Book launch: Squatting London - the Politics of Property

The Urban Institute's Visiting Fellow Dr Sam Burgum is launching his new book "Squatting London - the Politics of Property" published with Pluto Press. 

Squatting in London has a rich and diverse history. Today, squatters live a marginalised and criminalised existence, yet they persist. Behind the glittering façade, London is a network of vacant offices, boarded-up shops and dilapidated pubs that host some of the city’s poorest and most determined citizens, exiled and increasingly pushed to the margins.

This is an account of the ambitions and struggles of the city’s squatters. Squatting is a challenge to the logic of property so squats are by nature political acts. They sit in direct opposition to the speculation, gentrification and regeneration that controls London today. From office blocks transformed into a life-saving homeless shelter, to temporary art exhibitions, mutual aid networks, restaurants, shops, offices and pubs — Squatting London is a first-hand account of the alternative, underground and rebellious city you thought you already knew.

No need for pre-registration, please just come along!