This research project explores the significance of the Granville and Carlton community buildings for residents of South Kilburn and surrounding areas. It examines the support these buildings and the organisations within them provide and their role as social infrastructure—spaces that foster and sustain social connections.

In particular, the study assesses the relevance of these buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, when social infrastructure and mutual support networks became even more essential. As the buildings are set to undergo regeneration into a mixed-use development, the research also seeks to understand how lessons from the pandemic can inform decisions on activities, services, physical infrastructure, and governance to create more resilient social spaces. Specific objectives are:

• To understand how the Granville and Carlton buildings—and the organisations using them—provided support during the pandemic.
• To co-produce, with residents and users, a collective vision for the activities, services, and community support they would like to see within the buildings. A key focus will be on fostering resilient communities in the face of future challenges, such as climate change and health crises.
• To identify, in collaboration with the community, the key physical infrastructure requirements needed to support these activities and services.
• To co-develop a community-led governance structure that places local people at the heart of decision-making.

To achieve these aims, the project employs Participatory Action Research methods to co-produce knowledge with communities about their built environment, social infrastructure, and aspirations for their neighbourhood’s future. Researchers have facilitated two co-design workshops with building users and local residents, attended a Stakeholders Group meeting to discuss the project, and conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, users, and organisations. This has been complemented by a literature review on community spaces, social infrastructure, and workspaces in the context of COVID-19.