Lived Space: Rights to the Street

This live streamed discussion between Sam Elstub and Krish Nathaniel, and hosted by Ed Wall, explores the ways that public space can be inhabited, transgressed, divided and shared. In London, a city of high land values which has witnessed the erosion of state provision and the ‘civic’, what practical measures, attitudes and approaches can citymakers and citizens use to create more equitable and joyful places, and what learning can be shared?

With a shared love of skateboarding, the pair will draw on Sam’s extensive experience as a landscape architect and skatepark designer, and Krish’s background in urban design and adventure play to reflect on the potential for a more democratic, engaged and communal approach to public space.

This live stream is open to anyone interested in access, co-design, agency and ownership in London's public spaces.

Join online via the live stream - no sign up required!

Who is Sam Elstub?
Sam Elstub is a lifelong skateboarder and chartered landscape architect. With over a decade of experience as a landscape architect designing in the built environment, he has crafted a diverse portfolio encompassing public realm projects, infrastructure design, master planning, and urban development.

Drawing from his combined background, Samuel now practises as a skatepark designer at the award-winning Norwegian design agency Betongpark, based in their London studio. His expertise and standing in community focused landscape architecture is also conveyed through his work as cofounder of the collective, The Sandwich Club. The Sandwich Club is a multidisciplinary spatial design collective interested in how space influences social gathering.

Throughout his career as a landscape architect and skatepark designer, Sam has continued his involvement in academia with roles as tutor and guest critic at the University of Greenwich, The Bartlett and Westminster University, in Landscape Architecture and City Design courses respectively.

Who is Krish Nathaniel?

Krish Nathaniel is a spatial practitioner working at the intersection of urban design and spatial justice. He is Stage 1 Leader on the M ARCH: Architecture course at Central Saint Martins (UAL) and is Principal Urban Designer for the London Borough of Harrow, where he oversees design quality for the borough. Having previously worked in architectural practice in London and Rio de Janeiro, Krish transitioned to the public sector, working initially as a housing policy advisor for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (now DLUHC). In parallel, he has extensive experience as a playworker, previously serving as architect-in-residence at Glamis Adventure Playground, Tower Hamlets, offering a unique insight into the rights of the child, autonomy and control in the city and landscape.

As an artist, Krish completed a 2023 residency at Alice Yard (Port of Spain, Trinidad), where he investigated creolised traditions, land and spatial agency among the Indo-Caribbean diaspora. Separately, he has exhibited work internationally, including for Travessias (Rio de Janeiro) and Shanghai Urban Space Art Season.

As a writer, Krish’s work has been published by The Architectural Review, The Observer, It's Freezing in LA, Blue Crow Media, Public Notice and Routledge. In 2022, he was selected as one of eight emerging practitioners for The Design Museum's 'Manifestos: Architecture for a New Generation' and is an alumnus of the New Architecture Writers programme.

Who is Ed Wall?
Ed Wall is Professor of Cities and Landscapes, Academic Portfolio Lead for Landscape Architecture and Urbanism, and co-lead of the Advanced Urban research group. He is also Visiting Professor at the Polytechnic University Milan, Director of Project Studio, and in 2017, was City of Vienna Visiting Professor: Urban culture, public space and the future – urban equity and the global agenda (TU Vienna). He is a Design Council Specialist Expert and a member of the European Prize for Public Space’s (CCCB) Board of Experts.

Ed's research interests focus on the intersection of public landscapes, spatial justice, and design experimentation. He has written several books and articles, most recently Contesting Public Spaces (Routledge 2022). He is guest-editor of The Landscapists (Architectural Design / Wiley 2020) and co-editor of Unsettled Urban Space (Routledge 2022), Landscape Citizenships (Routledge 2021), and Landscape and Agency: Critical Essays (Routledge 2017). He is founding editor of Testing-Ground: Journal of Landscapes, Cities and Territories.