Housing and Regeneration Struggles in South London

The Winter discussion series brought together organizers, activists, scholars, researchers, collectives, and art practitioners to engage collectively in discussions about both the present and the future of housing and regeneration struggles in South London. The objective of this series was to open a broader debate on the politics of the subject, politics of collective action and the possibilities and potential for new housing realities.

Throughout this century, South London has been a site of urban and housing regeneration. However, housing development projects that are led by capital and land value are undermining the needs of the local population and fostering new social and housing inequalities. Due to this polarisation, there has been a rise of initiatives that oppose these aggressive and violent processes. Individuals, groups and campaigns have been working on developing and deploying various tactics and strategies to defend the rights of local inhabitants, challenge mainstream narratives that enabled this practices and develop alternatives.

The roundtables compared the official language developed in policy documents, media and propaganda with the language used in activist and artistic narratives in post-Brexit and post-Grenfell London.

October 26th 5PM
Post Grenfell housing struggles

Izzy Koksal (Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth)
Tom Keene (Save Cressingham Gardens and artist/researcher)
Beverley Robinson (Aylesbury Leaseholders Action Group)
Katie Beswick (Lecturer in Drama University of Exeter)
Owen Hatherley (writer and journalist)

November 29th 5PM
How to stay put?

Loretta Lees (Professor of Human Geography, University of Leicester)
Antony Iles (writer and contributing editor of Mute)
Rebecca Davies and Eva Sajovic (artists)
Southwark Notes Archives Group (Chris)