London Experience Research Articles

Strategic easing of height restrictions: Unveiling the intersection of free market principles and colonial mentality in Hong Kong’s urban densification

ABSTRACT High-density housing development is considered a pragmatic response to the conflicts between land scarcity and population growth. Under the rhetoric of (neo)liberalism, the flourishing private housing market narrative was anchored throughout the last century, along with significant contributions from government regulations. The 1955 Buildings Ordinance, which eased height limits, laid the groundwork for Hong Kong’s high-density foundations. The existing historiographical literature examines this from a technical perspective. However, it overlooks the decision-making processes behind these regulations and their alignment with or deviation from free market principles. This study examines colonial archives to scrutinize the colonial government’s approach to building regulations, revealing that easing height restrictions was not merely a technical adjustment but a calculated response to broader economic and demographic challenges. It was a strategy to stimulate private housing development and manage population growth without significantly increasing government spending. This raises concerns regarding prevailing assumptions that the colonial government supported a free-market approach to housing rather than exploring the debates and deliberations that shaped these policies. By comparing colonial experiences in Hong Kong and London, historical analysis challenges the conventional understanding of Hong Kong’s urban development, thereby highlighting the contentious relationship between liberal economic policies and the colonial administrative framework.

High HTLV-1 Proviral Load Predates and Predicts HTLV-1-Associated Disease: Literature Review and the London Experience.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that infects lymphocytes and causes severe diseases. HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL), i.e., the number of host cells that carry HTLV-1 proviral DNA integrated into their genome, can be measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In this narrative review, we discuss the usefulness of HTLV-1 PVL quantification and share our experience acquired during more than 30 years of follow-up of people living with HTLV-1 in the UK. Patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy have higher PVL than those with asymptomatic infection. This is consistent across studies in different countries. High PVL predates symptom onset for both inflammatory and proliferative diseases. High PVL is essential but not sufficient for the development of HTLV-1-associated diseases. Therefore, PVL quantification can be used to support the care of people living with HTLV-1 by identifying those most at risk of HTLV-1-associated diseases.

WS10.02 Mind the gap! Impact of GLI Global and GLI 2012 spirometry reference equations on clinical trial eligibility: the London experience

WS10.02 Mind the gap! Impact of GLI Global and GLI 2012 spirometry reference equations on clinical trial eligibility: the London experience

“Eating the Barrio”: Gastronomy and urban change in Santa Cruz, Lima

This article explores the impact of the gastronomic boom on gentrification processes in Lima, Peru, during the last two decades. It is an ethnographic study conducted in 2012, 2014, and 2016 in the Santa Cruz housing development, which used to be a working-class neighborhood located in the Miraflores district. The central focus is the analysis of the personal narratives of change and belonging of residents, workers, and visitors, supported by photographic practice. In particular, it is based on the experience of Carlos, a young actor who after living several years in London returns to Peru to start a business and, taking advantage of competitive prices in Santa Cruz, opens a gourmet bakery in the neighborhood. Using the notion of “cosmopolitan imagination,” we show the different ways in which Carlos recontextualizes his experience in London in the specificity of La Mar, negotiating the limits, meanings and values of the places, people, and cultural practices that arise from inhabiting this space of change. Ultimately, Carlos’s bakery becomes a meeting point for linking or negotiating different strategies and experiences of belonging to the area, materializing power dynamics that emerge inside and outside the business, thus shaping the commodification of Santa Cruz.

Spatial comparison of London's three waves of Spanish Flu.

England and Wales experienced three waves of influenza during the 1918/19 Spanish Flu pandemic. A previous analysis showed that these three waves had fundamentally different spatial and temporal characteristics. This present study compares London's experience of the three waves to discern possible geographic differences on a metropolitan level. Borough mortality data for each wave were normalized and then scaled, with spatial autocorrelation techniques displayed by GIS software and analysed for each wave. Registrar General in England and Wales reporting provided data concerning measures of 'health' and 'wealth' for each metropolitan borough. Spearman's rank correlation determined the correlation of each wave's mortality to each of the other waves including the 'health,' 'wealth' and population density factors. The comparisons showed that there is a spatial difference among the waves. The first two are spatially similar, with both exhibiting 'random' autocorrelation patterns, while the third wave exhibits a 'clustered' pattern. The borough mortality of the first two waves strongly correlated with each other, with both having similar 'health,' 'wealth' and population density factors. However, the third wave's mortality did not correlate with any of the first two and actually behaved in an opposite manner with regard to the 'health,' 'wealth,' and population density factors. These results do not appear in the literature and create new opportunities for research to explain London's mortality during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918/19.

