Elephant & Castle is being remade through a series of regeneration projects. This process is meeting resistance from local groups, a contest in which the visions of developers and planners are coming up against existing notions of the area’s identity.

As part of the London Festival of Architecture 2018, Social Life will host a talk and exhibition exploring some of the layers of identity bound up in the area around Elephant & Castle: from the squatter community of the 1970s and 80s who left their mark in the coops and studios in Walworth, to the Latin American community who have shaped the shopping centre and claimed the Elephant as their hub in the capital.

We will hear from a local residents association about how they are upholding traditions of community action, from a Latin American activist group challenging redevelopment plans for the shopping centre, and we’ll find out about the role of urban nature in shaping perceptions of local place and identity.

An exhibition will highlight Social Life’s research into the social value of green space in Walworth, and our psycho-geographic portrait of the area carried out in 2017.

Confirmed speakers: David McEwen (Latin Elephant), Diana Cochrane (Pullens Tenants & Residents Association), Stephen McConnachie (anthropologist).

Location: the event will take place at Social Life's offices in the Pullens Yards, unique Victorian live/work spaces which are home to many designers and makers.