How to use this toolkit

This toolkit is designed for communities resisting the demolition of their homes and/or proposing their own alternative plan, and for planners, architects, professionals, scholars and volunteers providing support to those community groups. As noted, the case studies presented here are all located in London, and some of the policies explained apply specifically to the capital. However, this toolkit is by no means limited to people and campaigns based in London. Most of the tools presented here also apply to similar situations throughout England and Wales.

Furthermore, the toolkit is also useful for communities and planners outside the UK; its purpose is not just to explain particular planning regulations and frameworks, but also to discuss the strategies that other case studies have followed. These strategies include the combination of formal and informal planning tools, establishing alliances and getting support from other organisations and seeking support from professionals to help with their campaign and community-led plan.[i] In addition to this, informal tools such as putting together a People’s Plan or other campaigning strategies are applicable in other contexts; they do not relate to any particular policy.

This toolkit is also explained through the case studies that appear in the website. While planning frameworks and regulations may change over time, there is much to learn from the case studies. We show how they have used a combination of tools, and in what sequence, and reveal the alliances created during the process. This website constantly cross-references case studies and tools, believing that readers will gain most by both examining the toolkit itself and discovering how different case studies have used it in combination with other tools.

[i] Pablo Sendra. 2018. ‘Assemblages for Community-Led Social Housing Regeneration: Activism, Big Society and Localism’.