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Disrupting the Speculative City: Property, Power and Community Resistance in London tells the story of how a grassroots campaign successfully defended social housing and public assets from swingeing redevelopment plans redevelopment that would have driven up rents and risked social cleansing.

The book is based on research by Dr Amy Horton and (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Urban Laboratory), including interviews with people involved in the campaign who wished to contribute to an accurate record and critical analysis of these events. As well as showing how communities can shape urban futures, the book advances geographical debates on whether local government should use real estate development as a key fiscal strategy and the classed and racialised dimensions of that approach.

Following the 2011 ‘Tottenham riots’, triggered by the police shooting of local resident Mark Duggan, Haringey Council partnered with controversial global real estate developers to transform this diverse working-class area of London.

The demolition of council estates and low-cost workspaces would make way for private housing and chain stores, designed to attract a wealthier, whiter class of residents and investors and foreclose future dissent.

To enable this, swathes of public land would be transferred to a public-private joint venture – the ‘Haringey Development Vehicle’ – with property developer Lendlease. Such gentrification schemes have often gone ahead despite community resistance. But in this case, and against the odds, a broad and concerted community campaign called StopHDV managed to defeat the plans in 2018.

The book counters common arguments in urban governance that speculative real estate development promotes a greater ‘social mix’. In fact, destroying council housing and driving up rents pushes out social tenants, low-income renters and local businesses.

The authors also challenge claims that raising land costs to increase local tax revenues is a solution to austerity. Instead, this process pushes people into expensive and insecure private rentals and replaces public goods with investments geared towards private profit extraction. Any fiscal benefits are often eroded in negotiations with powerful developers and amid market volatility.

Meanwhile, democratic control is weakened as land passes into public-private ownership. There are also environmental costs to this ‘speculative city’ model, as built environments are demolished for resource-intensive new construction.

The success of the StopHDV campaign shows that the speculative city can be disrupted from below through effective organising that combines institutional and insurgent tactics.

To disrupt the speculative city, local residents organised through new and established networks and groups, creating a large, diverse coalition that encompassed a range of expertise and representation.

That allowed them to pursue multiple tactics simultaneously, including mutual aid, demonstrations, legal action, community theatre and standing candidates for local elections.

The strength of the left in the Labour Party at this time was one important source of support, but the coalition depended on a much broader base.

Also crucial was the collaboration between concerned councillors and grassroots campaigners, who brought critical pressure to bear on the authorities. Eventually, the council leader had no choice but to abandon the HDV.

The campaign continues to inspire communities seeking just and sustainable alternatives to speculative urban development.

More information

• Disrupting the Speculative City will be free to download or available to order from 24 September from .
• A will offer participants the chance to reflect on community campaigns, hear more about the book, and take part in a creative workshop on the future of our neighbourhoods.