I am a built environment professional with over 20 years' experience in architecture, urban design, urban planning and regeneration in the UK and India. I have spent the past 14 years at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in various roles and most recently I was responsible for setting up the regeneration service.

During this period, I have seen Tower Hamlets transform into one of the fastest growing boroughs in the country, but it is still one of the most deprived. As the Head of Regeneration, I see the potential of area labs and urban labs to bring together stakeholders to respond to spatial inequalities in some of the deprived areas in the borough and identify pilot projects and initiatives in collaboration with local communities. My proposal seeks to research urban labs in cities across the world and their effectiveness to deliver locally relevant solutions to urban problems in cities. The outcome of this research will help to pilot a regeneration area lab in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

I am very excited by the opportunity this presents, not just for Tower Hamlets but for other local authorities that are grappling with similar challenges.