25.06.2026 Unfamiliar Ground #2 x LFA: Belonging on the Banks

Last night we hosted Unfamiliar Ground #2: Belonging on the Banks at Haptic Architects as part of the London Festival of Architecture: a conversation exploring Regent’s Canal as a place where ecology, culture, history and everyday life intersect.

A huge thank you to our moderator, Amy Frearson, and our brilliant panel: Adam Usher (London Canal Museum), Lori de Mori (Towpath Café), Christopher Arthey (Swim City Basin), and Laura Carlin (Such Stories). Thank you also to Arpna Gupta from Create Culture for curating the evening.

Across the evening, one idea kept resurfacing: belonging isn’t something that simply exists, it’s something we actively create through care.
From preserving the canal’s industrial history to imagining a future of swimmable waterways, from designing public art with local communities to creating places that encourage conversation over consumption, our speakers reminded us that the canal is far more than infrastructure.

“You don’t need permission to make your life, and other people’s lives, better.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared ideas, asked thoughtful questions and contributed. Conversations like these remind us that architecture extends far beyond buildings: it is about the relationships we build with places, with nature, and with one another!

Photos: Patrick McCrum