Reimagining Cities: Rewiring London’s Cultural Motherboard
Running away isn't always the answer or option for some so how can we make the most of the city we live in?
It’s not enough to say that there are two Londons: one for those who come here to work and those who are here for play. Underneath the veil of being a Londoner, its culture is more than an aesthetic but is necessary for survival. I think about how Anthony Bourdain looked beyond the veil and saw a city for what it truly was, perhaps an extension of how he saw people: flawed and cracked, yet still beautiful.
Vittles, a publication started by food writer Jonathan Nunn, shows us a gastro-London void of queues, eateries hyped by TikTok and the new ‘flavour of the month’ restaurant. Instead, Vittles platforms the history of food and cuisines, and shines a light on hole-in-the-wall restaurants that seem invisible to the naked eye but are embedded in the city’s fabric.
Instead of viewing the city through the grid, whether through our phones, zones, streets and surveillance network, how can we change our vantage point and lean into its idiosyncrasies?
When we mull over London’s future, climate is one of the many singular issues that needs to be at the centre of our reimagining of the city. The Thames hasn’t been fit for purpose for centuries, and the build-up of pollution should be a cause for concern for a city built on a river.
It shouldn’t take a brand to get you doing things that you can do for free. Sure, inspiration comes from any and everywhere but if this cool thing requires you to sign up for an event, whether it’s running, hiking, or even bird watching, it’s worth asking whether the exercise is restorative or extractive.
What we can do as individuals is see ourselves as caretakers and custodians of the boroughs we live in. Individuals can’t change London alone; it’s far too big and different areas have differing needs and requirements. What we do have the power to change and impact is our local towns. As mentioned in our previous instalment of Reimagining Cities, London consists of 32 boroughs, yet I know that, as a longtime Harringey-Hackney resident with deep familial ties in both areas, I see the changes daily.
Questions to help reframe how you see your city:
Where could I go that I haven’t been before?
Are there new ways I could do something I have previously done?
Where would I take someone in my borough if they’ve never been?
Who are the unsung heroes of my borough?
What can I do that doesn’t require an entry fee or subscription? How can I spend as little money as possible but maximise enjoyment?
How can I add value to my borough?
If the technologies we create and use are the input, what noise is the city currently outputting that its culture can resemble? Many of these questions won’t have definitive answers, and that’s the beauty. Major cities will always be the battleground of tradition vs futurism, technology vs analogue, progression vs regression, self vs collective. The answers you give will be different to your neighbours’ but it will display just how expansive our imaginations are and how we can create out of what little we have. The city we were given does not have to be the one we accept.
In case you missed our previous entries into the Reimagining Cities series, you can read them here