Place-based Aspiration
‘Universities are anchor institutions and, at their best, are civic actors working with partners across local and regional communities to respond to the needs of that place’.
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Queen Mary has always placed social mobility as central to our vision and institutional reform. Today, we are witnessing transformational shifts economically, technologically, in terms of demographics, and socially across our communities. Aspiration is changing too.
For the current Labour government, opportunity and aspiration are place-based phenomena.
Where previous Labour governments have talked about facilitating aspiration for the individual, Keir Starmer’s administration is thinking in terms of facilitating aspiration for whole communities by providing the opportunities and security they need to prosper. Universities impact the economic and demographic characteristics of their locations, which can in turn change the ways in which those who live and work adjacent to them relate to their communities.
In the case of Queen Mary, recognising what contributes to the aspirations of its East London community is of profound importance. This is particularly important given the complex and often contested relationship between London as a city and the aspirations of its inhabitants.
By undertaking this project, we hope to shed light on how we can build a place-based definition of aspiration, and shape our own efforts to facilitate our community’s aspirations for years to come.
To discuss this work further, please contact Chris Hall, Public Affairs Lead:
chris.hall@qmul.ac.uk