canary wharf geography case study

Urban change in the UK - AQA Case study - urban regeneration in Stratford

Urban areas in the UK have experienced significant change and face many opportunities and challenges, including regeneration and urban sustainability.

Part of Geography Urban issues and challenges

Case study - urban regeneration in Stratford, London

After the closure of many of London’s docks in the 1960s, thousands of people lost their jobs. People left the area to look for jobs elsewhere. Between 1981 and 1998, the London Docklands underwent urban regeneration close urban regeneration When an area has been completely transformed by the refurbishment of the buildings and landscape. and continues to improve to this day. Canary Wharf is a part of the London Docklands where expensive apartments, exclusive shops and large company head offices are now found.

Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley lies to the north of the London Docklands. It had one of the most deprived close deprivation A lack of basic materials needed for a decent quality of life, eg housing, food etc. communities in the country, where unemployment was high and levels of health were poor. There was a lack of infrastructure close infrastructure The basic structures needed for an area to function, for example roads and communications. and the environmental quality was poor. The 2012 London Olympics bid was partly successful on the understanding that Stratford would be used during the games and regenerated for local people to use after the competitors had left. After the Olympic Games were over, the park was named the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Benefits of the Stratford regeneration

• Social - by 2036, more than 33,000 new homes will have been built in the park. Five new neighbourhoods, with lots of green spaces planned in, will be built and around a third of those houses will be affordable. A new academy was built, which is used to educate pupils between the ages of 3 to 18.
• Economic - Stratford is now a well-connected area of London, which allows commuters close commuters People who live in one area and travel to another place to work. to travel to work easily. New jobs in construction and tourism have created a multiplier effect close multiplier effect This occurs when a positive change happens, which then has a knock-on effect on other businesses. For example a new office may open, which leads to an increase in lunchtime sandwich sales at the local café and more bus passengers. . It is estimated that over 100,000 new jobs could be created by 2030, bringing more even more money into the area.
• Environmental - the Olympic bid was partly successful on the basis of sustainability close sustainability The ability to keep something going over time without harming people or the environment. . The park is sustainable in a number of ways, eg walking and cycling routes, the provision of public transport, the water-efficient design of homes and the protection of green spaces and natural habitats close habitat A place where plants, animals and microorganisms live. .

As well as being a centre of global finance, the Docklands is also a living case study of London’s socio-economic and cultural history. The Museum of  London Docklands tells the story of the changing face of the area: from Roman settlement, through eighteenth- and nineteeth-century industrialization, to substantial and politically contentious redevelopment and repurposing in the 1980s, and up to the ambitious building schemes of the twenty-first century. On the other side of the river at Greenwich is the National Maritime Museum, with which we also have research collaborations.

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Canary Wharf

We gathered our information (from the whole year) and put it into graphs/table so it is easier to read and understand:

• Do you live in the docklands?
• If yes, for about how many years?
• Do you work in Docklands?
• How far do you travel to work?
• What form of transport do you use?
• Most used form of transport = DLR
• Least used form of transport = Railway
• If you do work in Docklands, what kind of work do you do?
• Most popular type of work = Bank/Finance
• Least popular type of work = Docks, Manufacturing, Security & other work
• What shops/facilities do you use?
• Most popular shops/facilities used = Others
• Least popular shops/facilities used = Pubs

Pictures of London Docklands of now and before

On the following pages is some of my own data, from my research and a brief explanation of each picture:

Canary Wharf, in the Isle of Dogs                              A Delivery of Ivory in 1851

The Royal Victoria Docks (Pre-Gentrification)

St. Katherine's Dock (Post-Gentrification)             Riverside housing in the Docklands

The Tower Docks

Wapping High Street         All 50 floors of Canary Wharf

London City Airport, in the Royal Albert Dock

The Docklands Light Railway

The Millennium Dome

The following is Information on each picture:

This is a preview of the whole essay

The Canary Wharf is a very important part of the Docklands, 80% of office space is taken up by businesses such as Morgan Stanley, Texaco etc. There are more than 50 shops and restaurants. It is a financial centre with all sorts of businesses including a Canadian bank, editor of the Daily Mail/Mirror, Medical Association (European) and many more companies.

There are 50 floors of offices – no floor 13 (bad luck) and there are 3960 windows in the building. There are 33,000 working in the Isle of Dogs, including the tower but 17,000 in the tower it self, 4,000 city bank workers and 8,000 people joined HSBC (bank) in December – mostly Chinese.

