Shoreditch & Hoxton

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation - a charitable foundation with cultural, educational, social and scientific interests – commissioned a Social and Cultural Survey of Hoxton and Shoreditch when, in 2009, it moved its UK Headquarters to Hoxton Square, on the edge of the City of London and Hackney.

The Foundation wanted to gain an intimate understanding of its new local context, and the needs, problems, opportunities and strengths of the area.

General Public Agency's survey provided a detailed and imaginative understanding of the existing character and identity of Hoxton and Shoreditch. The survey process addressed the physical, social and cultural landscapes, incorporating the views of local people, and provided a vital contribution to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundations's strategic thinking to support positive change in the local vicinity. The Survey uncovered an unexpected concentration of Third Sector organisations based in the area around Shoreditch and provided the Foundation with a profile of its neighbours and potential future partners.