City of London: The Neighbourhood of Contrast | Know Your Neighbourhood | LFA2026

In this episode of Know Your Neighbourhood - produced in partnership with the London Festival of Architecture 2026 - host Tanisha Raffiuddin travels to the City of London, the Square Mile, to meet Eliza Grosvenor of NLA at The London Centre.Together they explore this year's LFA2026 theme of Belonging through one of London's most contradictory neighbourhoods: a place with 2,000 years of Roman history sitting beside some of the capital's newest buildings, where the Great Fire of London destroyed 80% of the city, and where the long-standing perception of “bankers only” is being quietly rewritten by community organisations, free cultural programming, and a new wave of public realm projects.In this episode you will discover:•        Why the City of London is best understood as a “neighbourhood of contrast”•        The real story of the Great Fire of London - and why it shaped the City's winding streets•        Why Christopher Wren's rebuilding plan never happened, and what we got instead•        The myth that the City is “only for bankers” - and what's actually changing•        LFA2026 in the City of London: the Lecture series, the LEGO Challenge, and open livery halls•        A bench, a scale model, and what “belonging” really looks like•        Accessibility and disability justice in a 2,000-year-old neighbourhood•        Know Your Neighbourhood rapid-fire round: coffee, cocktails, views and a curry under £6GuestEliza Grosvenor, NLA (New London Architecture)Chapters•        00:00 — Welcome to Know Your Neighbourhood•        02:28 — The City of London: a neighbourhood of contrast•        03:29 — Inside the Square Mile•        04:26 — What does belonging mean here?•        08:13 — LFA2026: what's on in the City of London•        10:03 — The Great Fire that destroyed 80% of London•        11:59 — Busting the “bankers only” myth•        13:15 — The bench that says it all•        18:20 — What the City risks losing•        20:13 — If Eliza could change one thing in this neighbourhood it would be...•        21:47 — Know Your Neighbourhood - rapid fire roundSupport the showTo learn more about host Tanisha Raffiuddin:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tanisharaffiuddin/Website: www.conceptculture.coInstagram: @tanisha.rrTo learn more about Talking Place:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/talking-place-podcastWebsite: www.conceptculture.co/talking-place-podcastInstagram: @talkingplacepodcastBluesky: @talkingplaceTikTok: @talkingplacepodcastTo learn more about Concept Culture:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/concept-culture-ukWebsite: www.conceptculture.coSign Up to Our Newsletter — mailchi.mp/conceptculture/newslettersignup