Programme for Symposium on the role of masterplanning in the economic development of better places, November 01, 2013

1. The University of Dundee, Geddes Institute for Urban Research
Architecture Design Scotland
The Academy of Urbanism
In collaboration with
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Planning Aid for Scotland
Sniffer
You are invited to join us on the forthcoming Symposium.
Creating Sustainable Communities: Better Approaches to Master-Planning Practice
Date: 01/11/2013 Time: 13.00 – 17.00
Location: Dalhousie Lecture Theatre LT3, The University of Dundee
Austerity and ambitions for recovery challenge how we develop sustainable places. The active
collaboration between state, market and community stakeholders is required for sustainable
development to take root. Professor Stuart Gulliver and Steven Tolson have presented an economic
and social case for creating better places. They argue for better state-market relationships focused
on the supply of well-designed places which provide for meaningful economic and social
development. As a University our focus is carry-out robust evaluation of current practice of spatial
design and planning and to stimulate the critical assessment of new ideas and methods. Through
these activities we can provide a research and learning framework promoting better place-making.
The Geddes Institute for Urban Research has explored the practice of place-making through a
Symposium series1
,2
. A framework of principles covering engagement, design, planning and
development has emerged. A final Symposium, delivered in collaboration with RICS Scotland, the
Academy of Urbanism, Sniffer, Planning Aid for Scotland and Architecture and Design Scotland, will
explore the application of the principles to guide the design and management of the processes of
sustainable place-making.
The focus of the final Symposium will about how by collaboration we can overcome the challenges
of ‘Creating Better Places to Live’.
Three closely-related questions will be considered:
 Given foreseeable macro-conditions what collective strategies are required for managing
spatial change?
 What would active collaboration look like?
 What would a more effective master-planning process look like?
We are delighted to host this event collaboratively with community and development sector
partners.
Professor Rob Duck, Dean of the School of Environment, The University of Dundee
1
http://www.ads.org.uk/urbanism/features/masterplanning-in-current-conditions
2
http://www.ads.org.uk/urbanism/features/practice-of-community-charrettes-in-the-uk

2. Briefing
‘Creating Sustainable Communities: Better Approaches to Master-planning Practice’
The Symposium will share learning and identify practical action areas for developing better
master-planning practice.
Professor Stuart Gulliver and Steven Tolson in their prospectus ‘Creating Better Places to Live’
present a case for place-making as a core element providing for economic and social development.
They contend that “There is today an overwhelming consensus about place-making in Scotland and
this consensus rests upon two factors. First; there is an insufficient supply of places actually being
created and delivered in Scotland and second; the quality of that supply varies, with few exceptions,
from poor to indifferent. The central place-making problem then is one of short supply and the
quality of that supply and we need to do something about both these phenomena as part of an
overall strategy towards addressing poor economic performance”. Gulliver and Tolson call for active
collaboration between state, market and community stakeholders in design, funding and
development.
Professor Lawrence Barth of the Architectural Association questions the relevance of the end-state
masterplan as a tool in the negotiated process of practical development. He contends that “We
have tended to become distrustful of masterplans that claim too much for a final vision and
understand too little the process of change, or that emphasize too much the formal beauty of a
composition and too little the human synergies that may support our investment in a
future…..…..the field of urbanism needs to invest greater effort into the masterplan and the design
learning that they contain, rather than less, for these are challenging tasks.” 3
In short, delivering sustainable places requires better approaches to the processes of planning,
design and development. A re-framing of the process of master-planning is required.
Three closely-related questions will be considered:
 Given foreseeable macro-conditions what collective strategies are required for managing
spatial change?
 What would active collaboration look like?
 What would more effective master-planning processes look like?
Programme
12:00-13:00 Light Lunch Dalhousie
ground floor
13.00-13.15 The Dean’s Welcome
The Symposium Programme
Professor Rob Duck,
University of Dundee
Husam Al Waer, Diarmaid
Lawlor & Kevin Murray
Dalhousie (LT3)
13.15-13.30 An integrated Masterplanning process: the 6 (C) principles Husam Al Waer
13.30-13.55 Opening Provocation: Public and Private Interests in
Masterplanning
Prof. Stuart Gulliver
13.55-14.20 Replacing Architectural Determinism: practitioner response Prof. Lawrence Barth
14.20-14.45 How to harness communities own ambitions and vision:
community response
Petra Biberbach
14.45- 15.00 Questions and Concluding Remark Kevin Murray
15:00- 15:15 Coffee
3
http://www.cu2030.nl/images/2013-04/learning-cities-platform.pdf

3. 15.15– 16.05 Question 1 / Question 2 / Question 3 Facilitated discussion
(Kevin Murray)
Dalhousie
(2F11)
16.05 – 16.20 Rapporteurs feed-back
16.20 – 16.45 Client Response Steven Tolson, Head of RICS
Scotland Regeneration Forum
16.45 – 15.00 The Shape of Better Master-Planning Practice – Concluding
Remark
Architecture Design Scotland
and Academy of Urbanism
17.00 Close
Drinks reception Dalhousie
ground floor