Life in the Athletes’ Village in Dalmarnock, Glasgow

A new publication from our GoWell East research reports on in-depth qualitative research with residents of the Athletes’ Village, built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and inhabited since 2015. In the report, participants reflect on their reasons for moving to the Village, their levels of satisfaction with life there, and their plans for the future. 

Overall, the research found that residents were generally happy with their decision to move to the Village, with few regrets and a readiness to recommend it to others as a place to live. Interestingly, however, those in the Village did not identify themselves as living in Dalmarnock, but rather saw the Village as a different place. 

The research reports on what Village residents thought about their housing, neighbourhood, local environment and amenities and then reflects upon the three sustainability dimensions of the Village development. 

The Village community appeared to be socially sustainable. It was found to be generally harmonious, although not necessarily with a strong sense of community cohesion. There was an underlying sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’ between owners and renters that surfaced from time to time when common issues arose. More convivial spaces for people to mingle and meet would aid social integration.  

The residential sustainability of the Village is supported by a sense of place attachment among residents, derived from the attractiveness and value for money of the houses and environment, which many residents did not think they could easily obtain elsewhere. However, the continued regeneration of the surrounding area and the integration of the Village with wider Bridgeton and Dalmarnock were seen as critical to a continued desire to live in the area beyond the next few years. 

As regards the environmental sustainability of the Village, the research concludes that greater efforts could be made by the developers and managers of the project to enable residents to understand and appreciate its key environmentally-friendly features, to improve environmental maintenance, and to support residents in looking after the area. 

Download the report: Village life: the early experience of living in the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village development, Glasgow.

We have published another report, ‘Monitoring the Impacts of the Commonwealth Games and Regeneration on the East End of Glasgow: Headline Indicators 2012-2016’ which may also be of interest.