Regenerating Capital panel discussion

To coincide with the Regenerating Capital photography exhibition currently taking place at Roca London Gallery until 23 August 2014, this panel discussion will bring together a number of experts to debate regeneration in London.

The regeneration panel discussion will feature a number of speakers, including Louis Moreno (UCL Urban Laboratory), who will be sheding light on the current state of the capital and the future of the way we interact with the city. Tickets for the event are free but must be booked in advance via this link.

The accompanying exhibition explores some of the Capital's key regeneration projects and their impact on the city's inhabitants. Twelve photographers from different backgrounds have been invited to contribute their interpretations and ideas on the delicate yet near-crucial balancing acts between change and growth; and the inner health of the city of London.

With an area of just 1,572km², London is the most densely populated region in the UK. Its population has increased eightfold within the last two centuries to over eight million; and is predicted to swell to nine million by 2020. The city has no other choice than to strive to keep pace with this evolution, in order to provide Londoners with better housing, environment and economic environments.

In response, the Capital has been undergoing an urban renaissance over the last two decades, booming with regeneration programmes such as those at Stratford, Elephant and Castle and King's Cross.

But in the past, regeneration projects haven't always been successful in the longer term. The Heygate Housing Estate in Elephant and Castle, for example, built in the 1970s, is due for demolition and will be replaced over the next 15 years by nearly 3,000 new homes and 160,000 sq ft of retail space. Have we learned the lessons these short-lived schemes have taught us?

The exhibition, which is free to visit and open to all, will provide a fascinating insight into how the Capital is coping with the impacts of dramatic shifts within its demography, economy, inhabitants, ecology and beyond.