Cultural Commons

29
Aug
A Tax Without a Vision: Housing, Heritage, and the Perils of Market Rule

A Tax Without a Vision: Housing, Heritage, and the Perils of Market Rule

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
5 min read
04
Aug
Corbett Arms: Why Tywyn’s Living History Must Not Be Erased

Corbett Arms: Why Tywyn’s Living History Must Not Be Erased

To erase the Corbett Arms is to erase part of Tywyn’s living identity. It is to discard the embedded stories of generations..
3 min read
01
Aug
Brick Lane After the Rejection: What Must Happen Now to Prevent Cultural Erasure

Brick Lane After the Rejection: What Must Happen Now to Prevent Cultural Erasure

Responding to the Council’s refusal of the Truman Brewery scheme—and the uncertain road ahead
3 min read
31
Jul
Behind the Façade: Who Really Profits from the Brick Lane Redevelopment?

Behind the Façade: Who Really Profits from the Brick Lane Redevelopment?

The story of Brick Lane is a test of our collective urban ethics. Will we allow developers to rewrite it as a marketing slogan—or will we defend it as a living, layered history worth protecting?
4 min read
31
Jul
Brick Lane Is a Battleground: Organising Against Erasure in the Heart of London

Brick Lane Is a Battleground: Organising Against Erasure in the Heart of London

How resistance in East London draws from radical history, community solidarity, and the right to shape the city.
3 min read
29
Jul
The Battle for Brick Lane

The Battle for Brick Lane

Where heritage meets resistance, and London's soul risks eviction.
3 min read
24
Jul
Cliftonville: The Last Grand Seaside Quarter

Cliftonville: The Last Grand Seaside Quarter

Cliftonville offers a model for heritage-led regeneration that does not displace but includes. It is not a museum piece, but a living district—one where restoration must consider memory as much as mortar.
4 min read
24
Jul
From Markets to Monoculture: The City of London’s Quiet War on Public Space

From Markets to Monoculture: The City of London’s Quiet War on Public Space

The eviction of market traders at Smithfield and Billingsgate is a flashpoint—a visible wound in a city where enclosure has become normalized. But it is also an opportunity to demand a different vision of urban life: one grounded in justice, transparency, and genuine public space
5 min read
23
Jul
Built Heritage, Common Ground: Why Protecting Buildings Must Mean Protecting Communities

Built Heritage, Common Ground: Why Protecting Buildings Must Mean Protecting Communities

To preserve built heritage without preserving the common culture it anchors is to sever a structure from its meaning.
3 min read
21
Jul
Repairing the Past, Investing in the Future: A Call for VAT Relief on Historic Building Restoration

Repairing the Past, Investing in the Future: A Call for VAT Relief on Historic Building Restoration

"Demolition is tax efficient. Conservation is not." This is a systemic failure.
3 min read