A progressive sense of place and the open city: Micro-spatialities and micro-conflicts on a north London council estate

•Discusses Doreen Massey’s sensitivity to micro-spatialities and Richard Sennett’s ethical case for the open city.•Explores how ‘openness’ underpins accounts of progressive senses of place.•Examines the lived experience of a Garden City estate in north London.•Outlines the micro-conflicts that emerge from resident encounters with the estate’s micro-spatialities, such as its greenspaces and locked gates.•Concludes on the significance of micro-spatialities and micro-conflicts for understanding progressive senses of place.