A big challenge to development in the UK just now is how to empower entrepreneurship.
How to do this when economics and culture is fixed on either large congolomerates or niche players, enterprises often rooted in monopoly, acquisiton, cost-cutting and exclusivity?
Urban renewal has a role to play in answering that question - and not least because it is central to the structuring and re-structuring of local economies and offering people opportunities.
Problem is that in recent years, urban renewal has gone either Extra Large, concentrating on developing super-sized slugs of real estate with large anchor tenants, such as supermarkets, or canape scale, opting for the grassroots development of small opportunities, such as the improvement of a dead park, empty building or creation of kitchen gardens. With little in-between.
Where is the motherboard in urban renewal that acts as an intermediary between the raw materials and end product?
Can sites and their development unfold in a way that builds markets, communities and new networks of independent social, creative and community enterprise?
How might we plan and develop our cities so that they are pro-social, respond smartly to feedback and second, third and fourth order effects and are more than a framework, with services and people super-imposed?
Earlier this year, a group of real estate developers, designers, urbanists, business people and representatives from government came together in Glasgow, Scotland to workshop the progress of a large development site on the northern fringe of the city called Speirs Locks.
Commissioned by Architecture + Design Scotland and the Scottish Centre of Regeneration, the workshop brain-stormed a 'social action plan' for Speirs Locks and involved both its landowner - the Glasgw Canal Regeneration Partnership - and existing tenants, including Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
We produced a short documentary film of the event - part of a larger programme of work that included workshops and intensive interviews with the local community, local social enterprises, creative enterprises and organizations with a stake or share in the development of the site.
The audience for the film: local government workers and development managers in the public and private sectors looking to set in motion a more creative and sustainable approach to the making of towns and cities.
Key participants in the film (other than me with, er, a Simon Cowell twang):
John Thackara - design writer
Roy van Dalm - cities consultant
Diamaird Lawlor - Architecture + Design Scotland
Donna Brooks - Glasgow City Council
Steve Dunlop - Director Scotland, British Waterways
Gary Watt - Development Manager, ISIS Waterside Regeneration
Dougal Perman - Radio Magnetic (Alternative Music Internet Radio)
Tom Beardshaw - Native HQ (social and digital media consultant)
The event was joined by creative and social entrepreneurs from Europe, supported by the British Council Creative Cities programme.
Its progress was also 'scribed' by service designer Lauren Currie of wearesnook.com:
Architecture + Design Scotland have posted a copy of the film and a report on the initiative here.
You'll find an essay by me that summarizes some of the key creative conclusions and recommendations off the back of the project here.
Please show the film some link love.
It's devoid of futuristic rap-rave to make it easy to share. :-{}
Images courtesy of 1. Yvan Rodic. 2. Michelle Lord via Ballardian. 3. Tom Beardshaw. 4. Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership. 5 - 8. Architecture + