City of London : Know Your Neighbourhood | LFA 2026

In this episode of Know Your Neighbourhood - produced in partnership with the London Festival of Architecture 2026 - host Tanisha Raffiuddin travels to the City of London, the Square Mile, to meet Eliza Grosvenor of NLA at The London Centre.

Together they 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.

In this episode you will discover:

• Why the City of London is best understood as a “neighbourhood of contrast”

• The real story of the Great Fire of London - and why it shaped the City's winding streets

• Why Christopher Wren's rebuilding plan never happened, and what we got instead

• The myth that the City is “only for bankers” - and what's actually changing

• LFA2026 in the City of London: the Lecture series, the LEGO Challenge, and open livery halls

• A bench, a scale model, and what “belonging” really looks like

• Accessibility and disability justice in a 2,000-year-old neighbourhood

• Know Your Neighbourhood rapid-fire round: coffee, cocktails, views and a curry under £6

Guest

Eliza Grosvenor, NLA (New London Architecture)

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Talking Place is hosted by Tanisha Raffiuddin, Creative Director at Concept Culture.

New episodes every fortnight exploring placemaking, urban design, branding, and the stories behind the spaces we inhabit.

City of London : Know Your Neighbourhood | LFA 2026

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