When Oliver Bennett, editor of the excellent EC1 Echo, invited me to write a column, I focussed on the many different names we use for local neighbourhoods. Smithfield, Farringdon, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Barbican, Barts Square, Clerkenwell, St Luke’s, Finsbury are a few.
It set me wondering how far this detracts from any shared sense of community.
After writing the piece – which you can see here – it occurred to me that it provides a good starting point for considering how to use maps and media to help build relationships, as I’ve been exploring through past work on Networked City and Exploring EC1.
That gave me a nudge towards starting this blog as an accompaniment to the column. More here about what I aim to do.