Citizenship and painting the house

One of the sessions I enjoyed most at UK REiif 2026 was New Towns: The Citizenship Opportunity.

Lucy Bush, Director of Research and Participation at Demos kicked off the session with a provocation that a ‘democratic doom loop’ of mistrust, disengagement and political ineffectiveness have not only broken the relationship between citizens and institutions but has delivered a society in which civic participation is at an all-time low. Or to put it more simply, people are wondering why bother when nothing ever changes; why contribute when I’m just about holding things together?

Yet the report Lucy Bush went on to summarise, had some powerful responses, all centred on connecting citizens to the place they live in, or the place they might live in when it comes to new towns. And by this the report means genuine and continued involvement; a solid role in defining and then stewarding a place, in order to get citizenship back on track, for people to feel some sense of agency and ownership, and to curtail growing levels of polarisation.

I chatted to Lucy after the panel discussion and dropped into conversation how by spending two weekends painting the outside of our house, my husband and I spoke to many more people on our street than we’d done previously. While structures and systems will be needed to drive sustained and effective involvement from local people, sometimes just doing will get the energy levels and engagement up. Lucy referenced her own community garden involvement as having a similar impact, drawing different people together around a shared interest and motivation to make things better.

Working with Barking Riverside, the new town being established in East London, I’ve been impressed by the extent of the community-led approach there. In collaboration with the Young Foundation and a team of resident “Peer Researchers”, who have been trained for the role, a broader set of questions are being asked about what residents want from their new town, as well as how they can be stewards in maintaining the culture and place they’ve been instrumental in creating.

Residents don’t always have the exact answers on what the physical assets should be but at Barking Riverside it’s clear that they do want their voice to be heard and acted upon, they want somewhere that improves their health and wellbeing, and an environment that is safe for their family and neighbours. They also want somewhere that supports their potential, where they can fully enjoy the outdoors, be connected to wider London, and have an incredible time.

That sounds like citizenship to me.