Why I like Elephant & Castle 

I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed that this is the only video on your channel! I thoroughly enjoyed it, I hope there will be more to come!

If this is what being new to making RU-vid videos looks like, I think this channel has a really bright future

Great video! Lovely to see this kind of urban planning analysis done by Londoners on their local area

As a kid, Elephant and Castle was considered a rough area, now its looks like one of the nicest areas in London. Its central London location was always going to work in its favour at some point.

My Nan and grandad lived on heygate, left in the early 90s… it was rough and dirty I remember it well but I never thought it was that bad but I was a child… gotta be 20 years since I was in the elephant tho I’m. In and out of London a lot - wonderful to see this really mate… wonderful to see the regen 😌❤️

I lived in elephant about 15 years ago, such a transformation. Brilliant!

I lived at Metro Central Height for two years from 2021 to 2023, and Elephant Park was an oasis on green in the area. With nice restaurants. The grass can be quite busy in warm days. But good place to be. Only down side is the noisy from the road and ambulances.

Just to add to all the other positive comments, this is an amazing first video. Nice to see a positive take on E&C as there’s been some understandable cynicism around it. Looking forward to more!

Excellent video. Do keep it up! 👍

Love the video! Will be watching more when they come out. Education about our cities, what they were and how they became what they are now, is so important. We mustn’t lose touch with the past!

Really enjoyed the video. As others have commented it's great to have an insight into what living in the area is actually like combined with a knowledge about architecture and urban planning, plus get a good account of its historical background. Also, very refreshing to watch a positive take on a project that isn't just a promotion by the developers - or one that's complaining about gentrification or something else negative. Definitely please do more videos like this!

Happy to see I'm not the only person who loves the Elephant & Castle redevelopment! It really is a great example of how to build a modern European city!

There is a great deal of negativity when it comes to modern developments and architecture. It is super refreshing to see someone talking about a successful and extremly pretty developmnent. I look forward to seeing more from this channel.

Smart, modern, affordable apartment buildings are what the UK needs - not sprawling, lifeless housing estates (that demand another £300+ a month on car ownership). Liverpool and Manchester have improved on this, but there's less in the south. Unfortunately most such apts in London are only for high earners and the super rich - I don't think you'll find much under £1500pm even in South London. That's out of the question for most people.

Awesome! Looking forward to more videos : )

That was very well done. I look forward to more of your videos. Next time I'm in the UK/London I'd love to check-out the Elephant & Castle neighborhood.

Great video. Just became your lucky 13th subscriber. There's definitely a need for quality British urbanist content on RU-vid. Good luck on the channel and future videos!

Very much enjoyed this video. Looking forward to more content from you!

Great watch. Looking forward to the next!

it's interesting seeing how the development is going - more green space is always welcome

I really enjoyed your video. I lived in Kennington for many years from 1996, left London in 2015. Your video provided a brilliantly structured insight into the redevelopment. A really professional job! I have a real fascination for new ideas in town planning (on a "lay" basis)....I follow some of the RU-vid makers in the US and continental Europe on this. Great to see somebody doing this in the UK! Keep going...

I couldn't believe that this was your first video! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope to see more in the future 😊

Loved it. Keep the videos coming!

Hey! I'm not quite sure how the algorithm worked to send me here but I'm so so glad it did. These days, it's easy to lose focus when watching RU-vid videos and open a new tab, but this video caused quite the opposite - I wanted more! This was super interesting, and has made me miss London a lot (I'm currently living in Sydney). Would really love to see more of your stuff as and when you come out with it.

Fantastic video - definitely create more! You've got a great perspective on your surroundings

Thanks for a great video CityEd. Really good video editing and clear, informative narration. As someone hoping to move to London I will add it to my list of places to consider. I look forward to more excellent videos like this. Best of luck with your new YT channel.

Thank you for this video. I lived in the repurposed former DHSS Goldfinger building between 1997 and 2001. I returned to visit in 2018. And i see there is more change in 2024. I am happy that for some reason, the private developments seem to "make sense" in the larger scheme of things in E&C. Let's hope that somehow the new E&C can maintain its shiny and bright new look. FYI, i am now living in Singapore.

Wow, I watch a lot of the urban planning and architecture content on YT. For this to be your first video, it's an incredibly strong one-solid storyline, strong narrative, good pacing, clear audio with steady levels, editing pacing spot on with the script. Very well done! I'd say the only crit that pops into mind is that your source citations in the lower thirds stylistically stand out a bit too much in the way it draws the viewers eye towards it. Citation/credit is nice and love that you do it, but it's one of the few times I've watched a video and read each one. 😅 Well done! I've liked and subbed and looking forward to your videos to come! (edit/added comment: I really like this length, too. It makes for a perfectly digestible video to sit down and watch. When they go on longer and approach 20-30 minutes, I mark them as "watch later", which-unfortunately-I'm horrible at going back to watching later even if I'm really looking forward to the content-but depending on the audience you attract, YMMV of what length works best.)