Ultrasound simulation training to meet the 2021 Royal College of Radiologists' curriculum for radiology trainees: South East London experience

To enhance ultrasound teaching delivery to radiology trainees using a simulation course matched to the 2021 Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) curriculum. An ultrasound simulation training course was designed for specialty trainees (ST) 1 in radiology, which was based on the 2021 RCR curriculum and covered the top ultrasound training priorities. The course was piloted initially on two occasions in a 1-day format to the August 2021 and the March 2022 ST1 intake trainees. Based on the feedback, a comprehensive 4-day course was developed and delivered between October and December 2022 for the August 2022 ST1 intake, funded by Health Education England. The outcomes measured were subjective trainee feedback using numerical scores and free text. All King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust radiology ST1 trainees from the August 2021 to the August 2022 intake participated in ultrasound simulation training. The training matched the RCR curriculum and increased the trainees' confidence and competency in medical ultrasound. Ultrasound simulation training can be successfully delivered to ST1 trainees to match the 2021 RCR curriculum and enhance training in medical ultrasound for radiologists.

Steaming in Plain Sight

May 01 2023 Steaming in Plain Sight Angela Loescher-Montal, Angela Loescher-Montal Angela Loescher-Montal is a fourth-year dual degree student at MIT, currently completing her M. Arch and M. S. in Real Estate Development. She is focusing her research on the mediated nature of our urban realm and the increasing privatization of public space. She is also in the process of founding a start-up called Harness the Heat with three friends, which looks at the possibilities of re-channeling sources of wasted heat to heat outdoor spaces in the winter. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Latifa Alkhayat, Latifa Alkhayat Latifa Alkhayat is a Master of Architecture candidate at MIT. Her work delves into the themes of material processes and systems, ecology, resource extraction, and the national narratives that tie them. As an architectural researcher and practitioner, she has experience in Manama, London, and Cambridge. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Ous Abou Ras, Ous Abou Ras Ous Abou Ras is a graduate student in the M. Arch program at MIT. He is interested in how math and physical phenomenon can shape our built environment, and practices his intrigue by employing computational workflows. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto where he pursued a double major in Architecture and Physics and studied the ways in which the laws of physics shape our cities and architecture across cultures. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Jules Kleitman Jules Kleitman Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Author and Article Information Angela Loescher-Montal Angela Loescher-Montal is a fourth-year dual degree student at MIT, currently completing her M. Arch and M. S. in Real Estate Development. She is focusing her research on the mediated nature of our urban realm and the increasing privatization of public space. She is also in the process of founding a start-up called Harness the Heat with three friends, which looks at the possibilities of re-channeling sources of wasted heat to heat outdoor spaces in the winter. Latifa Alkhayat Latifa Alkhayat is a Master of Architecture candidate at MIT. Her work delves into the themes of material processes and systems, ecology, resource extraction, and the national narratives that tie them. As an architectural researcher and practitioner, she has experience in Manama, London, and Cambridge. Ous Abou Ras Ous Abou Ras is a graduate student in the M. Arch program at MIT. He is interested in how math and physical phenomenon can shape our built environment, and practices his intrigue by employing computational workflows. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto where he pursued a double major in Architecture and Physics and studied the ways in which the laws of physics shape our cities and architecture across cultures. Jules Kleitman Online ISSN: 2572-7338 Print ISSN: 1091-711X © 2023 Angela Loescher-Montal, Latifa Alkhayat, Ous Abou Ras, & Jules Kleitman2023Angela Loescher-Montal, Latifa Alkhayat, Ous Abou Ras, & Jules Kleitman Thresholds (2023) (51): 226–229. https://doi.org/10.1162/thld_a_00803 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Angela Loescher-Montal, Latifa Alkhayat, Ous Abou Ras, Jules Kleitman; Steaming in Plain Sight. Thresholds 2023; (51): 226–229. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/thld_a_00803 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsThresholds Search Advanced Search This content is only available as a PDF. © 2023 Angela Loescher-Montal, Latifa Alkhayat, Ous Abou Ras, & Jules Kleitman2023Angela Loescher-Montal, Latifa Alkhayat, Ous Abou Ras, & Jules Kleitman Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Colonial Scholars and Anti‐Colonial Agents: Politics of Academic Knowledge Production Between the West Indies and London in the Mid‐20thCentury

