Islington park street community: a model for alternative housing in London

Fernández Arrigoitia, Melissa (2015) Islington park street community: a model for alternative housing in London. . London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

Islington Park Street Community is an exceptional case of mutual support and collaborative housing in London. While not formally recognised as such, it is probably the oldest example of a long standing co-housing project in the capital city—abiding by all of the key social and design principles of this alternative and increasingly sought after form of living. Established in 1976, it is also a story of resilience, surviving the ebbs and flows of the capital city’s housing and economic policy waves. The community’s flexible model of self managed communal living has successfully tackled the social isolation of vulnerable and older people, included a system of shared resources that is economically and environmentally resilient and provides a living example of mutual care in the increasingly inaccessible heart of London. Today, as Islington Park Street Community (IPS) approaches its forty-year mark, its 18 long and short-term residents face an uncertain future. Their landlord, the housing association One Housing Group (OHG), has served a ‘notice to quit’. This case study report looks briefly into the history and community-life practices of this unique group to understand what is distinctive about Islington Park Street, how this translates into value beyond (but not outside of) the economic and how it may be considered a model for other London housing schemes to embrace and develop, rather than dismantle and displace. It links interview material and wider documentation to lessons learned and recommendations made in LSE London’s recently completed project ‘Housing in London: addressing the supply crisis’.

Item Type:	Monograph (Report)
Official URL:	http://www.lse.ac.uk/geographyAndEnvironment/resea...
Additional Information:	© 2015 The Author
Divisions:	Geography & Environment LSE London
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Date Deposited:	26 Oct 2015 10:53
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 22:25
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/64152

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