REGENTS CANAL, london

We are collaborating with the Camden Canals and Narrowboat Association to explore how London’s Regent’s Canal can become a more inclusive, caring, and accessible space for communities who have traditionally been excluded from it.

This project invites us to think differently about public space—seeing the canal not only as infrastructure, but as a potential site for community, reflection, and wellbeing. Using the Tarporley, a historic narrowboat operated by CCNA, we’re working to connect charitable and community organisations with the canal, co-creating meaningful experiences on the water.

Our approach is grounded in participatory research and co-design, centering the needs and voices of those most often left out of urban planning conversations. We are currently piloting the project with a group of women supported by a local community organisation, to better understand how these kinds of experiences can support emotional wellbeing, community connection, and a sense of belonging in the city.

The canal becomes, in this context, a space to slow down, to share stories, and to imagine different ways of relating to each other and to the city. As the project evolves, we aim to engage more organisations, develop new formats for canal-based engagement, and build a collective vision for a more just and inclusive urban future.