LFA at 20:
Reimagine

The necessity for change is not new. Collectively, we are facing some of the greatest challenges ever presented to modern society which can often leave us feeling overwhelmed. In a time of climate and cost of living crisis, social injustice and inequality, our role as active citizens has never been more important. While the idea of resetting or restarting is impossible, we find ourselves at a point where we need to reflect, rethink, repair and rebuild – and reimagine.

2024 marks 20 years of the London Festival of Architecture. #LFAat20 will be a moment of celebration, and a chance to reflect on the impact of the Festival over last two decades, as well as the wider industry and city. It will also be a moment to reset, to explore how the Festival, industry, and all Londoners can shape a more equitable, accessible and sustainable city – a London by, and for, all Londoners.

Architects play a key role in shaping our cities, often seeking and actively proposing innovative solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time. We want LFA2024 to be a moment for the industry to stop and reimagine how our city can become a more sustainable, equitable and collaborative place – where everyone is involved in shaping our city. LFA2024 will create space for knowledge-sharing and exploration, offering a platform to test new ideas and acting as a catalyst for change where the temporary informs the future and where projects consider social impact from the start.

This is our chance to rethink how our public spaces can be as reflective of the people they serve. Now is the time for radical imagination and an intersectional, regenerative approach to city-making that includes diverse voices and perspective.  We want the LFA programme to come alive with events, workshops and activations which reflect on what is and reimagine what we want our future city, and its communities, as well as the industry to look like.

We look forward to working with the LFA community – existing and new – and will be unpacking these ideas further over the next few months ahead of our open call in January and look forward to hearing from you all on your own reflections and provocations for LFA2024. We hope the Festival will be a space to engage public imagination, bringing together architects, engineers, landscape designers and the broader public. We want to inspire anyone and everyone to play an active role in shaping the future of our city.