GoWell East

Studying Change in Glasgow’s East End

GoWell East is a five year, multi-strand investigation, examining the impacts of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and related regeneration interventions, on communities living next to some of the main Games venues in the inner East End of Glasgow.

The project overall will investigate how, and in what ways, regeneration activities and associated changes in the neighbourhood environment are connected with health and wellbeing. Due to the intensive nature of investment in the study area, there is also scope for making interesting comparisons with the wider GoWell study, which examines the differences between various modes of regeneration that are taking place in Glasgow.  

The study has been running since 2012, establishing baseline information before the Commonwealth Games, and is expected to conclude in 2017. The project forms part of the Scottish Government’s evaluation of Commonwealth Games’ legacy and the researchers are always keen to speak with community and housing organisations, educational establishments, and people working in health, regeneration or policy to share findings.

Project findings so far include:

Two major prospective assessments of the impacts of regeneration and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games:

Publications in academic journals which explore:

A series of Equalities reports which highlight key areas of policy interest.

An investigation of youth physical activity in six Glasgow secondary schools.

series of other reports which explore the themes of regeneration and positive health behaviours, based on our findings from two large scale community surveys.  These examine participants' views on home and neighbourhood quality, community empowerment, employment, volunteering and employability, civic pride and engagement with the Commonwealth Games.

Our third community survey will be undertaken in Summer 2016. This final survey will offer insight into medium-term regeneration impacts and offer insight into community perceptions of what has been achieved and what still needs to be done.

Download the latest GoWell East community newsletter (PDF).

Why are we undertaking research in the East End?

We have not previously had the opportunity to survey the communities in this area and, in great part because of regeneration efforts, it is changing very rapidly. The Commonwealth Games happening in the area in 2014 means that there has been a considerable amount of physical change in the area, from house building and road construction to new and upgraded sports facilities.

This study area runs from Saltmarket and High Street in the west to the edge of Tollcross Park in the east, including the communities of Bridgeton, Calton, Camlachie, Dalmarnock, Gallowgate and some of Parkhead. This area is broadly similar to the Glasgow City Council East End Local Development Strategy area. Altogether, there are over 10,000 houses in the area and a population of nearly 19,000 people.

The new study area contains the Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, as well as the Athletes' Village, which will include a mix of private and social rented housing after the Games. It is also bordered by the new Glasgow National Hockey Centre and the refurbished Tollcross International Swimming Pool. We want to know how all these activities might affect the health and wellbeing of neighbouring communities.

The area is also interesting in that it has a higher proportion of private rented housing and a wider mix of social landlords than in other GoWell neighbourhoods. Longstanding regeneration efforts associated with social rented landlords, the revival of the Merchant City at the western boundary of the area, and the contribution of Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company have resulted in considerable changes, especially towards the city centre and Glasgow Green areas.