How to Save Democracy Neighbourhood Power
Mar 23, 2026
Indy Johar, architect and systems researcher rethinking governance and retrofit. Immy Kaur, community leader building neighbourhood civic infrastructure. They discuss neighbourhood-scale action, starting without permission, retrofit as social practice, shared street systems, trades and skills, repurposing public funds, and rebuilding democratic life in homes and back streets.
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Pandemic Proved Neighbourhoods Can Deliver What Governments Can't
- COVID revealed the power of the 'last mile' — neighbourhood organising can deliver human-scale solutions national programmes miss.
- Immy and Dark Matter used retrofit as an entry to show how homes link to health, education and local trust.
Elderly Neighbour Validated Retrofit House Feeling
- At Retrofit House an 89‑year‑old told Indy he couldn't parse every word but the project put words to what he was feeling.
- That moment convinced Indy people on the ground grasp these ideas even if officials call them 'complicated.'
Retrofit Reveals How Economy Devalues Being Human
- The retrofit house is a lens on deeper questions about the value of being human under current economic accounting.
- Indy argues current economics undervalues human life, which explains poor housing investment and tolerated damp.