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Just Space is a grass-roots networking organization reuniting community groups, campaigns and concerned independent organisations. Formed in 2006 it acts as a voice for Londoners during the formulation of London’s major planning strategy.

The planning system has a direct impact on local communities but the planning process is technical, detailed and often daunting for the majority of people even though the issues themselves are readily understood. The aim of the Just Space network is to improve public participation in planning to ensure that policy is fairer towards communities in a system dominated by the interests of developers. Just Space provides technical support and accompaniment to these organizations during public government consultations.

For example, during the 35 days of the 2010 Examination in Public (EiP) when determining the New London Plan, 1/3 of the 25 seats were held by community-level representatives. In the inspector's report it was mentioned how impressed he was by the skills of the community representatives and the achievements of Just Space's organization and technical support.

Origins and context
Since the end of the 1990's and during the consecutive New Labour terms between 1997-2010 the Greater London Authority Act 1999 was created to administer the development projects of the different boroughs of the capital city. The original Act has been completed by the Greater London Authority Act 2007. In the early 2000's, the new Mayor Boris Johnson (elected in 2008 and 2012) continued these "neoliberal" policies (Drodz, 2014 ).

Since the end of the 1990's and during the New Labour terms (1997-2010) the Greater London Authority Act 1999 was made up to administer the development of the different boroughs of the capital city. The original Act has been completed by the Greater London Authority Act 2007. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the new Mayor Boris Johnson (elected in 2008 and 2012) has continued these "neoliberal" policies (Drozdz, 2014 ).

During the same period, the London Plan created massive urban regeneration initiatives through different projects directed by private real estates agencies, which has led to a dramatic decrease of local public housing (for example, in the neigbourhood of Elephant and Castle, these projects led to the reconstruction of 2000 homes, leaving only 89 social housing estates remaining (about 4% of the total); which eventually created an increase in the prices of rent (changing the degree of housing affordability from 60% to 80% in the surrounding area). As a response, a lot of community groups tried to get involved in the public hearings process and to raise their voices in order to preserve what they consider as a local patrimony, to avoid evictions, and to fight against social deprivation. But one of the main problems of these local associations and communities of interests was that they were not able:

• to regroup themselves into a more global network that could open them up to a wider approach of the new projects and thus give them more weight in Examination in Public (EiP).

• to obtain the technical support and resources needed in order to be considered as pertinent participants during the EiP's, passing the Test of Soundness.

Just Space (JS) emerged in 2006 and has gained notable recognition from Ken Livingstone who since 2000 tried to get the local associations more involved into the urban renewal process via their integration into the EiP. Boris Johnson continued to involve associations into the EiP but did not give them as much recognition and will power. Since the Localism Act 2011, Just Space also gives interest groups and resident associations technical resources and allows them to negotiate over the real-estate operations and urban regeneration projects.

The Localism Act enables the residents, companies and shops located in a same neighbourhood to form an association in order to create a neighbourhood forum. These neighbourhood forums are allowed to deliver neighbourhood development orders and community right-to-build orders, as well as neighbourhood plans. However despite these skills the neighbourhood forums' autonomy remains quite limited. First, their very recognition depends on the borough's agreement, which can refuse them if they are considered to be protesting too much against some development operations. Indeed in London these development operations are an important source of funding for the boroughs through the developers' contributions. Moreover the neighbourhood forums are not free to define the priorities that are discussed at the upper level (Drozdz, 2012).

Organizational development
Just Space (JS) is an organization that stems from the initiatives of the London Tenants Federation. The London Tenants Federation (LTF) is an umbrella organization that brings together multiple borough and sub-regional tenants federations. The LTF deals with grassroots community organizations that work with deprived households, refugees, recent immigrants, homeless individuals and families, etc. A few representatives of some LTF member organizations (especially Richard Lee) wanted to create a network that included more than just tenants organizations, and therefore Just Space emerged out of the desire to have an organized community input into the London Plan.