AbstractThis paper analyses the socio‐spatial entanglement of West Indian anti‐colonial knowledge production in the mid‐20thcentury existingbetweenLondon and the Caribbean. This is interpreted as a case of the paradoxical politics of academic knowledge production in that British imperial policies that were constraining knowledge production in the West Indies were also seen as facilitating anti‐colonial awareness and work in London by West Indian actors. Research demonstrating the importance of the metropole as a meeting place for global anti‐colonial actors is complemented by shifting the focus to the entangled spacebetweenLondon and the West Indies. This article comparatively analyses the academic politics of the British Colonial Office – a spatial dislocation of knowledge production away from the West Indies – and its perception and challenge by Caribbean intellectuals who were temporarily based in London. The analysis builds on contributions by C.L.R. James and S. Wynter and their reflections on the institutionalisation of research in the West Indies and their experiences in London. Overall, I emphasise a relational and symmetrising analysis of knowledge production in imperial contexts that accounts for the entanglement of imperial politics in the metropole and the colonies, and the perception and potential use of these political entanglements by actors in and from colonial contexts.

Shades of Diasporic Experiences in London: A Reading of Samuel Selvon’s the Lonely Londoners and Buchi Emecheta’s Second-Class Citizen

In recent times, given the rising spate of economic crunch bedeviling many African states, there has been a surge in migration to developed countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, etc. Often, the migrants travel out with lofty expectations about these foreign lands but get disappointed and end up doing debasing jobs just to survive. Many scholars have engaged diasporic experiences as an evolving concept in postcolonial literature but there is yet more room for exploration especially in the Nigerian context where the ‘japa’ syndrome seems to be gaining frightening momentum. Thus, this paper, adopts a postcolonial theoretical framework in examining the dimensions of diasporic experiences portrayed in Samuel Selvon’s the Lonely Londoners and Buchi Emecheta’s Second-Class Citizen. Selvon and Emecheta, in their novel, portray the dreams, aspirations, and expectations of immigrants as well as the dynamic experiences that completely alter their lives. The study, therefore, in the examination of the primary texts, highlights the myriads of problems encountered by immigrants in the novels; some of them include climate change, racism, accommodation, employment, taxation, the high cost of living, and discrimination. The essay concludes that foreign climes like London are not beds of roses and shows that immigrants are sometimes, subjected to conditions that may be worse than their experiences in their home countries. The paper recommends that the British government and indeed nations that have attained the status of developed countries, intensify efforts to reduce the plethora of problems encountered by immigrants living in the United Kingdom.

Post-war Spatial Production in Mrs Dalloway

The present study examines Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway as a cartographic work mapping the intricacies of post-war experience in London. The novel, telescoping all of its action into one single day and foregrounding mobility and space, captures the pervasive effects of the Great War and its ramifications on the individuals and on society, and this spatially-oriented literary analysis of it investigates the diverse yet relational processes of spatial production. To this end, the physical spaces, dominant discourses and the characters’ negotiation of their lived spaces will be addressed by referring to the spatial theories of scholars such as Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja. Mrs Dalloway, as a critical textual space, charts the convergence of the private and the public, the lived and the imagined, the past and the present, and thereby contests the dominant spatial discourses as defined and prescribed by the social system.

Early experiences of women and planning initiatives 1980–1990

This paper discusses gender planning initiatives from the 1980s to the 1990s based on the experiences in London of two practising planners when local authorities began discussing gender-sensitive cities and developed specific actions and planning policies, women’s committees and women’s officers in planning departments. The first experience in the early 1980s introduced women into mainstream discourse particularly through the Town and Country Planning Summer School. The second describes Open Sesame, a project in Haringey. These experiences are contextualised in the GLC promotion of women’s issues through their Women’s Committee. It concludes with a discussion of the current position of women in planning.