Millennium Dome

It is 50 metres high and 300 metres wide. It is a Dome shape with 12 crane-like features sticking out (on a 181 acre site). It was opened in the beginning of the new millennium, in Greenwich. Costing 800 million given from the government and sponsorship deals.

London City Airport

It was opened in 1987; it was built to cater for business travellers. it received the title of london’s bets regional airport in 1997. there are flights to over 20 countries in europe and only a 10-minute check in/out time. it’s only 6 miles from the city of london., docklands light railway (dlr).

It cost 77 million to construct the DLR, which took 3 years and Queen Elizabeth II finally opened it on July 31 st  1987.

It involves the latest technology, a fully automatic train (ATC) that is monitored by the staff at Control Centre in Poplar. Altogether there are 36 stations, with 30 trains – carrying 87,000 people a day. There is only 320 staff for the DLR.

Tower Docks

They have been known as ‘Mayfair on Water’. It is very cosmopolitan and a very exclusive area. Old warehouses and brewery buildings have been turned into apartments. It is another expensive area of riverside apartments. It is linked to the city of London and a shopping mall.

Local people

I don’t think the houses are suitable for the needs of local people. Even though they are very fashionable and stylish – the high prices reveal a serious problem that has been created in the area. Developers are knocking down the old terraced houses and replacing them with expensive penthouse apartments, which the local people can’t afford to buy or live in.

The people, who have been living in the area for many years, feel very strongly about this because they feel that developers are not considering their needs and are in fact buildings more and more expensive homes as possible – for maximum profit.

I think the jobs are suitable for the needs of the local people, because there are just so many jobs available, I don’t think anyone who lives in Docklands is unemployed. It’s a working and business area.

Over the years people have either moved away or into Docklands. There are different ‘types’ of people living in Docklands now, before the developments there were families but now there are a lot of young people working or looking for work as it a fashionable area. Although, many people who work in Docklands do not live there.

People outside Docklands

People from outside Docklands have benefited from the industrial development because there are many more facilities and it is easy to get to and from work for employees e.g. the DLR and City Airport. There is also a large majority of employment available, attracting more and more people/tourists to the area.

Data Analysis

“How have employment opportunities changed in London   Docklands, what impact has this had?”

Employment opportunities have changed greatly in the London Docklands over the years. And the ‘Industrial Development’ has provided jobs for all, if not most people.

Docklands has changed from a poverty stricken inner city area, to an area of 11 billion of investment – just in a decade. And this is due to the development.

Although Docklands, pre – 1981, held huge employment opportunities for the people who lived there, however employment was not guaranteed – it depended on which and how many ships were in the docks.

Now there is a much more stable employment industry in the area, it has changed completely. It leads to new houses and apartments being built, attracting lots of people to work or live in Docklands. There are now 50,000 more jobs in Docklands. We can see this in the graph in figure   . Also including a huge transport change, such as new bus routes, 100km of new roads, the DLR and London City Airport for people to get to and from work easily.

Jobs are available everywhere, mostly in the Canary Wharf, Asda Supermarket, Property businesses, Offices, Daily Telegraph and many other companies.

Employment opportunities have changed in the London Docklands due to the Industrial Development and it has had an impact on everything, transport, properties, and businesses, basically the whole city.

London Docklands

Document Details

• Word Count 1079
• Page Count 14
• Subject Geography

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Case study: How the Canary Wharf Group generates employment and creates opportunities for local businesses in the Canary Wharf Estate

The Canary Wharf Estate is located in an area of London where many young people do not gain the skills required to move into the job market. So, Canary Wharf Group needs to create a long-lasting impact through indirect economic value.

This case study is based on the 2014 Sustainability Report by Canary Wharf Group published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link . Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate that CSR/ sustainability reporting done responsibly is achieved by identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment and stakeholders and by measuring, managing and changing. 

On the one hand, companies that identify their most important impacts on the environment and their stakeholders (that can hold them back from reaching their objectives), are able to take specific actions to minimize negative impacts and increase their positive impacts. With procurement, the most important benefit companies enjoy, is that they can gain or retain their social license to operate. Additionally, local sourcing can be a strategy to help ensure supply, increase efficiency in a local setting and maintain community relations.

On the other hand, local communities enjoy the benefits gained from this process, such as stability and growth in economic value. When companies support local companies in their supply chain they can indirectly attract additional investment to the local economy and increase employment.

In developing the Canary Wharf Estate, Canary Wharf Group strives to create economic opportunities for the people living in the areas surrounding its operations. After measuring and setting targets, Canary Wharf Group took action to secure jobs for local people – in 2014, 20% of its recruits were local –, enhance graduate employment, offer internships and placements and support local businesses through a range of initiatives such as the East London Business Place (ELBP) and the South London Procurement Network (SLPN), which in 2014 helped local businesses to win £7.7 million worth of work.