A major development of Just Space was getting the organization (and more importantly the member organizations) a hot seat in the Examination of Public (EiP) hearings. Just Space understood that getting as many community organizations a hot seat in the EiP's meant giving them more leverage into government consultation on urban planning projects. According to Sharon Hayward, coordinator of the LTF and partner of JS, the process of including community organizations into the EiP "acknowledges the comments from grassroots groups, and facilitates the engagements and provisions of grassroots evidence". For Just Space, the participation of working-class community groups into the EiP's is a form of empowerment that allows community organizations to contribute to public policies in their neighborhoods.

A notable success of Just Space that contributed to their development was during the 2010 London Plan EiP. This included a six-month examination on Boris Johnson's replacement London Plan, where Just Space was able to obtain 1/3 of the assemblie's hotseats. This led to a major contribution (with the help of the London Tenants Federation) to the London Plan regarding the definition of "Lifetime Neighbourhoods" : a new definition of "Lifetime Neighbourhoods" was included into the London Plan that focuses on resident empowerment, and how a nieghbourhood should be sustained (in terms of accessibility, affordability, meeting spaces, etc.).

A grassroots networking organization
Just Space is a network of community groups, not a network of individuals. It is apolitical, although several JS members are involved in political parties.

This volontary fonctionning operates at the different scales of London: city wide scale, local authority scale, community scale. It aims to inform and empower local communities to help them contribute to urban planning policies by allowing them to support and learn from each other, collaborate and coordinate to represent themselves to planning authorities, share research and experience through workshops and publications.. Local communities are getting involved in Just Space in order to prevent the negatives side-effects effects of urban regeneration in their neighbourhoods (closing of public parks, small businesses, and other community assets). Just Space started in response to the city-wide planning policy which seemed to be dominated by local-authorities (local scale) and realtors while communities were truly evicted from the system. Just Space seeks, as a response to this disparity, to influence the policy-making by allowing the community-scale organizations to take part in the Examination in Public (EiP) hearings.

Going further than only representing the London Tenants Federation (LTF), Just Space also aims to empower the environmental groups, black communities, female small businesses, gypsies and travellers communities, ethnic minorities retails clusters...

Just Space guideline is to make the urban planners and policy-makers understand that it is not only to the community to adapt to the system but the system needs more grassroots inputs. The policy-making process should be able to understand, and therefore include, the community scale in order to plan it the right way.

Governance
Just Space is a community organization. It is different from an NGO because it aims to organize the local activities that support local people rather than just organize the local people themselves.

Just Space aims not to operate with a hierarchical management. There is no committee, no CEO. All decisions are made on the basis of consensus. General Meetings (the Just Space network) are held at least 6 times a year, they are chaired by a member elected at the beginning of each meeting. The constant rotation of the chair is encouraged.


 * The co-ordinator is Richard Lee
 * The treasurer is Robin Brown (The treasurer is elected at Just Space' Annual General Meetings(AGM)
 * The convenor of the Economy and Planning Group is Myfanwy Taylor

Purpose
The objective of Just Space is to bring voluntary and community groups together to improve Londoners’ access to spatial planning policies and their application. The organization serves as a network between different community organizations and technical experts that can help these organizations develop the competences needed to attend a public examination hearing. During the public hearings, an inspector decides who can participate in these hearings based upon a written proposal. This process is called the "Test of Soundness" where the inspector approves of whether or not an organization is competent (or "sound") enough to participate. Most community organizations lack certain technical/practical experience, and Just Space acts as platform where community organizations can work with students or professionals that provide the practical support that helps these organizations meet the requirements of the "Test of Soundness".

