Et tu, Boughton? Silences and Censorship in Municipal Dreams

I was in town on the weekend and had a look through John Boughton’s recently published book Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing. I don’t know John personally, but I know his blog, also called Municipal Dreams, and have referenced his excellent coverage of the Five Estates regeneration in Peckham, and praised … Continue reading Et tu, Boughton? Silences and Censorship in Municipal Dreams

London’s Local Elections 2018: The Consequences of Voting

Now the shouting’s stopped and the insults have settled, here’s the damage in London from the Local Elections 2018: Barking & Dagenham: Labour hold Barnet: Conservative gain Bexley: Conservative hold Brent: Labour hold Bromley: Conservative hold Camden: Labour hold Croydon: Labour hold Ealing: Labour hold Enfield: Labour hold Greenwich: Labour hold Hackney: Labour hold Hammersmith … Continue reading London’s Local Elections 2018: The Consequences of Voting

Scheming Schemes: A Street View of Gentrification

I’m dreaming dreams, I’m scheming schemes, I’m building castles high. They’re born anew, their days are few, Just like a sweet butterfly. And as the daylight is dawning, They come again in the morning! – Jaan Kenbrovin, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles (1918) There’s been a lot in the papers and on social media lately about … Continue reading Scheming Schemes: A Street View of Gentrification

Central Hill: A Case Study in Estate Regeneration. ASH Presentation to the Department of Architecture, Braunschweig University of Technology

1. The Estate Regeneration Programme In September 2017, as part of our residency at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Architects for Social Housing (ASH) mapped out London’s estate regeneration programme. Our research identified 237 housing estates that have recently undergone, are currently undergoing, or are threatened with regeneration, demolition or privatisation with the resulting loss … Continue reading Central Hill: A Case Study in Estate Regeneration. ASH Presentation to the Department of Architecture, Braunschweig University of Technology

Our Urban Millions Must Wrest Control from Hostile, Inhumane Labour

I was reading Sadiq Khan’s article with this title in The Observer this Sunday, and initially I wondered who it was he was describing, so closely did his description of the Conservative government he was attacking resemble his own party. I thought that, given Labour’s record in local government, Khan’s got a nerve lecturing the … Continue reading Our Urban Millions Must Wrest Control from Hostile, Inhumane Labour

Knight’s Walk: The Good Practice Guide to Gentrification

Prior to the launch of the ASH report on Central Hill, which we’re holding in the Residents’ Hall of Cotton Gardens estate in Kennington on 26 April, we thought we’d catch up with what’s happening on Knight’s Walk, the low-rise component of Cotton Gardens that was specifically designed by London County Council architect George Finch … Continue reading Knight’s Walk: The Good Practice Guide to Gentrification

Central Hill: A Case Study in Estate Regeneration

Architects for Social Housing (ASH) is pleased to announce the publication of a book-length report based on our work on the alternative to the demolition of the Central Hill estate in Crystal Palace. Titled Central Hill: A Case Study in Estate Regeneration, the report includes not only our designs for the estate’s refurbishment and increase … Continue reading Central Hill: A Case Study in Estate Regeneration

The Social Realism of the Labour Party: Jeremy Corbyn and the Socialism of Fools

The mural (above) at the centre of the latest publicity disaster to engulf Jeremy Corbyn has been compared to the anti-Semitic depictions of Jews in Nazi propaganda. One Labour Party website has even taken readers through comparisons between the offending mural and historical examples from Der Stürmer (below), a vehemently anti-semitic and anti-communist German tabloid newpaper. … Continue reading The Social Realism of the Labour Party: Jeremy Corbyn and the Socialism of Fools

The Duties of an Architect: Regeneration and Gentrification in New Mildmay

‘In carrying out or agreeing to carry out professional work, Architects should pay due regard to the interests of anyone who may reasonably be expected to use or enjoy the products of their own work. Whilst Architects’ primary responsibility is to their clients, they should nevertheless have due regard to their wider responsibility to conserve … Continue reading The Duties of an Architect: Regeneration and Gentrification in New Mildmay