LSE IQ Podcast: “Are we in danger of losing our communities?”
Host: Jess Winterstein
Date: March 4, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode of the LSE IQ podcast investigates whether the UK is at risk of losing its sense of community amidst ongoing challenges including the cost of living crisis, diminishing public spaces, funding cuts, and increasingly complex access to support services. Through the voices of social scientists, urban designers, and residents themselves, the episode explores the profound impact of economic pressure, infrastructural change, and urban design on the health, cohesion, and survival of local communities.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. The Cost of Living Crisis and Community Deprivation
- Scale of Need: The podcast highlights staggering statistics: 5.4 million UK low-income households experienced food insecurity in late 2024, with 7 million going without essentials like food, heating, and water ([00:19]).
- Community Resource Erosion: With 74% of public sport and leisure centres at risk of shutting down, the infrastructure that sustains community life is deteriorating.
The Human Impact
-
Feelings of Shame and Isolation
“In this neoliberal age... there are very profound feelings of inadequacy and shame.”
— Professor Shani Orgad ([00:01]) -
Stories from focus groups illustrate how economic precarity drives people to lean on each other—sometimes in ways they find embarrassing but necessary.
-
Camaderie in Hardship:
Example of pensioners adopting the “if it’s yellow, don’t flush” rule to save water, finding humor and communal support in their shared struggles ([02:05], [03:18]).
2. Community Centres as Lifelines
-
Vital Physical Spaces:
“These are for many people a lifeline... they are heated... their daily meal... a crucial space to alleviate the loneliness and the isolation...”
— Professor Shani Orgad ([05:04]) -
Centres provide warmth, food, social contact, and information. Their funding uncertainty causes cascading negative effects.
-
Knock-on Effects of Funding Cuts:
Volunteering declines as everyone feels the pinch, public transport costs price out the vulnerable, and a “domino effect” puts mental and physical health at risk ([05:04]).
3. Barriers to Accessing Support
-
The Bureaucratic Gap:
Even when state help exists, paperwork and digital-only processes disenfranchise many, especially those already vulnerable ([03:51]). “If I do try to fill out the form, it’s designed for us to fail... they just give up.”
— Dr. Divya Srivastava ([03:51]) -
Digital Divide:
Both older and younger people can struggle with online-only systems. Informal support networks sometimes emerge, but they can't fill the systemic gaps ([08:07]).
4. Redevelopment, Gentrification & Community Identity
-
Long-standing Community Ties:
Residents of estates near Grenfell Tower, like Catalina and Honey, describe multi-generational connections and creative vibrancy amid external pressures ([09:04]). -
Gentrification’s Double-Edged Sword:
New businesses signal change.
“You might see like...a Paul's Bakery, which you can see is a little earmark of gentrification coming in and our people being pushed away.”
— Catalina ([10:36]) -
Safety and Belonging in Urban Design:
Lighting, visibility, and functional walking routes are crucial for residents, especially women, to feel safe in communal areas ([13:22]).
Memorable Moment
- On Benches and Inclusion:
“It's as basic as just having a seat in, which is just nice to be and feel safe, feel comfortable. But we don't really have that in the area...we all want the same thing.”
— Honey ([13:53])
5. Co-Design and Inclusive Urban Planning
-
Beyond Tokenistic Consultation:
Standard consultation often fails communities by treating engagement as a box-ticking exercise without real power-sharing or consideration of actual, daily experiences ([17:11]). -
Bringing Residents Onboard:
Participatory research, such as hiring local young women as paid researchers, changes the nature of redevelopment and ensures unheard voices are factored in ([16:30]).
Memorable Quote
-
“When you design out people you're... designing in an unsafe environment.”
— Dr. Julia King ([20:29]) -
The Bench Debate:
Removing seating to deter “antisocial behavior” ignores those who depend on such amenities for inclusion and safety.
“How can we address intimidation without removing the bench? Maybe bring more mix of people in.”
— Olivia Theocrides Feldman ([21:25])
6. Special Considerations for Youth and Gender
-
Insufficient Public Space for Teens—Especially Girls:
Most outdoor resources go into “caged” football pitches, which do not appeal to all.
“What are we telling our young people when that's the thing we provide them with?”
— Dr. Julia King ([22:33]) -
Innovative, Contextual Design Solutions Needed:
Including a diverse range of users in the design process results in more effective, safe, and inclusive spaces ([24:04]).
7. The Erosion of Public Life & Historical Parallels
-
Missed Opportunities Post-Pandemic:
After historic health crises like tuberculosis, major public health innovations followed, but COVID-19 has not triggered the same renewal of public spaces; instead, there is disinvestment ([24:46]). -
Public Infrastructure Matters:
Losing amenities like public toilets further limits communal life and exacerbates exclusion ([24:46]).
8. Are We Really Losing Our Communities?
-
Financial Pressures Are Critical “...With no state funding, the whole system crumbles and collapses.”
— Professor Shani Orgad ([26:21]) -
Community Endurance and Fragility “Sometimes we don’t see community when it’s there. But … communities are fractured... When you spend 50% of your salary on a terrible rental accommodation... it makes it really hard to feel like I’m a valued member of this place.”
— Dr. Julia King ([27:33]) -
Agency Persists—But Conditions Matter “It would be unfair... to say that we’re in danger of losing our communities because... that strips people of... agency... But there are these great pressures... which can... have quite serious consequences.”
— Olivia Theocrides Feldman ([28:12]) -
Design Can’t "Create" Community on Its Own
“We’re not saying design is going to create communities... But if you don’t have those physical things... it is going to be more of a struggle to maintain a community.”
— Olivia Theocrides Feldman ([28:12])
Timestamped Notable Quotes & Segments
- Opening insights on shame and reliance
- Shani Orgad: “In this neoliberal age... there are very profound feelings of inadequacy and shame.” ([00:01])
- Pensioners find camaraderie in deprivation
- “If it’s yellow, don’t flush. If it’s brown, flush.” ([02:05])
- Barriers to accessing help
- Divya Srivastava: “If I do try to fill out the form, it’s designed for us to fail...” ([03:51])
- Community centres as irreplaceable spaces
- “If I didn’t have this center, I wouldn’t have made it.” ([05:04])
- Redevelopment and loss of everyday routes
- “We have to cross onto the road... it can be a bit dangerous at night time.” — Catalina ([12:14])
- The role of urban design and benches
- “When you design out people you're... designing in an unsafe environment.” — Dr. Julia King ([20:29])
- Gentrification’s subtle markers
- “You might see... Paul's Bakery... earmark of gentrification coming in and our people being pushed away.” — Catalina ([10:36])
- Limits of design as a solution
- “You cannot just create a society, create a community.” — Olivia Theocrides Feldman ([28:12])
Final Takeaways
- Communities are enduring but under acute threat—from the cost of living, underfunded infrastructure, exclusion from decision-making, and physical neglect.
- Community centres provide essential support far beyond socializing; for some, they're the only place for food, warmth, and social connection.
- Design and policy must move beyond tokenism; robust, funded, resident-led processes are necessary to sustain truly inclusive communities.
- Preserving community is not just about physical spaces, but about giving people real agency, adequate resources, and respect for their lived experiences.