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With this case study you will see:

• Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Canary Wharf Group has identified;
• How Canary Wharf Group proceeded with stakeholder engagement , and
• What actions were taken by Canary Wharf Group to generate employment and create opportunities for local businesses in the Canary Wharf Estate

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What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2014 Sustainability Report Canary Wharf Group identified a range of material issues: UK’s economic prosperity, housing, tenant & consumer demand & supply, developing the Canary Wharf Estate. Among these, opening up economic opportunities to people living in the areas surrounding its operations within an area of London where many young people are failing to enter the labour market stands out as a key material issue for the Group.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups the Canary Wharf Group engages with:

Existing and potential tenants, occupiers and retailers

Local authorities

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

In 2014, the Canary Wharf Group engaged with its stakeholders in the following ways:

• Community Forums
• Community Receptions
• Corporate Social Responsibility Forums
• Sustainability Forums
• Retail Tenant Forums
• Canary Wharf PR and Communications Forums
• Security and Business Community Forums
• Regular meetings with office occupiers and tenants on a building-by-building basis
• Health and Safety Forums
• East London Business Place (ELBP)
• South London Procurement Network (SLPN)
• Canary Wharf Group Staff Consultative Committee meetings
• Employee environmental awareness training
• Employee focus groups
• Close collaboration with three local authorities (Tower Hamlets, the City of London and Lambeth)
• Transport Forums
• Reporting: the CSR report provides investors with all the CSR information needed (social, environmental and ethical information) to make informed decisions about the Group’s performance and prospects

What actions were taken by Canary Wharf Group to generate employment and create opportunities for local businesses in the Canary Wharf Estate?

In its 2014 Sustainability Report Canary Wharf Group set the following targets for generating employment and creating opportunities for local businesses in the Canary Wharf Estate, based on the company’s approach to materiality – on taking action on what matters, where it matters:

• Creating jobs for local people
• In 2014 20% of the Group’s recruits were local.
• 28.1% of the total working population at Canary Wharf reside in the Central Inner East area of London and a further 15% in Central Inner West.
• [tweetthis] More than 10,000 local people were placed, through Skillsmatch, into jobs [/tweetthis] since the Group set it up with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ job brokerage team in October 1997.
• Enhancing graduate employment
• October 2014: Canary Wharf Group hosted a two-week training programme for unemployed graduates and provided mentors from Level39, its start-up and financial technology (Fintech) accelerator.
• Canary Wharf Group collaborates with London Works to help local residents and above all graduates gain employment with companies in the City and at Canary Wharf.
• Through its Built Environment Club, held twice a year, the Group invites students on construction-related courses from the higher education institutions in Canary Wharf Group’s local communities to visit its developments.
• Offering internships and placements
• 2014: Canary Wharf Group took on 99 work experience participants. During July and August, the Group took on four placement students for six weeks and also hosted undergraduates from local universities.

• Taking initiatives to support local businesses
• 2014: Canary Wharf Group’s total Group spend with companies located near its operations increased to 45%.
• Between 1997 and 2008 the Group’s Local Business Liaison Office (LBLO) helped small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) secure more than £615 million of business with companies on the Estate and in the surrounding area.
• Canary Wharf Group helped establish the East London Business Place (elbp.co.uk) and, more recently, the South London Procurement Network (www.slpn.org.uk).
• By the end of its first year SLPN engaged with 61 buyers and 942 suppliers and helped 300 of them become ready to tender for contracts.
• Using SLPN’s advice, networking, events and workshops registered companies won contracts worth £2.4 million and secured a further £3.1 million of work through Canary Wharf Group’s joint venture with Qatari Diar.
• In 2014 ELBP and SLPN helped local businesses win £7.7 million worth of work.
• Through the Fit for Legacy (FfL) programme SMMEs generated wealth and employment as a result of free assistance with tendering opportunities, finding suppliers or buyers and networking events. The programme provided 569 SMMEs with at least 12 hours of support, helped create 74 new jobs and safeguarded 288 existing roles.

Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?

The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:

1) G4-EC8: Significant indirect economic impacts, including the extent of impacts – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

2) G4-EC9: Proportion of spending on local suppliers at significant locations of operation – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 204-1 Proportion of spending on local suppliers

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Canary Wharf Group, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Canary Wharf Group: With each case study we send out an email to your listed address in request for a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us .

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How has urban change in London created economic opportunities?

