London is a city of neighbourhoods. But what makes people feel they belong in one?
Know Your Neighbourhood is a series hosted by LFA2026 Curation Panel member Tanisha Raffiuddin for the Talking Place podcast exploring the people, places, rituals and stories that create belonging across London’s neighbourhoods.
The series responds directly to this year’s Festival theme of Belonging. Through walking conversations, local perspectives and immersive social-first storytelling, each episode asks: “What makes people feel they belong in this neighbourhood?”
Alexandra Palace and Wood Green
Alexandra Palace is one of London’s most iconic landmarks, but what makes it so deeply loved?
Joined by Louise Johnson from the Alexandra Palace and Park, the conversation explores why ‘Ally Pally’ continues to hold such a special place in the hearts of Londoners more than 150 years after it first opened its doors.
From its role as the birthplace of television to the memories created through concerts, family traditions and everyday walks in the park, Alexandra Palace reveals how places become part of our personal and collective identities.
The episode also uncovers the hidden creative energy of Wood Green, from its cultural quarter to its remarkable concentration of music recording studios, highlighting a side of the neighbourhood that many visitors may not be aware of.
Together, they discuss stewardship, heritage, creativity, public space and the responsibility of caring for places that generations of people call their own.
Plus, the rapid-fire round: best coffee, best view, the walk only locals know, and what you don’t really understand about this neighbourhood until you’ve watched the sunset from the south terrace.
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia is one of London’s most quietly magnetic neighbourhoods.
Tucked just north of Oxford Street, this is a place that locals tell you about… not something you usually stumble across. And that’s exactly what makes it special.
Joined by Marcos Gold, Director of Policy and Place at The Fitzrovia Partnership, the conversation explores what it really means to belong somewhere — how a neighbourhood evolves, while still holding onto its character. From hidden restaurants and creative corners, to the iconic BT Tower guiding your way, Fitzrovia is full of constant discovery.
We explore the stories that shaped it, from its cultural past to its role in London’s social history – and why, despite all the change, it still feels deeply human. From hidden streets and independent businesses to stories of activism, public space and local identity, discover why Fitzrovia is often described as the place locals tell you to visit.
So whether you live in London or you’re just passing through, this is your invitation to see Fitzrovia differently…
City of London
The City of London is a neighbourhood with over 2000 year’s worth of histories and stories – from the Great Fire of London, the innovative skyscrapers of the future and intimate poccet gardens leftover from the Blitz bombing.
Joined by LFA Head of Programme, Eliza Grosvenor, the conversation explores what it really means to belong in the City of London and the Square Mile. Together we explore this year’s LFA2026 theme of Belonging through one of London’s most contradictory neighbourhoods: a place with 2,000 years of Roman history sitting beside some of the capital’s newest buildings, where the Great Fire of London destroyed 80% of the city, and where the long-standing perception of “bankers only” is being quietly rewritten by community organisations, free cultural programming, and a new wave of public realm projects.
So whether you’re very familiar with the City of London or a first timer, this is your invitation to see the City of London differently.
Canning Town and Leamouth
Cody Dock sits on the River Lea in East London and forms part of the Canning Town and Leamouth neighbourhood.
It’s a community space, an ecology guardian, an arts venue, a heritage project, and something the people who run it describe as being built by people, for people. Literally. Four thousand volunteers a year come here and build it with their own hands.
Joined by Simon Myers and Bella Quirin from Cody Dock, the conversation explores what collective ownership actually looks like in practice, why they hold a 999-year lease on purpose, and what they want to see in a thousand years – including, remarkably, oysters back in the River Lea.
So whether you live in London or you’re just passing through, this is your invitation to (virtually) visit Cody Dock on London’s second river.
Chrisp Street
Can regeneration strengthen a community rather than replace it?
Chrisp Street Market has been part of East London’s story for generations. Chrisp Street in E14 is five minutes from Canary Wharf, named on the DLR, and about to turn 75. Built as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951 – one of the UK’s first purpose-built mixed-use developments – it’s a place with homes, a market, a listed clock tower, and a community that has stayed rooted here across generations.
Joined by Georgia Sharpe from Telford Homes, the conversation explores what makes Chrisp Street so special, why authenticity matters in regeneration, and how communities can shape the future of the places they love.
So whether you’ve lived in or visited the area before or discovering for the fist time, this is your invitation to learn more about this unique part of our city.
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