What is Community-led Housing? Proposal for a Co-operative Housing Development

open accessWhat is ‘community-led housing’? The phrase is used these days with increasing frequency, but what does it mean? How can it embrace the resource and advice hub set up by the London Mayor to build more affordable housing, and which has just been allocated £38 million of funds, and, at the same time, proposals made by campaigners trying to save the Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden in Lewisham, which has been condemned to demolition and redevelopment by a council and housing association acting with the financial support and planning permission of the same London Mayor? Beyond its rhetoric of government decentralisation and resident empowerment, what does ‘community-led’ mean in practice? Is it an initiative by London communities in response to the threat to their homes of estate demolition schemes implemented by councils in which they no longer have any trust? Is it emblematic of the kind of initiative envisaged by the former Conservative Prime Minister, David Cameron, in his image of a Big Society that takes back responsibility for housing UK citizens from the state and places it in the hands of entrepreneurs, whether small developers or housing co-operatives? Is it a way to relieve London councils of the responsibility for housing their constituents? Is it just another term in the increasingly duplicitous lexicon of Greater London Authority housing policies designed to hand public land and funds over to private developers and investors under the guise of being ‘community-led’? Or is it a genuine, if limited, solution to London’s crisis of housing affordability, one that will finally build and manage at least some of the homes in which Londoners can afford to live? In this article we address these questions through looking at ‘Brixton Gardens’, a proposal for a co-operative housing development that was made last year by Architects for Social Housing in partnership with the Brixton Housing Co-operative

Brian Paddick: “We need a serious Mayor to tackle the serious problems we face”

Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor Brian Paddick outlines his key pledges to restore faith in the Metropolitan Police, target cheaper fares on public transport and reduce the city’s levels of pollution. This is the first in a three part series from the mayoral candidates, including Ken Livingstone and Jenny Jones, with an introduction by Tony Travers

GLA publishes LSE London research on housing density

The Mayor of London commissioned LSE London research on housing density. This research data is meant to aid in the development of policies and preparation of the London Plan. Links to all of the reports can be found here

Jenny Jones: “my vision for London is of a more sustainable, fairer and cleaner city”

Green Party candidate for London Mayor Jenny Jones details her proposals to encourage a 10:1 ratio of company pay, to boost contracts to smaller firms through her mayoral office and how Londoners could have a safer and healthier life in the city. This is the third in a three part series with the mayoral candidates, including Brian Paddick and Ken Livingstone, with an introduction by Tony Travers

Interview with Sadiq Khan: “London must have a seat at the table during the negotiations to leave the EU”

What will Brexit mean for the city of London? In an interview with EUROPP’s editor Stuart Brown, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, discusses his new ‘London is Open’ campaign, the effect of Brexit on Londoners, and whether there is a case for London having more say over how the money it generates in tax revenue is spent

The City Summary Courts in the late 18th century: courts for the people?

The City of London had two summary courts in the 18th Century, at Guildhall and Mansion House. In these the Lord Mayor and City aldermen used their wide ranging powers to punish vagrants and thieves, reprimand prostitutes and bullock hunters and settle disputes between brawling drunks and warring neighbours. This talk will explore the nature of these courts, the offences they heard and the people they served, using primary court sources from the City’s archive

How to measure good growth: some advice for Sadiq Khan

Sadiq Khan has committed to developing a new measure of good growth in London. Ben Rogers (University of London/ LSE Cities) sets out what the London Mayor will have to do to make sure that it is more than a communications exercise

Marketplace of Ideas: Combating Global Warming through Congestion Pricing with London Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron

This is a transcript from DMI's 'Marketplace of Ideas' series, which highlights policymakers who successfully put progressive values into practice. This event features London Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron. On the morning of Friday, May 18 over 200 people turned out to hear London Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron and distinguished panelists and guests discuss the most hotly debated part of Mayor Bloomberg's recently revealed plan for a greener New York - an $8 congestion fee for driving into Manhattan's Central Business district during peak hours

LSE London Seminar: Housing strategies for the new Mayor

Over the last 18 months, LSE London has been discussing with experts from government, industry and academia about how to accelerate the supply of new housing in London. We now have a new Mayor with the remit to double the housing output in London and to ensure that Londoners are the ones that benefit