Street Life in Robin Hood Gardens: An engagement project celebrating community and architectural heritage through resident-led activity

Root and Erect’s Street Life project took place in the Robin Hood Gardens estate in Poplar, London, during the lead-up to and throughout London Open House 2006. At a moment when the estate was burdened by a troubled reputation yet still stood unmarked for redevelopment, the project aimed to reframe residents’ relationships with their environment and inspire new visions for community living. Robin Hood Gardens, a seminal Brutalist council estate designed by Alison and Peter Smithson and inaugurated in 1972, featured the innovative ‘Streets-in-the-Sky’ concept - wide access decks intended to foster street life and community interaction at height. Streetlife embodied this original architectural idea by activating one of these decks as a vibrant street fair, showcasing residents’ collaborative artworks alongside refreshments and communal activities. This event celebrated both the estate’s social potential and its bold design, inviting residents to reclaim and express their shared space through creative participation.

The project’s engagement process explored themes of inhabitation, cultural identity, and exchange, using the built environment as a catalyst for dialogue and artistic expression. Workshops encouraged residents to contribute artworks ranging from a cookbook of favourite flavours to personal narratives reflecting their connection to the estate and its architecture. These works highlighted the diverse cultural fabric and individual appropriations of mass housing life, sparking spontaneous contributions and deepening community bonds. Streetlife not only celebrated the architectural heritage of Robin Hood Gardens but also functioned as a platform for regeneration from within - empowering residents to reimagine and take ownership of their living environment amid the wider discourse on urban renewal.