Policed by Design: Why Your Neighbourhood Feels Like a Prison

Have you ever looked at your own neighbourhood and felt like you weren’t actually meant to be there? In this episode, Aiwan and Tamanda reveal that it’s not in your head. It’s in the blueprints. We dive into the sobering reality that communities are increasingly under surveillance, including how the Metropolitan Police are far more directly involved in the architecture of homes, schools and playgrounds than we might ever imagine.     With memories of the Meridian Estate and the "prison-like" Ferrier Estate, Aiwan explains how our built environment is designed to infantilise us, and why the antidote is teaching the "structure of local politics" from a young age. We explore the possibility of training the next generation of architects directly from the community, so the people designing estates are the same people who call them home. The same people who live, breathe and feel their realities. Finally, we move beyond the critique of hostile architecture to ask how we take our power back from these structures of control. Tamanda brings in Amahra Spence’s work on "architectures of abolition" - plus learnings from some recent work with The Ubele Initiative - which remind us that safety isn't simply the absence and prevention of crime, but the presence of care, dignity and collective agency. From Northumberland Park and the shadows of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to the sterile playgrounds of modern social housing, this is a conversation about race, class and the radical act of reclaiming our agency through architecture that reflects that its communities have been heard.🎙️ In this episode:The Met as Architect: How police influence the design of our "securitised" streetsThe Southwark Pergola: A case study in how "security" logic destroys community’s sense of safetyThe Technology of Power: Why buildings, barriers and shutters are never neutralArchitecture from the Ground Up: Why the kids on the estate should be the ones designing its futureAgency as a Basic Right: Why every living thing needs control over its environmentThe Power of the Mass: Why collective agency is the only way to "reclaim and rebuild the block" 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rsv0XzIrFp0🔁 Share with someone thinking about housing, class or the places that shaped them☕ Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow#RigourAndFlow #SpatialJustice #UrbanDesign #PoliceByDesign #LondonHousing #SocialHousing #Architecture #AmahraSpencePlease rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes.Connect with us on:TikTokInstagramLinkedInAiAi StudiosRoots & RigourThis is an AiAi Studios Production©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.