Exploring the role of user-profiling in urban

regeneration: Hackbridge mass-retrofit

Fiona Campbell & Alasdair Reid, Edinburgh Napier University

The role of user-profiling in urban regenerationThis presentation aims to:

• Discuss the value of user profiling in urban regeneration

• Demonstrate the capability of Experian Mosaic in a real-life urban regeneration strategy

• Consider the limitations of Experian Mosaic in this context

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predominantly residential suburb in south west London (Sutton)

population 8,000

limited local amenities

ageing industrial estates

dwellings of different ages & architectural styles

home to BioRegional and BedZED

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Regenerating Hackbridge

BioRegional

• international entrepreneurial charity aiming to invent & deliver solutions for sustainability

• initiated BedZED, “the UK’s largest mixed use sustainable community” (100 “zero energy” homes)

• developed One Planet Living, a ten principles framework for sustainable development

• One Planet Living adopted by London Borough of Sutton

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Regenerating Hackbridge

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Regenerating Hackbridge

• a “flagship for sustainable regeneration”

• programme of environmental upgrades to all existing homes

• development of 1,100 low carbon new homes

• aim of 20% reduction in CO2

emissions by 2012

retrofitting existing homes:

• behavioural measures: turning down heating by 1°C, using boiler for one hour less per day

• subsidised DIY measures: loft insulation, draught-proofing

• subsidised, professionally-installed measures: secondary glazing, solid wall insulation, boiler replacement

• average cost per household to achieve CO2 reduction rates = £11,429

We asked:

“can these energy-saving and carbon-reduction measures transform Hackbridge into a sustainable suburb without burdening residents with any additional environmental cost?”

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Regenerating Hackbridge

Profiling Hackbridge

• preliminary research using the English Indices of Multiple Deprivation suggests relative deprivation in Area 1 and relative prosperity in Area 5

• Experian shows the prevalent type in area 1 to be “Families with varied structures living on low rise social housing estates”

• prevalent type in area 5 are “Young professional families in better quality older terraces”

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1

2

34

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• area 1’s “Families with varied structures living on low rise social housing estates” are most likely to:

– rent their home from the council or a housing association

– live in purpose-built social housing estates (newer, therefore more likely to be double-glazed with cavity wall insulation)

– have a net household income of £10,000 -£14,999

– have little or no savings

– have a carbon footprint of 4.63 tonnes pa (property)

– be “wasteful and unconvinced” in relation to environmentally-friendly behaviour

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1

2

34

5

• area 5’s “Young professional families in better quality older terraces” are most likely to:

- own a home valued at between £300,000 -£400,000

- have a net household income of £50,000 or more

- have a carbon footprint of 6.34 (property)- have a “conviction of green beliefs and eco-

friendly behaviours”- live in older terraced homes (more likely to be

single glazed with solid walls, therefore harder to heat)

Profiling Hackbridge

outcomes:• residents of the most socio-economically deprived area of Hackbridge are

less likely to own their homes, are on low income or state benefits and have little savings. Despite the prevalent “wasteful and unconvinced” attitudes to green behaviours, residents’ carbon footprints are lower (4.63) than those of their more prosperous “eco-evangelist” neighbours (6.34)

• the residents with the lowest carbon footprints live in social rented accommodation; residents with the highest carbon footprints are owner occupiers of homes valued at £300,000-£400,000. – older homes are harder to upgrade and require greater investment

– retrofitting these homes to high energy efficiency standards is likely to improve their market value, to the financial benefit of the owners

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The findings from Experian Mosaic suggest:

the current policy commitment to the mass retrofit is divisive in terms of the actions laid down for the housing market

in prioritising the technical question of energy consumption and carbon emissions by housing type and age, the current policy draws a line between social rented and owner-occupied sectors:

those whose homes emit least CO2 will lose out on the benefits available to those whose homes emit the most

Profiling Hackbridge

next steps• Experian Mosaic results provide a starting-point for detailed

analysis of the social baseline, housing tenure and environmental profile of Hackbridge

• limitations of Mosaic: – provides a “picture”/ own Index rather than core data

– profiles based on algorithms rather than local information

– carbon footprinting data is too generic when looking at domestic CO2 emissions

– no analysis of house type/ construction type

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Using Experian Mosaic in Urban Regeneration

USER PROFILING

Experian Mosaic:

• Provides headline data

• Isolation of elements helps efficient allocation of resources and effective service delivery

•Adds extra value in developing user profiles for regeneration areas: current data sources don’t provide the full picture

• Needs to be supplemented if used as a working tool

THANK YOU

Any questions?

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fh.campbell@napier.ac.ukal.reid@napier.ac.uk