UCO’s London research tour

By: J. David Chapman/May 11, 2017

I am on a transatlantic flight to London as I write this week’s column.

On the Boeing 777 are 17 student researchers from the University of Central Oklahoma. Our goal is to collect and analyze data in an area of London that was once a desolate environmental wasteland, full of derelict buildings and home to public housing, prostitution, drugs and other criminal activities. This area is now home to global companies, such as Google, trendy pubs, coffee shops, and a bustling retail center in a former coal storage facility, established in 1850, that housed the city’s distribution of coal for heating of residential housing throughout the city.

The area, located in Camden Borough and known as King’s Cross, was named after a near-by train station that opened in 1852. These researchers of the built environment are carrying on a decade old tradition of business and history students from UCO collaborating together to learn the craft of research in one of the most sacred arenas to do such – the British Archives in the British Library. The students will research the history of this area in the Archives before taking to the streets of Camden Borough to interview residents, shopkeepers, commuters, visitors, and other stakeholders to gain their perceptions of the work done at King’s Cross and evaluate the impact of the redevelopment on the city of London.

One might assume the impact of developments that reduce crime, provide new life to derelict buildings, and create a vibrant venue for entertainment could be nothing but positive. However, there are also theories that claim these redevelopment projects are nothing but a gentrification and crowding out of long-time local residents. Some speculate these redevelopment projects simply push the criminal activities underground to others areas and do not actually reduce crime at all.

The government agencies of Camden Borough, several British universities and the University of Central Oklahoma want to know how the citizens of London, and specifically how the stakeholders in the area, feel about the redevelopment, so we are going to interview them asking a series of questions to discover their perspectives. The results will be compiled and analyzed by the students and presented at several conferences with the goal of publishing a paper in an academic peer-reviewed journal.

J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).