Archway Cultural Commons is a four-year research project in partnership with the London Borough of Islington and the Architectural Association.
The project is developing collaborative methodologies with local community organisations and public sector to understand how Creative Enterprise Zones allocated by the GLA (Greater London Authority) can be developed as a public-commons (community) partnership. This is to raise the level of impact at local level in line with government’s Levelling Up agenda where the starting point is the local and then scaling-up.
The project has, in its first year, actively engaged with fiv community organisations and three departments within Islington, such as Homes and Neighbourhoods, Community Engagement and Wellbeing, and Community Wealth Building. This is intended to expand in its second year to Environment and Climate Change and Public Health. Internally our partnership is with Community Wealth Building who lead the cross authority partnership.
In its first year the project aims to listen and understand the obstacles cultural organisations face locally and map obstacles and potentials for grassroots led CEZ development.