Absolutely smashed it. Very interesting! Please make more videos!!!!

Good video.

Excellent video!

Great video- very recently visited Elephant Park and was really plesantly surprised- this has summed it up perfectly. Subscribed!

well done video!

Please continue making videos like these!

Really great job! ⭐️

Great work. You did really well!!

great little video!

Amazing first video, great to hear people talking about my local area. I definitely agree that Elephant Park is a great example of placemaking, a couple of years ago I was definitely down on the development, it somehow felt both cramped and empty at the same time, surrounded by a wall of blank/empty flats. Now the new shops have opened and activated the perimeter of the space and the flats have filled up it's a total revelation lovely green space (particularly the large trees!) but full of activity, really a good focal point for the area. It doesn't even feel too studenty, despite the concentration of student blocks. Not so much of a fan of the new brick high rises on the periphery, they just feel imposing to me and the bay-window balconies seem more like barred-up dark empty holes. Using bricks also always feels dishonest on blocks like these, they're concrete/steel buildings and they never quite hide that the bricks are just "stuck on". At least they got the proportions basically right though, there are worse ones of these being built in other places! The roundabout->bend transformation I can't say is a big success really, it's not great for drivers or cyclists and the main roads are still a traffic sewer. Not sure how much else could have been done though. The road changes to the smaller roads have been great though, feels like car infestation and heavy traffic are basically evicted from the local area, it's a much nicer place to be. Please make more videos, your style is excellent - I really liked the historic images and graphic integration, really smooth and effective.

Great video, thank you

Loved this!! Was disappointed you said this was your only video but super impressed! Looking forward to the next one 😊

This was a well produced mini documentary. Please do more! You have an objective & balanced approach. One unsolicited suggestion, when you highlight a residential building, include some rental and purchasing figures. Eg. Monthly rent for a 2 bed here is £2,400 (& quote the source on screen) I hope you start your channel.

Most of my family are from this area, the last of them left in 2010’s, it’s certainly changed a lot in their time, quality video though, you’ve gained a sub. I have to say I’m a big fan of historic architecture but I love this development you’ve displayed, which ties the area together really well.

Great video! I really want to live in London in the future, and this is really nice to see. I love the modern architecture you’ve pointed out, definitely going into my moodboards lmao

Most of my family are from this area, the last of them left in 2010’s, it’s certainly changed a lot in their time

Intelligent, informative, humoured and perfectly timed, well executed and researched. You have huge potential here, don’t waste it!

Thanks for the video. Good job. In future, please could you provide links in the description tab for sources you use. I was raised in an area not far from E&C and visited there / went through there frequently, especially when studying at London South Bank University. The shopping centre was definitely drab but was also a hub for many residents of South American origin; I wonder how they have been affected by this. I'm also very surprised all those thousands of residents were relocated within the area - council waiting lists in London are huge and folks often have to wait many years before they are given anywhere to live. Don't want to sound too negative - it really looks as though the area is a significant improvement on what it used to be, but for who's benefit? Looking at rent prices there, obviously those who have money.

Great first video, always good to see a fab new channel!

Excellent Video, I grow up near (The Oval 1960s) the elephant, which is what the locals called it, we used to go shopping there it is interesting to see how much it has changed, mostly for the better, but I did not see the landmark shiny metal water block on the big roundabout I always used to going past it?

I absolutely enjoyed watching this - well done CityEd. Psyche aka Psyche Thompson UK 🌹

Brilliant, great first video 🤌💃

That was really interesting video about a part of London I knew little about, I think you should keep going with this.

Nice work! It's a great video talking about gentrification without mentioning the word. I don't know how you did it! 10/10!!

Love this video, fascinating to see the redevelopment.

Someone recommend this on the elephant and castle residents page! Great work! Wanted to make something similar myself, you encapsulated perfectly! Keep it up 🙌

Good work. Interesting.

Funny how we a species that spent millions of years evolving in forests and nature are happier when our grey urbun areas have green stuff if in it. Its nice of modern cityplanners to discover this little tidbit

fantastic video, i want to move to elephant and castle now 😂

I got robbed there.

Great first video

Great video mate, staying in Elephant & Castle over the next bank holiday and wanted to learn more about the area. This video defo helped with that! Highly recommend you make more

Great video! Keep it up and looking forward to next video 👏🏼

Great video

Very professional looking video and great content. As I used to say to my X-wife "keep up the good work"

Honestly impressed how quickly you went from recommended to subscribed! 😅 A really fascinating video, you really captured how I feel about that space (though it always feels hard to admit because of the difficult history of that site).