A North-West London Experience of the Impact of Treatment Related Toxicity on Clinical Outcomes of Elderly Patients with Germ Cell Tumors.

Simple SummaryGerm cell testicular cancer is seen in men aged 15–35. Incidence of this cancer in the elderly aged > 45 is less than 10%. The aim of our retrospective study is to understand the treatment-related toxicity in the elderly population, the chemotherapy regimens used, and its tolerability in this age group. Incidence of non-seminomatous germ cell cancer was 42% and incidence of seminoma was 58% in this cohort of patients. We used chemotherapy regimens, similar to those used in the younger population; platinum-based regimens were the backbone of the treatment algorithm. Outcomes were similar to the population group aged 15–35, and around 96% of the population were alive 5 years after and beyond. Toxicity was more common in this age group, and careful consideration should be made for dose modification and appropriate use of supportive therapies.Background/Aim: The occurrence of germ cell tumour (GCT) in the elderly is rare, with scarce data available. The aim of this study was to understand the clinical outcomes of patients with GCT in patients aged > 45 years. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a large tertiary cancer centre in north-west London. Between 1 January 2003 and 31 March 2022, 108 cases of GCT in men aged > 45 years were identified and treated at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. The median age at diagnosis was 54 years (range = 45–70 years). Results: The 5-year survival rate of all patients was 96%, and the toxicity profile was similar to the younger age group. Conclusion: Older patients with GCT are able to tolerate chemotherapy; however, care must be taken to prevent life-threatening complications using appropriate dose modification.

A Galician Yeshiva-Bo?ur and Two Cities: Hame?orer’s Minority Report

This article focuses on the role played by the author Yehoshua Radler-Feldman, also known as R. Binyamin (1880–1957), in the editing of the journal Hame͑orer and his poetic-political editorial approach that often contradicted the approach of his fellow editor, Yosef Ḥayyim Brenner. Brenner is usually described as bearing the burden of publication alone, a view influenced by Brenner’s hegemonic status in the sphere of Hebrew literature, as opposed to R. Binyamin’s marginality. This exclusive identification of Hame͑orer with Brenner illustrates the attempt to depict the development of Modern Hebrew literature as a linear process. This article argues that restoring R. Binyamin to a prominent position in the context of Hame͑orer leaves us with an image of the journal as a site where various poetics competed and where the power relations between these different approaches were crystallized. In order to examine these approaches, this article turns to the cultural and geographical context of London’s East End, where they developed at the turn of the century. It describes the reality of Hame͑orer as it emerges from R. Binyamin’s perspective and highlights the differences between R. Binyamin’s experiences in London and those of Brenner, which were due largely to their different points of origin—the Russian Empire and Habsburgian Galicia via Berlin, respectively. This will serve as a basis for understanding the rift between the two figures, which was simultaneously poetic, religious, and political.

Improving health in London: reflections from three mini case studies (HIV, mental health, healthcare estate)

ABSTRACT Global health will increasingly be determined by cities and therefore city-wide transformation of health and care is crucially important. Reflections from our experiences in London suggest some critical ingredients for city-wide transformation, including: having a shared aim; robust engagement with the citizens, service users and providers of services; setting aside organisational priorities and effective incentives to do so; a focus on enablers; strong city-wide leadership. Rather than working ‘together but separately’, health and care partners must work ‘together, together’ if cities are to meet the health and care challenges of the next decade.

