Why is hackney a bad place to live

What has changed in the last nine years? I suppose it was all to give us the best presence before the Olympics started.

Blow says demand for housing now outweighs supply in the area, with more and more people wanting to start a family there. Many areas of Hackney have been subject to gentrification in recent years. Pic: Alan Denney. Jenny Baker, a 27 year-old lifelong Hackney resident, says the recent developments have taken the charm out of the area. Baker admits that the Olympics have had a positive impact on the area in some ways.

What of those who recently moved to the area? Ella Jessel is a year-old student who moved to the area four years ago. She, too, can see the effects of gentrification in Hackney. Families and those who have lived here for decades are being pushed out to places like Walthamstow as the rental costs have increased. For Jessel, the Olympics has little to do with her understanding of the changes in the area.

A question remains of whether or not these changes are wholly positive. Are increased house prices, a greater number of artisan cafes and better OFSTED rated secondary schools the definitive criteria with which one should assess an area?

Perhaps the factors on which the Sunday Times ranking is based do not produce a just assessment of Hackney as a community and place to live. For long term residents such as Baker, Hackney is about more than its ranking on a list. The culture and community are more important.

For people like her, Hackney should be looked at with its past in mind. It should be the product of its difficulties and the way they were overcome. London Fields. A local estate agent says: "The property market in Hackney is very strong. It's the only London borough that hasn't seen a price drop in the last four years. It's got a great atmosphere, a bohemian feel, fantastic markets and nightlife.

And therein lies the appeal. Hackney is undeniably crap sometimes, but it's also marvelous, which is why I love it. I have lived in Hackney, on and off, since I first rented off Broadway Market way back when the only thing you got at the Cat and Mutton was a stab wound.

These days the Cat and Mutton is a gastropub, packed to the rafters with people who can't afford to live in Islington. On Saturdays the market is overrun with 'farmers' selling their wares, three-wheeled buggies, dogs on strings and ironic haircuts. The newsagents run out of the Guardian by 11am and there's a scrum for organic coffee and artisan bread.

It is gentrification at its worst but fripperies such as cheese stalls and vintage clothes boutiques add to the texture of the area. Despite the influx of smug professionals, including legions of Fleet Street staff, Hackney remains a melting pot, epitomising the best and worst of London. On Mare Street, the beating heart of Hackney, there are restaurants, salons, clothes shops and food stores aimed at budgets and nationalities of all sorts.

There is always a buzz on the streets, not to mention some Technicolor wedding at the Town Hall to enjoy, and people are friendly and open.