The beginnings and the ends: A ‘superdiverse’ London housing estate

Abstract

Rosbrook-Thompson and Armstrong draw on four years of ethnographic fieldwork conducted on a mixed-occupancy housing estate in the Central London borough of Northtown. Their analysis considers how social and cultural categories cut across ethnicity. Many housing estates are today home to an incredibly diverse array of residents of various statuses, from owner-occupiers to renters and council tenants. This chapter addresses life in a ‘superdiverse’ estate, examining intra-group differences in an attempt to make sense of the encounters, solidarities and tensions experienced by residents: tenants of over 50 years; recent arrivals from within the European Union and further afield; undergraduate and postgraduate students unable to find accommodation within university halls of residence; and young professionals in search of affordable housing. Rosbrook-Thompson and Armstrong describe how these residents live in proximity to one another and how their lives intersect, often in unexpected ways.