Mapping and sharing local knowledge in a diverse Cambridge neighbourhood
Who gets to define a neighbourhood? While Mill Road’s history and its role in shaping Cambridge’s multicultural urban life are celebrated, the everyday experiences of its diverse communities are often overlooked. This project uses collective and creative mapping to explore how local residents experience, use, and imagine Mill Road.
Through a public map survey during the Mill Road Winter Fair and a participatory workshop at the Mill Road Community Centre during the Cambridge Festival, the project brings together local residents, community groups, and cultural and academic organisations. Participants map spaces, boundaries, activities, and social networks, highlighting the area’s diverse character.
In collaboration with the Mill Road History Society, the Mill Road Winter Fair (Mill Road Fringe), and the Cambridge Room, the project will produce a collective map and report to be shared online and through local networks. Through creative engagement, it showcases the lived experiences of local residents, inviting reflection on Mill Road’s identity, its social life, and how community knowledge can inform future urban development.
What’s Your Mill Road?
On 6th December at the Mill Road Winter Fair, we collected around 200 surveys in one day, with different views and lived experiences. This is only the beginning of the project and more to come in 2026. A BIG thank you to our volunteers and students at Cambridge Department of Architecture. Thanks Caro and Lucy from the Mill Road History Society for the invitation and support, and for hosting the second stall at the Bath House. Also we are grateful to have the support from local shops, offering hot water, their facilities, time, and space.