=== Operations ===

Just Space Intitiaves and Actions:
 * 2003-2004: spontaneous participation in their first public debate during the publication of the 2004 London Plan.
 * 2007: Invitation from the London Civic Forum to participate in the public debate during the 2007 London Plan Amendment. Coordination of diverse organizations over a discussion of urban renewal initiatives. Partnership with the London Tenant Federation begins.
 * 2008: Just Space receives official financial support from the Livingstone administration to give professional training to community organizations.
 * 2008-2012: Training and support to local communities to get involved with the public debates and the Examinations in Public on the topic of local development frameworks.
 * 2010: Preparation of the public debate for the new London Plan. Organization of a preparatory meeting and workshop (London Calling) to coordinate the commentaries of the different associations. Attribution of a hot seat for underrepresented associations (participation at 31 out of 36 hearings).
 * 2010: Collaboration with King's College London Department of Geography and the Antipode (journal) during university workshops.
 * 2011: A call for the recognition of the the municipality for local associations to be considered in the public consultation process and an evaluation of the social impacts of neoliberal urban regeneration projects.
 * 2012-2014: Participation in a Masters program on urban regeneration at the University College London.
 * 2013: Organization of a workshop at King's College on the topic of displacement of lower-income citizens due to urban regeneration projects.
 * 2014: Publication of a manual that guides citizens affected by urban regeneration initiatives.

Publications
Part of the community empowerment aim of Just Space is achieved through communication and publications. Their objectives are diverse and include raising awareness on London planning policies, explaining planning procedures in plain language, sharing activism methods, and spreading knowledge relevant to urban development.

A chronological, non-exhaustive, list of publications produced or co-produced by Just Space comprises:
 * a 2014 report by the UCL Urban Lab and Engineering Exchange reviewing the technical literature on the costs and benefits of demolishing or refurbishing social houisng (2014: Demolition or Refurbishment of Social Housing? A review of the evidence ),
 * a thorough presentation of Just Space and its role in the 2010 public consultation on the London Plan (2014: "Just Space: Towards a just, sustainable London" in Sustainable London? ),
 * an antigentrification handbook directed at cuncil estate tenants (2014: Staying Put: An Anti-Gentrification Handbook for Council Estates in London ),
 * a methodology to improve dialogue and work between activist groups and academics (2013: | Research protocol).

Members and collaborations
Just Space is a community organisation that is composed of a certain number of groups. These groups can change from time to time as new members join and others leave the organisation.

Due to the strong tradition of tenants of public housing organizing themselves in public associations in the United Kingdom, it is composed of a few tenants and residents associations. The main one is the London Tenants Federation, which is an organization that brings together tenants federation at the level of the boroughs and at the level of the sub-regions, as well as organizations of social housing providers. LTF advocates democracy and accountability, and is more particularly active in the fields of housing, planning and community organizing in a global city that has to face problems such as speculation on real estate, housing affordability and the widening gap between rich and poor citizens. Moreover LTF has two delegates on the Mayor's Housing Forum. It takes part in the regional consultations on housing and planning issues, and has taken part in all Examinations In Public of the London Plan at City Hall since 2007.

Just Space is also composed of environmental groups that emerge on specific occasions to defend some neighbourhoods or to stand up against the destruction of valued buildings. It is for example the case of Friends of Queens Market (Upton Park, Newham) which is a group of shoppers, residents and traders organizing themselves to defend and promote the market against developers and private companies.

Communities of interests also participate in the membership of Just Space, for example groups supporting minorities such as Race on the Agenda (ROTA) which is a BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic Communities)-led think tank advocating race equality and participation of the BAME communities. Another member is London Gipsy and Traveller Unit which aims at supporting and empowering gipsies and travelers in London. The goal of Just Space is to work with them in order to be able to bring the gipsies and travelers (who come from Ireland and Eastern Europe for the most part) to the public sessions.

The organization also used to have a "women design service" before they lost their funding from the State because of the city's austerity. The organization also is composed of a few NGO's such as Friends of the Earth London.

Finally Just Space is composed of technical support organizations, for example Planning Aid for London whose professionally qualified volunteers (planners, architects, lawyers) give advice and provide training for individuals and communities. The partnership is particularly strong and effective with the Bartlett School of Planning of University College London which provides technical knowledge as the community groups need a technical support in order to be efficient. Just Space is involved in the running of master courses such as "Community participation and city strategy" or courses on neighbourhood planning. This is a way for students to have a real-life experience as the partnership is part of their training : for example the students help writing the documents that are necessary for the communities so that they can participate in the public debates. This win-win relationship between Just Space and Bartlett School of Planning has raised important new issues the university wants to work on, such as the refurbishment of housing.


 * An exhaustive list of Just Space's partners and members: Just Space "Members" page