Social Impact –
A place to belong
We believe good development has a clear social impact, and through our Thames Futures project we are measuring and evaluating what we do.
Thames Futures – a partnership between BRL, The Young Foundation and community members – began in 2019. Over the course of a year, a team of local Community Researchers spoke to over 400 residents about the hopes and dreams that people have for the area. The research created a Community Vision. This will be used to ensure that decisions made about the development at Barking Riverside have a positive social impact for everyone living, working and growing up in Thames Ward.
So far Barking Riverside has made over 50 project proposals that will help the Community Vision become a reality. Each year, a team of researchers will head out into Thames Ward to find out how things are shaping up against the Community Vision and to ask what more can be done.
We believe that Thames Futures is a pioneering project, creating an important benchmark for how you can increase transparency and collaboration in areas experiencing growth and transformation.
Want to know more? Please watch a short video about the project below.
Laila, Fatuma and Lizzie - community researchers, Thames Futures
The nine things you said Thames Ward should do for you are:
Keep me connected with my neighboursBe somewhere that my voice is heard and acted uponImprove my health and wellbeingBe a safe place for me and my neighboursMake it easy for me to get where I need to goBe a place I’m proud to call homeSupport me to achieve my potentialBe somewhere my friends and family are excited to spend timeLove and care for its natural and outdoor spaces
You can find out more about the research and vision in this booklet
