The eastern half of the area is dominated by the Broadwater Farm Estate ("BWFE"), an experiment in high-density social housing, loosely based on Corbusian ideas, dominated by concrete towers connected by walkways (the controversial, so-called "Streets in the sky"), built in the late 1960s using cheap but fire-vulnerable pre-fabricated concrete panels.

Following the publication of Alice Coleman's Utopia on Trial in 1985, the area acquired a reputation as one of the worst places to live in the United Kingdom.

[6] Broadwater Farm was completed in the early 1970s and built using the same Taylor Woodrow-Anglian system of prefabricated panels as Ronan Point.

It is immediately adjacent to Bruce Castle, approximately 547 yards (500 m) from the centre of Tottenham, and 1.2 miles (2 km) from Wood Green.

[7] Until the opening of the nearby Bruce Grove railway station on 22 July 1872[8] the area was still rural, although close in proximity to London and the growing suburb of Tottenham.

[9] Following construction of the railways to Tottenham and Wood Green, suburban residential development in the surrounding area took place rapidly.

However, due to waterlogging and flooding caused by the River Moselle, Broadwater Farm was considered unsuitable for development and remained as farmland.

[9] Heavy concrete dikes were built to reduce flooding of the Moselle in Lordship Recreation Ground, whilst on the eastern half of the farm, the river was covered to run in culvert as far as Tottenham Cemetery.

Because of the high water table and the flood risk caused by the Moselle, which flows through the site, no housing was built at ground level.

[13] While this reduced flood risk for residences and businesses, it resulted in there being no "eyes on the street" at ground level, and decreased the feeling of community.

As in similarly-designed developments, the walkways and especially the stairwells could not be seen by anyone elsewhere, so there was no deterrent to crime and disorder; no "eyes on the street" as advocated by Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

By 1973, problems with the estate were becoming apparent; the walkways of the deck level created dangerously isolated areas which became hotspots for crime and robbery, and provided easy escape routes for criminals.

When a major exhibition by Le Corbusier in the mid-1980s was unable to attract sponsorship, the refusal of sponsors to be associated with his name was attributed to the "Broadwater Farm factor".

Although the book focused on Tower Hamlets and Southwark and did not discuss Broadwater Farm, by the time it was published, the estate was becoming synonymous with this type of housing.

[12] A number of initiatives aimed at providing activities for disaffected local youths and at integrating the mixture of ethnic communities in the area appeared to be succeeding; Sir George Young, then Minister for Inner Cities, secured significant funding for improvements.

The problems caused by the deck-level walkways had not been solved; children from Broadwater Farm were still under-achieving academically in comparison to the surrounding areas; the unemployment rate stood at 42%; and there was a mutual distrust between the local residents—particularly those from the Afro-Caribbean community—and the predominantly White British and non-local police force.

[24] After the events of 1985, Broadwater Farm became the focus of an intensive £33 million regeneration programme in response to the problems highlighted by the riots.

[6] A network of council-run CCTV cameras was installed to monitor the streets and car parks, and each building staffed by a concierge to deter unwanted visitors.

[6] Disused shops left empty following the withdrawal of businesses after the riots were converted into low-cost light industrial units to provide employment opportunities for residents and prevent capital from flowing out of the area.

[28] The blocks were built using the same large-panel system used on Ronan Point, where a gas explosion in 1968 caused progressive collapse, killing four people.

The domino-like system of large structural slabs speeded the building and allowed cheaper, less expert labour to be used to assemble the prefabricated panels.

[25] In 2005 the Metropolitan Police disbanded the Broadwater Farm Unit altogether as it was no longer required in an area with such a low crime rate.

Romario Lindo stabbed him 10 times for intervening to attempt to prevent the theft of a £90 pair of trainers from a 14 year old [33] - On 23 July 2020, two 15-year-old boys and a 19 year old man shot on the estate, believed to be gang related [34] - On 1 August 2021, the murder of 16-year-old Stelios Averkiou in Lordship Recreation Ground [35] - On 14 June 2022, a 17-year-old boy travelling on a bus on Higham Road was found to have been stabbed.

[37] Bruce Castle, once the home of Rowland Hill, inventor of the postage stamp, is on the north side of Lordship Lane immediately opposite Broadwater Farm.

Haringey Council has provided 21 small "enterprise units" at a deliberately low cost to entice firms to open in the area,[43] but these have proved hard to fill.

Due to the waterlogged ground and lack of population prior to the containment of the Moselle, Broadwater Farm was bypassed by the Underground.

From 11 February 2006 the W4 route, which utilises Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart to navigate the narrow streets and sharp bends, was diverted to run into the estate,[2][44] providing direct public transport links for the first time.

Following the events of 1985 a number of local residents left and were replaced mainly by recent immigrants particularly Kurds, Somalis and Congolese, but still maintains its large Afro-Caribbean heritage.