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Broadwater Farm, often referred to simply as "The Farm", is an area in Tottenham, North London, straddling the River Moselle. 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. The western half of the area is taken up by Lordship Recreation Ground, one of north London's largest parks. Broadwater Farm in 2011 had a population of 4,844. The estate is owned by Haringey London Borough Council. 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. This perception was exacerbated when serious rioting erupted later that year. After the 1985 riot there was a major redevelopment programme, after which crime rates initially fell. However, it is still associated with gangs with numerous stabbings and other violent crime occurring in and around the area. Well known for its large Afro Caribbean heritage, it is one of the most ethnically diverse locations in London; in 2005 its official population of 3,800 included residents of 39 different nationalities. Broadwater Farm was completed in the early 1970s and built using the same Taylor Woodrow Anglian system of prefabricated panels as Ronan Point. In June 2018, following tests conducted after the Grenfell Tower fire, Haringey Council announced hundreds of families would have to be evacuated because eleven of the towers are at risk of catastrophic collapse in the event of a fire. At least two may have to be demolished.

Broadwater Farm is situated in the valley of the Moselle, approximately six miles (10 km) north of the City of London. It is situated in a deep depression immediately south of Lordship Lane, between the twin junctions of Lordship Lane and The Roundway. 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.

Until the opening of the nearby Bruce Grove railway station on 22 July 1872 the area was still rural, although close in proximity to London and the growing suburb of Tottenham. Aside from a small group of buildings clustered around neighbouring Bruce Castle, the only buildings in the area were the farmhouse and outbuildings of Broadwater Farm, then still a working farm. 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. By 1920, Broadwater Farm was the last remaining agricultural land on Lordship Lane, surrounded by housing on all sides. The design of the estate was loosely inspired by Le Corbusier, and characterised by large concrete blocks and tall towers. Instead, the ground level was entirely occupied by car parks. The buildings were linked by a system of interconnected walkways the "streets in the sky" at first floor level known as the "deck level". 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. The 12 interconnected buildings were each named after a different World War II RAF aerodrome. during which some police methods such as raids, saturation policing and stop and search tactics increased the frustration of some members of the black community. Floyd Jarrett, whose home was about a mile from the Farm, was arrested by police on 5 October 1985, having given false details when stopped in a car with an allegedly false tax disc. While he was in custody, four officers attended his home to conduct a search. During the search, his mother Cynthia Jarrett collapsed and died. It has never been satisfactorily concluded how and why Cynthia Jarrett died, and whether it was a heart attack or due to police actions. The next day, 6 October 1985, saw a small demonstration outside Tottenham police station, which initially passed off relatively peacefully other than a bottle being thrown through one of the station's windows. As further police officers made their way to the area, rioters erected barricades on the deck level and the emergency services withdrew from the deck level. attacked them with sticks, knives and machetes, leading to PC Blakelock's death and serious injuries to PC Coombes. As news of the death spread, the rioting subsided. Local council leader Bernie Grant claims to have been misquoted as saying that "What the police got was a bloody good hiding". Three local residents, Mark Braithwaite, Engin Raghip and Winston Silcott, were convicted of PC Blakelock's murder. However, three years later their convictions were overturned when it was discovered that police notes of their interviews had been tampered with. The person or persons guilty of the murder have never been identified but in 2010, a man was arrested on suspicion of murdering PC Blakelock.

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. The all white Tenants Association was restructured to more accurately reflect the community, and residents' concerns seriously addressed by the authorities. Since the redevelopment, the flow of people leaving the estate has slowed to a trickle, and there is now a lengthy waiting list for housing.

Following tests conducted in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, Haringey Council announced on 20 June 2018 the evacuation of two of the blocks. Eleven of the blocks were structurally unsafe and vulnerable to collapse if a gas pipe or gas canister were to explode or if vehicle were to strike the base of the buildings. Tangmere House, a six storey block, and Northholt, an 18 storey block, are those worst affected, and would be demolished. 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.

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. It was built by William Compton in the 16th century, and has been a public museum since 1906. It houses the public archives of Haringey Council, as well as a large display on the history of the postal system. Broadwater Farm is home to the Broadwater United football coaching programme. Set up in the aftermath of the events of 1985 with the intention of providing a focus for local youths, it has subsequently produced a number of professional footballers, including Jobi McAnuff, Lionel Morgan and Jude Stirling, son of the programme manager Clasford Stirling.

In 2007 a new Children's Centre opened on the estate, with nursery places for 104 children. It is considered one of the best designed nursery schools in the world, and won the Royal Institute of British Architects's Award for 2007. Broadwater Farm contains Broadwater Inclusive Learning Community, which comprises The Willow (a two form entry primary school), The Brook (120 space special school), Broadwaters’ Children Centre (school nursery, childcare for under 5s and a vast range of community services) and Broadwaters' Extended School Service (breakfast, after school and holiday provision). Secondary education is provided by nearby Woodside High School, formerly named White Hart Lane School, approximately 200m outside the Broadwater Farm area.

Following the riots, many shops in Broadwater Farm withdrew from the area, and those that remained closed following the demolition of the deck level. Broadwater Farm is consequently extremely poorly served by shops. Haringey Council has provided 21 small "enterprise units" at a deliberately low cost to entice firms to open in the area, but these have proved hard to fill. However, Broadwater Farm is only 400m from the shops and supermarkets of Tottenham High Road, and approximately 2 km from the Shopping City supermall at Wood Green.

Due to the waterlogged ground and lack of population prior to the containment of the Moselle, Broadwater Farm was bypassed by the Underground. Bruce Grove railway station, 400m east of the estate, connects the area to central London. Because of the narrow streets, double decker and bendy buses are unable to serve the area. 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, providing direct public transport links for the first time. A number of other bus routes run along Lordship Lane, immediately to the north and Philip Lane to the south. Turnpike Lane Underground station is within walking distance to the south west.

There are currently between 3,800 and 4,000 residents of Broadwater Farm. 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.