Author: Simon Elmer

Rioting, Legislation and Estate Demolition: A Chronology of Social Cleansing in London, 1999-2019

‘We show respect to everyone — to each other, the general public and to the government and police. We engage in no violence, physical or verbal.’ — Extinction Rebellion 1990  Did the UK Poll Tax demonstrations in 1990 mark a watershed in the relations between governments and crowds? Certainly not in the violence used by the former. … Continue reading Rioting, Legislation and Estate Demolition: A Chronology of Social Cleansing in London, 1999-2019

Capitalising on Crisis: Extinction Rebellion and the Green New Deal for Capitalism

‘“Hey Pal! How do I get to town from here?” And he said: “Well, just take a right where they’re gonna build that new shopping mall, go straight past where they’re gonna put in the freeway, take a left at what’s gonna be the new sports centre, and keep going until you hit the place where … Continue reading Capitalising on Crisis: Extinction Rebellion and the Green New Deal for Capitalism

For a Socialist Architecture 2. Part 2. Environmental Practices

This presentation follows on from Part 1, that looked at the environmental principles of a socialist architecture. In our first presentation in this series we talked about the agents of a socialist architecture: those who pay for it, those who inhabit it, those who use it, those who design it, those who build it, those … Continue reading For a Socialist Architecture 2. Part 2. Environmental Practices

For a Socialist Architecture 2. Part 1. Environmental Principles

‘We want a say in how the resources are managed in our territory, to remind those who seek to benefit from them that they aren’t a commodity to be sold. Every resource is a part of the system. Each part that is taken out, or over-harvested, affects everything that depends on it. If we don’t … Continue reading For a Socialist Architecture 2. Part 1. Environmental Principles

For a Socialist Architecture 4. Part 2. Political Practices

In Part 1 of this presentation we looked at the political principles of a socialist architecture. In Part 2 I’m going to discuss the political practices through which ASH has implemented these principles in engaging with the political dimension of architecture. 1. The Political Economy of Housing Provision In this first diagram we have two … Continue reading For a Socialist Architecture 4. Part 2. Political Practices

For a Socialist Architecture 4. Part 1. Political Principles

1. The Realism of the Impossible Over the past couple of months I’ve been reading the poetry of Bertolt Brecht, and I’d like to start by quoting one of his poems. He wrote this poem in 1933, the year that Adolf Hitler became German Chancellor with 44 per cent of the vote — which with … Continue reading For a Socialist Architecture 4. Part 1. Political Principles

Stirling Prize Protest 2019: The Social Cleansing of Social Housing

Please join us on Tuesday, 8 October to protest: • Against the Royal Institute of British Architects’ nomination of the architecture of social cleansing, estate demolition and housing privatisation for the Stirling Prize; • Against the false promotion of council-owned commercial housing development and management companies as a so-called ‘renaissance in social housing’; • Against … Continue reading Stirling Prize Protest 2019: The Social Cleansing of Social Housing

The Smell of an Anarchist: The Aesthetics of Social Cleansing

1. False Gods: Demolishing the Past When Islamic State captured the ancient city of Palmyra in May 2015, antiquarians across the world held their breath. Dating back to the early Second Millenium BC, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a repository of temples, tombs and statues that its latest conquerors had demolished … Continue reading The Smell of an Anarchist: The Aesthetics of Social Cleansing