Hackney Scenario Planning

Exploring spatial scenarios to address population growth across the borough

For the last decade or more Hackney has been a melting pot of innovation, cultural diversity and strong community spirit that has continued to attract creative businesses, students, young families and a culturally diverse population. Relatively cheap residential and commercial premises, to rent or buy, fuelled this creative, cultural and entrepreneurial growth.

The increasing attractiveness of the area, together with improved public transport, is driving up residential values and increasing rents and competition for commercial premises. Whilst on the one hand this represents success on the other it could threaten the necessary ingredients and characteristics of a successful, and richly creative borough.

The population of the borough has increased from just over 160,000 people in 1991 to over 263,000 people now and is expected to continue to rise to 317,000 people by 2034. This places increasing pressure on the borough to provide new homes and to deliver the community infrastructure and jobs to support new and existing residents. Urban Initiatives Studio were appointed by the Council to work with the Council’s Strategic Leadership Team to explore where these new homes may be located and to develop a long term vision for positive change across the borough.

Our strategy focus on intensifying the main corridors through the borough and identifies a number of areas where change can deliver both new homes and improve the layout and structure of places to improve legibility, create a stronger sense of place and improve access to local centres, public transport, open spaces and employment.