Our director, Diane, returned to Barking and Dagenham in East London six years after working on a 10-year vision for the town centre.It was fantastic to see how much development had progressed in a challenging environment and what's firmly underway. She takes on around the...
As funding for places changes with major schemes ending in the past 12 months and the replacement for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund unknown, we have been thinking about how to achieve the best outcomes from projects for local authorities and practitioners. What can commissioners and...
As part of the Placed Better Together conference (write-up), there was a fringe event in Liverpool where Real Worth and Baltic Creative CIC hosted a walk around the district. Social value in the Baltic Baltic CIC was set-up 15 years ago to support the growth of...
June saw the launch of north-west based social enterprise, PLACED's first conference titled Better Places Together focused on social value and engagement in place projects.The event posed questions on rethinking engagement and social value from tender to legacy and how meaningful engagement can enable less-heard voices...
Seaside towns face many challenges, but they also have strong place in heritage buildings and entertainment amenities, a rich history and a shared sense of identity within the local community. A new event celebrating seaside towns Seaside Heritage: Connecting Communities and Inspiring Action was the theme of...
Birkenhead has secured £80-90m in government funding and now, there is a chance to create a new future that brings meaningful opportunities for all. But, is this enough to deliver beneficial change. Background Birkenhead is located opposite Liverpool and run by Wirral Council. It’s a place which has...
You may have read the recent article by Anna Minton in the Guardian, which aligns gentrification with placemaking and, in turn, with the decline of families in cities, particularly London. if only it were that simple...
While out and about in London recently, our director Diane spotted some images on hoardings around a building that was being refurbished, which raised some questions about fresh ideas for building uses and learning from the past… Adelaide House combining the past and the future The hoardings...
Discovering the housing landscapes around east London on a Museum of the Home tour. Eclectic building styles around Bethnal Green and Hoxton We started at Paradise Gardens which historically would have been a wealthy street in a poor area. Although it is Grade 2 listed, its setting...
Continuing her travels around Brazil, our director Diane charts her observations on the architecture and urban places from Rio to São Paulo and lessons that can be learned. Rio de Janeiro An incredibly diverse and beautiful city with wide-ranging architectural styles from the 18th century to space...