as we need more responses from local people!

    Posted on 29th April 2022

    by Emilia Smeds

    Wanstead Mobility Hub survey is launched

    The EX-TRA research project has now expanded to include the Wanstead Mobility Hub.

    Do you live, work in or frequently visit Wanstead High Street?

    Fill in the Wanstead survey here: https://extraredbridge.commonplace.is/proposals/wanstead-hub/step1

    Or forward this email to local friends and family!

    The Mobility Hub is a small intervention, but it raises a big question: after the pandemic, what is the future of Wanstead High Street?

    Should parking spaces be reallocated to provide more space for people?

    For the full discussion, read our article in the latest issue of the Wanstead Village Directory: https://wansteadvillagedirectory.com/2022/04/02/street-space/

    Posted on 4th April 2022

    by Emilia Smeds

    New article in the South Woodford Village Gazette

    Have you read our feature article on STREET SPACE and MOBILITY HUBS in the latest South Woodford Village Gazette?

    https://swvg.co.uk/2022/03/08/street-space/

    Please share the article on social media, to let friends and family know about the research happening on your local area!

    Posted on 17th March 2022

    by Emilia Smeds

    Meet our interviewers on George Lane

    Thank you all for sharing your comments, on the South Woodford Mobility Hub, and on local street space in South Woodford and Wanstead!

    We really appreciate you taking part in the EX-TRA research project.

    For those who have signed up to email updates, but not yet responded, we hope you might find some time this weekend. The survey about the Mobility Hub takes less than 10 minutes, and the map-based survey about the local area about 3 minutes. Please email us for any questions: extraproject@westminster.ac.uk.

    Here's a couple of updates from the University of Westminster team:

    Meet our interviewers at George Lane on Thursdays

    Our interviewers from charity Living Streets will be standing outside the Mobility Hub on Thursdays, chatting to local people. If you're passing through George Lane, why not pass by Tipi Coffee café and tell them more about what you think about the Hub? You might also have seen our colourful blue leaflet in local shops.

    If you've responded, verify your email address, to make sure your comment counts

    A few people have not clicked 'Confirm comment' in the email sent by Commonplace, after you have completed the survey. Unfortunately according to Commonplace rules, you need to verify your email address this way. The email sent by Commonplace is titled 'Please confirm your comment for EX-TRA Redbrige' - please use this to search your email inbox.

    Check out the conversation on Facebook 'Woodford, South Woodford and Wanstead Memories and Life Group'

    After we posted on Facebook about the research, there's been a lively discussion about the pros and cons of the South Woodford Mobility Hub. Have a read: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Woodfordwansteadlife/permalink/923969148294042/ . Do share with friends and family to see what they think!

    What is a Mobility Hub? What is a parklet? Some examples

    Redbridge Council calls the South Woodford structure a Mobility Hub because it provides access to multiple transport options in one place, including an EV car-sharing vehicle bay and bicycle parking stand. You can read more about the Hub concept here: https://www.meristemdesign.co.uk/news/2021/7/5/meristems-parklets-awarded-uks-1st-accredited-mobility-hub

    A kerbside seating area repurposed from car parking spaces, like the one on George Lane, is often called a 'parklet'. There are manydifferent types in the UK right now, with large and small seating areas, with EV charging and without. In the future, they could accommodate e-scooter and bike-share access. See some examples and pictures here: https://www.meristemdesign.co.uk/news/2021/7/5/meristems-parklets-awarded-uks-1st-accredited-mobility-hub

    Posted on 17th February 2022

    by Emilia Smeds

    Progressing pedestrianisation in London

    Last week Enrica Papa, a member of the EX-TRA team at the University of Westminster, contributed to the Centre for London’s blog on ‘reimagining London’s transport system’, in collaboration with Ersilia Verlinghieri. The article reflects on how London is transitioning towards a ‘post-car city’, and the role of street experiments in this process. You can read it on the EX-TRA website: https://www.ex-tra-project.eu/post/progressing-pedestrianisation-in-london .

    Posted on 20th October 2021

    by Emilia Smeds