What changes are affecting economic opportunities in London?

Urban change in London has created a range of economic opportunities. Some of the factors bringing about these changes include:

• The migration of skilled youthful entrepreneurs from other areas of the UK and abroad to the city.
• Extensive urban regeneration through transforming derelict industrial buildings and redeveloping brownfield sites.
• The growth of universities and the resulting skilled, educated graduate workforce have supported the growth of service industries such as banking, finance and insurance and public services.

How has employment in London changed?

Since 1998, employment opportunities in London have increased, as shown in Figure 1 below.

The services sector, particularly “Professional, real estate, and business services,” has experienced the most significant growth. This sector encompasses various professions, such as roles in corporate headquarters, management consulting, legal and accounting services, estate agencies, advertising, and market research. These industries have been pivotal in generating many new jobs and have been crucial in driving London’s economic growth.

Conversely, the manufacturing sector has faced a decline in employment opportunities over the same period. The number of manufacturing jobs in London has significantly diminished, resulting in the city having only a limited presence of factories today.

How has the redevelopment of London’s Docklands created economic opportunities?

Historically, London’s industries were centred around its role as a port. London has been a port since Roman times. Later, docks were built to receive the huge number of goods and raw materials brought to London by ship. It supported the development of industries around the docks, such as flour mills, sugar refineries and timber yards. By the 1970s, the docks declined as larger container ships could not navigate the River Thames. The docks began to close, and by 1980 they were empty, with many of the surrounding factories and warehouses closed.

The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was established by the government in 1981 to regenerate the docks. The organisation attracted considerable private investment, leading to the extensive regeneration that has transformed areas such as Canary Wharf, now home to London’s financial district.

Canary Wharf now boasts high-rise office buildings housing international banks. With over 100,000 people employed there, and in conjunction with the City of London, Docklands has helped make London a major global financial centre.

Canary Warf in London’s Docklands

Find out more about the London Docklands redevelopment in our case study .

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Crossrail Station, Canary Wharf

AluExcel has the edge at Crossrail’s Roof Garden

Kinley’s AluExcel 25mm and 65mm Flexible aluminium edging was provided to London’s largest Crossrail station, currently under construction in Canary Wharf. The edging features in a landscaped tropical roof garden sitting atop the six-storey station and leisure complex that extends below water level at the West India Quay.

One of London's biggest sky gardens

Crossrail’s roof garden at Canary Wharf station sits two storeys above the waters of the North Dock of West India Quay. British architecture firm Foster + Partners designed the roof structure and cladding that houses the station’s leisure complex. Beneath the 310-metre hood style roof is the garden, featuring a number of exotic plants. Landscape architecture firm Gillespies, which previously designed the sloping garden at 20 Fenchurch Street, was chosen to lead the project.

Featured in Gillespies’ plans were several curved paths designed to lead visitors around the entire garden, ensuring they can view all of the unusual tropical plants housed in the space. This meant that edging was required that would be strong enough to withstand increasing amounts of pedestrian traffic but also provide enough flexibility to fit the curved path. For this reason, Kinley’s AluExcel edging was selected by the client. As well as its flexible properties, installing AluExcel does not necessarily require concrete as a foundation or support. This was an additional benefit for the client, saving time on the project.

Having already selected 285 lengths of Kinley’s AluExcel 25mm & 65mm edging during the planning stages, Gillespies supplied contractor firm Blakedown Landscapes with the exact specifications for the edging. Blakedown then ordered the edging to be ready for installation to ensure timely project completion.

Benefits of Kinley’s involvement

Kinley’s AluExcel edging provided several key benefits to the client. Firstly, as a lightweight aluminium, it is significantly stronger than competitor materials. These traditional methods of path edging typically use bulky concrete pin kerbs that waste valuable space in the planting area due to their size and the fact that they have to be bedded and supported with concrete. The pin kerbs are also much heavier; one person can lift only 1 metre. In comparison, 25 metres of AluExcel can be lifted at once. AluExcel is also a ‘green’ material that is made from recycled aluminium and in turn is easily recyclable.

"We are delighted with the outcome of the project at Canary Wharf. Roof gardens are a great way to add value to an often unused space and we are proud to see AluExcel edging featured in one of the most important transport links in the country."

Stuart Bowie - Director, Kinley

Project partners

Architects: Foster + Partners www.fosterandpartners.com

Landscape Architects: Gillespies www.gillespies.co.uk

Main Contractor: Blakedown Landscapes www.blakedown.co.uk

Products installed

ExcelEdge AluExcel

Kidbrooke Village

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