REIMAGINE: Wandsworth
October 2024 - February 2025
REIMAGINE: Wandsworth is a community-led spatial research project exploring how neglected and underused buildings and urban spaces in Wandsworth can be reimagined through collective thinking and adaptive reuse.
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The project was developed as part of the ReFRAME Residency, a collaborative programme between the Royal College of Art and the New Acres development in Wandsworth, which brought together 12 creative residents to engage with the area through site-responsive work.
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Through a public workshop, a publication and a public exhibition, the project invited local residents to critically engage with sites identified for redevelopment in the Wandsworth Local Plan 2030, exploring alternative, reuse-led futures grounded in presence, dialogue and long-term relevance.
WORKSHOP
The project began with a collaborative workshop bringing together local residents of Wandsworth to examine overlooked sites in the area through drawing, collage and discussion. The workshop specifically invited local parents and children, recognising the value of intergenerational perspectives and the clarity with which children often approach space, imagination and problem solving.
Participants worked with selected locations proposed for redevelopment in the Wandsworth Local Plan 2030 - including the Wandsworth Roundabout Green Space, the Chelsea Car Dealership Building and the Wandsworth Council Inner Courtyard - using spatial storytelling and visual analysis to question how these places are used, perceived and valued.
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​​Rather than producing fixed solutions, the workshop prioritised conversation and speculative thinking, creating space for collective reflection on reuse, activation and community-led change.
NEWSPAPER
The ideas generated during the workshop were compiled into Wandsworth Reimagined, the first publication in the REIMAGINE series, which explores the potential of transforming neglected and underused urban spaces in Wandsworth.
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The newspaper focuses on key sites identified in the Wandsworth Local Plan 2030 proposed for redevelopment. Through collective reflection and design-led exploration, participants reimagined these spaces, offering alternative spatial proposals grounded in reuse, activation and community presence.
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Wandsworth Reimagined presents collective insights and speculative interventions as a platform for dialogue between local communities, stakeholders and local authorities. It highlights the untapped potential of these areas and encourages a more considered, people-led approach to urban transformation.
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EXHIBITION
The project culminated in a collective exhibition as part of the ReFRAME Residency, held at the Super SATELLITE community space within the New Acres development in Wandsworth. The exhibition brought together the work of 12 creative residents, each responding to the area through site-specific research and practice.
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Within this context, REIMAGINE: Wandsworth presented the workshop outcomes alongside the REIMAGINE newspaper, positioning community-led spatial thinking within a broader programme of creative inquiry.
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The exhibition created a platform for further dialogue, inviting visitors to engage with the ideas, mappings and proposals developed during the workshop. By bringing the work into a public setting, the project extended beyond discussion into shared visibility - positioning imagination as a collective civic act.