Fab video! Keep up the good work! 💪

Excellent video! Keep going mate!

fantastic video! instant subscribe! im not from london, often go there, never been to elephant&case, this got me really interested.

Great vid!

It's gentrified for sure, but relatively well done! I've been following this online from Alberta for decades so it's nice to see that is/was a relatively respectful and inclusive redux of the old housing estate and shopping mall. As long as more social housing is added than existed before I'm generally happy with these redevelopment/intensification schemes. Personally 35% is a bit low, at least 50% of all new builds could/would/should be set aside for working class Londoners if you ask me especially since that's like 99% of the pent-up actual demand for housing in the city, not just shite investment schemes for the rich like Holly Valance and Nick Candy sell/live in/look down the public from...

New construction in London is making the city more and more like any major city in Europe, it is losing character. The use of brick on the facade doesn't help much, the windows look dull, they lack the distinctive Victorian white frame with unique details, making these flat blocks not something you'd be happy to photograph and keep as a memory. I have a feeling that these new flat blocks being built en masse in London will be just as badly judged in 30-50 years time as those recently demolished in Elephant and other areas of London. I have of course subscribed, interesting material.

Amazing video, I'm a new subscriber!

Really interesting! I was sceptical about the redevelopment before watching your video and am a bit of a fan of brutalism but I’m a sucker for the trees and pavement cafes and I like the new architecture in the area. I’ll have to check out the area next time I’m in London! A well-made video, I look forward to the next one!

I really don’t like modern architecture, at all. But I do have a soft spot for new developments that use brick and follow the shape of historical buildings like mansion blocks and town houses. I really like the ones in Elephant and Castle.

Would love to watch you do some videos on cities outside of London also great video btw!

Loved this video, would love to see a Brixton one 👌🏾

The heygate was used for various TV and films like The Bill, law and order UK, harry brown, attack the block, London's burning I think as well to name a few, and well as Michael Cain, Charlie Chaplin to name a few born in the area as well...

Excellent video. Next time you're in the area check out the conservation area off St Georges road (Elliott's Row down to west square). It's a great little enclave of Victorian terraces and squares.

I was in E&C everyday for years including the shopping center and as a latino, I get what people say about displacement and gentrification, but seriously it looks great, previously it was horrible, it was dead and ugly, the only thing going for it was the location

Really enjoyed watching this.. hope you make more! How about one on Clapham Junction / Wandsworth? Lots of development going on there

nice vid!

Subbed, I've been looking for this kinda channel, plenty of US based urban planning channels, but few if any about UK towns and cities.

Very good video,particuarly as a first attempt.I suspect you are personally unfamiliar with the area previously,as there were massive protests when the council said they were going to knock down the Heygate/Aylesbury estates.You mention "affordable "housing on the new developments,but affordable to whom?There are hardly any council properties available for rent,which tells you everything.Also telling is when you look at the amount of hipster "artisan"this & that,selling a thin slice of cake for £6.95 ,when I clearly remember my old mum and I going for lunch in one of the reasonably priced cafes frequented by the working class in the old shopping centre.This whole scheme to me,while it has improved certain aspects,was conceived from the start as a way of socially cleansing and pricing out the original population,to replace them with middle class Hughs and Anabels with non jobs in "the city"

the Colombian food is so good

oh i live in elephant park, spotted my house in the video!

Fantastic video! Would you ever consider doing a video on Earls Court and the demolition/redevelopment there?

When I went to elephant and castle I was terrified. Never again😂😂

Good video, FYI RU-vid has issue finding it

It's a shame though because these modern apartments will have outrageous service charges.

Do Tottenham Hale next!

It's A shame it's gone from a council estate to 90% private to buy, lots of friends moved away from the area

Good video. This has inspired me to change my content style on my channel somewhat. Make a video on Battersea. Major developments all throughout the borough lately. Would be good to see your perspective. If you have seen the channel 'Not Just Bikes', you remind me of him.

Got my phone stolen here two weeks ago. I love it!

Great job. I’m a South Londoner. It’s amazing the scale of the redevelopment. One thing you could do is slow down the speed at which you narrate. Keep up the good work👍

GREAT video - hope for more (but pls skip the music ☺️).

Id be interested to hear your take on the area around Battersea Power Station!

i'd love a video on leamouth peninsula / canning town area. never been but looks interesting

Loved the video! Please keep them coming!

He just bought a studio apartment here and is attempting to boost the house prices

'urban paradise' xD aw bless

I remember when Elephant and Castle was a dump back in the 80s/90s. Gentrification and social cleansing are why it looks like that.