Urban areas are continuously changing: the balance between owners and renters shifts, demographic patterns evolve through migration and gentrification, foreign investment in high-end property coexists with pockets of economic stagnation and homelessness. In 1998, the London School of Economics established LSE London as a centre of research excellence on the economic and social issues of the London region, as well as the problems and possibilities of other urban and metropolitan regions. Today the centre has a strong international reputation particularly in the fields of labour markets, social and demographic change, housing, finance and governance, and is the leading academic centre for analyses of city-wide developments in London. In particular, our research looks at the drivers and consequences of urban change, addressing topics such as increasing residential density, planning gain, development finance, homeownership, community-led housing and the structure of private renting. We offer our clients policy analysis and evaluation, case studies and comparative research and economic and social impact assessments. Our specialists generally employ mixed-methods research techniques, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research methods.