Pricing vehicle emissions and congestion externalities using a dynamic traffic network simulator

• Road pricing is a potential tool for controlling traffic congestion and pollution. • We study cordon tolls using the dynamic traffic network simulator METROPOLIS. • A Gaussian dispersion model is used to compute the distribution of pollution. • Step tolls have only a small advantage over flat tolls for pricing emissions. • Health effects vary with location relative to the cordon(s) and wind direction. Road traffic is a major contributor to air pollution which is a serious problem in many large cities. Experience in London, Milan, and Stockholm indicates that road pricing can be useful in reducing vehicle emissions as well as congestion. This study uses a dynamic traffic network simulator that models choices of mode, departure time, and route to investigate the effectiveness of tolls to target emissions and congestion externalities on a stylized urban road network during a morning commuting period. The spatial distribution of four pollutants is calculated using a Gaussian dispersion model that accounts for wind speed and direction. Single and double cordon tolls are evaluated, as well as flat tolls that do not change during the simulation period and step tolls that change at half-hourly intervals. The presence of emissions externalities raises optimal toll levels, and substantially increases the welfare gains from tolling, although the proportional advantage of step tolls over flat tolls is lower than if congestion is the only externality. The individual welfare-distributional effects of tolling vary strongly with residential and workplace locations relative to the cordon, and also differ for the upwind and downwind sides of the city.

National Identity in Mid-Nineteenth Century Birmingham

ABSTRACT Most current academic investigations of national identity by Linda Colley and Peter Mandler et al, are substantially based on the experience of London. This article focuses on how national identity was perceived and represented by four individuals in mid-nineteenth-century Birmingham. Birmingham’s significance as an international manufacturing centre; a centre for campaigns for franchise reform and the abolition of slavery; and a location for migration meant that national identity was a matter of great interest. These four individuals were Joseph Sturge, a middle-class radical abolitionist; John Bright, the Liberal MP; George Edmonds, a campaigner from an artisanal background; and George Dawson, an influential preacher. The article draws out similarities and differences in their views by investigating how they saw the nation and who they thought belonged to it. The article moves beyond the London-centric historiography of national identity by assessing national identity discourses in an important provincial town.

Review: Into the Sea, by Ash Watson

Review: <i>Into the Sea</i>, by Ash Watson

Trajectories of mental health among UK university staff and postgraduate students during the pandemic

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the social and working lives of many. Past studies have highlighted worsening mental health during the pandemic, but often rely on small samples or infrequent...

Mental health among UK university staff and postgraduate students in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesTo characterise the baseline King’s College London Coronavirus Health and Experiences of Colleagues at King’s cohort and describe patterns of probable depression and anxiety among staff and postgraduate research students...

Living with air-conditioning: experiences in Dubai, Chongqing and London

Extreme heat is a likely consequence of global warming, leading to increased mortality and reduced wellbeing. There is limited research evidence of experiences of living with and without air-conditioning (AC), commonly regarded as the sole technological solution, but such knowledge is essential to progressing alternative approaches. A total of 72 participants were interviewed in an exploratory cross-cultural phenomenological study in Dubai (United Arab Emirates—UAE), Chongqing (China) and London (UK). In Dubai and Chongqing, AC was ubiquitous and central to life in the hotter months, although not for all socio-economic groups. AC enabled indoor work to proceed, but a restricted indoor life meant less exercise, less social interaction and health issues. Participants had over-adapted, not to heat but to cold indoor temperatures, which were uncomfortable for many. In London, AC was not yet used, but the purchase of AC was being contemplated. The London participants showed a range of behavioural adaptations to heat. To reduce dependence on AC, regulations and behaviour change interventions regarding AC settings should focus on acclimatisation to heat. Changes in societal patterns, such as workhours, and behavioural adaptations, such as informed use of shading, can help mitigate heat. Deconstruction of the meanings of AC-related thermal comfort is needed to incorporate physiological, behavioural and social responses. <em><strong>Policy relevance</strong></em> The study findings show the following: AC technology is already culturally embedded in societies in hot climates, but is not yet seen as a necessity in temperate climates, offering a window of opportunity. This window could close rapidly, so initiatives are needed now to encourage householders to improve heat protection around their homes. In hot climates, while AC enables life to continue, it is not a panacea. AC does not provide thermal comfort universally: people do not experience AC as providing a comfortable environment. Better regulation of building and urban design is needed to ensure climate and context appropriateness. Behaviour change interventions to reduce the overuse of AC are recommended to focus on health as well as energy. Existing discourses on AC as the unique and adequate solution to future heat must be challenged in order to open up the discussion to include behavioural, social, built environment and other technological solutions.