Londra 1970-1980: la città degli squat London 1970-1980: The squats’ city

In the ’70 Great Britain experienced a deep cultural and economic crisis. Young people, unemployed and clashing against older generations, were the most affected by the economic crisis . The most interesting spatial devices during a crisis are those that solve problems in an unusual way. These solutions are the one that produce a major impact on the city’s transformation and evolution. Hundreds of houses in London, at that time, were abandoned, in derelict conditions, locked, waiting to be demolished. The removing of boards and locks, and the occupation of these houses changed their status from private or public property to property available for the community, this was the immediate device to face the crisis. For the ones that were living in London squatting became a strategy to survive and to part from their families. Every abandoned place was a good place to squat. In particular abandoned Victorian neighborhoods fitted best for the housing issue. Victorian town houses that embodied the upper and middle class lifestyle in the XIX century became in the ‘70s of the XX century the chance for a radical socio-spatial turn . Squatting as a reaction to sudden needs has backed the production of long term effects on the cultural identity of the town, The decoding of squatting cultures produced a further level of resilience: land tenure valorization through cultural productions.