2. The Glass-House Community Led Design
People and places
We want to make
great places a reality
for everyone.
We believe in the power of
collaborative placemaking
to transform places and
bring positive and lasting
change for all.
3. What we do
We provide independent…
• Advice
• Training and staff upskilling
• Hands-on project-based support
• Research
• Thought leadership and knowledge exchange for local
communities and built environment professionals
4. How we work:Collaborative Placemaking
Collaborative placemaking in different contexts:
• Participatory design projects initiated and led by housing
associations, local authorities and developers
• Community led design initiatives
5. How we work
Brokering relationships and enabling dialogue
• Bringing together various parties in a placemaking process
• Facilitating a constructive conversation and process
6. Placemaking
• Placemaking is both an
overarching idea and a
hands-on tool for improving a
place, neighborhood or city
• It is about the physical form –
but also very much the social,
economical, cultural aspects of
place
‘Place diagram’ from Project for Public Spaces.
www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking
7. Why collaborative placemaking?
• Design influences the way people feel
about their homes, communities and
neighbourhoods.
• Bringing local stakeholders into the heart
of the process facilitates change that
responds to their needs and
aspirations.
• Empowering local people in changes to
their area increases collaboration and
builds relationships, skills and
employability.
8. Why involve local people in the
design process?
• Local people hold valuable expertise on their area, which can
improve design quality.
• A broad mix of people working together can lead to better
understanding and collaboration throughout the development of the
project and beyond.
• Local people involved in the design and regeneration of a place feel a
greater sense of ownership and respect for that place and of their
investment in its success.
• Involving local people in a high quality participatory design
process will lead to better design – and more informed,
imaginative and sustainable solutions.
15. Information or collaboration?
Spectrum of involvement
Community leadership
Partnership
Collaboration
Representation
Consultation
Information
•
Why are you involving?
•
Who benefits? How?
16. A successful participatory design process...
.. gives members of the community skills, confidence
and practical tools to:
• Help inform the design process
• Develop an ongoing relationship with design
and regeneration professionals
17. A successful participatory design process...
… give staff the opportunity to better understand the
communities they serve – and build lasting relations
18. A successful participatory design process...
…improves awareness and understanding of
design and how it affects our quality of life
19. A successful participatory design process...
… involves local people in a variety of ways,
responding to their needs and lives
20. A successful participatory design process...
…promotes respect and appreciation for what
everyone can contribute to a collaborative
design process
21. A successful participatory design process...
…raises aspirations by showing people
a range of real life examples
22. A successful participatory design process...
…brings the community together to
identify and assess what is needed in the area
and develop a shared vision for change
23. A successful participatory design process...
... encourages local people to play an
ongoing role in the use and management of
the new or regenerated place or space
24. How we work
We support participatory design projects
initiated and led by housing associations, local
authorities and developers
- as well as community led design initiatives.
25. Case Study: Granville New Homes
Brent Council
South Kilburn NDC
The challenge
Supporting resident participation in the first new build council
homes in 20 years
Ensuring that the Granville New Homes Resident Steering Group
have the skills and knowledge to make a positive and active
contribution to the regeneration process
What we did
Design Training
• Homes by Design
• Buildings by Design
• Spaces by Design
Project Support
• Design skills
• Technical Training
• Study Tour
27. Granville New Homes
Design skills
Aim: Help the Resident Steering Group make an informed and objective
decision when selecting the design team
As independent advisor we supported the RSG to:
• Set Design Quality Indicators
• Analyse the full project design brief
• Brief the short-listed design teams
• Interview the short-listed design teams
• Man the public exhibition of short-listed schemes
• Select the best design
28. Granville New Homes
Technical Training
Aim: Demystify the building process
Workshops to clarify
• Procurement & role of contract
• Building process and RIBA stages of work
• Glossary of design and building terms
• Roles within Design Team, Client Team and Resident Steering
Group
29. GH conducting review of submitted
schemes with the GNHRSG
GNHRSG members manning the
public exhibition of designs
Pre interview, pre public exhibition
Design Quality voting with the GNHRSG
30. Granville New Homes
Study Tour of housing design in Amsterdam and Rotterdam
Aims: Inspire and inform Resident Steering Group,
develop relationships with design and project team
The participating group included
• GNH Resident Steering Group
• Brent Council officers
• South Kilburn NDC board members
• Design Team members
31. Case Study: Granville New Homes
Outcome:
The entire briefing, design, procurement and development process
benefited from local knowledge and collaborative working
Project completed in 2009; Brent Council sold the properties to Brent
Housing Partnership (BHP) who now manage a well-designed group of
mixed-tenure properties with enclosed courtyards
32.
33. Case Study: Granville New Homes
Outcome
Brent Council’s investment in design and people is paying off:
• Brent Council and BHP have excellent ongoing relations with the
residents, who continue to contribute to further regeneration projects
• Brent Council have implemented learning from the process
• High quality of design is an expectation from the council and has led
to excellent off-plan sales
35. Kirdford Community Led Plan
"
• Strong community group, just developed very successful Village Store"
• Pressure for development adjacent to village"
• Wanted to develop a Community Led Plan to guide development"
36. How The Glass-House supported
• Inception meeting"
• Village walk-about"
• What is urban design?"
• Exploring the village together"
• Shared understanding of issues and opportunities"
"
“I’ve lived here for 14
years and the walk-about
made me see things I’d
never noticed before.”
38. Where are they now?
• Community identified more sites for potential development than in previous
local documents"
• Working with District Council, VDS adopted, now in final stages of
Neighbourhood Plan (submitted for external examination)"
• Has set up Cluster group with 3 other parishes to address strategic issues (roads
maintenance, transport, relationship to South Downs Nat’l Park)"
• Chair elected member of District Council"
43. Make Participation Work
• Help local people gain confidence and skills while they contribute.
• Set out clear objectives.
What are you asking of local people and why?
• Be honest about how their contribution will be used and what they
can influence.
• Use different participation methods to allow for involvement on
varying levels.
• Encourage and support local people and the community
organisations that work with them to lead the process.
• Give local people an ongoing role in the development of the project.
• Make sure that it’s fun.
44. Barriers and opportunities
What are the barriers to good participatory
design processes in your work?
What would help facilitate collaboration
around placemaking?
Do you need skills, goodwill, resources,
training, expert advice…?
45. “We don’t stop playing because we grow
old……we grow old because we stop playing!”
George Bernard Shaw
46. 51 Tabernacle Street
London EC2A 4AA
020 7490 4583
Maja Luna Jorgensen
Strategic Projects Manager
maja@theglasshouse.org.uk
www.theglasshouse.org.uk
info@theglasshouse.org.uk
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07776224388
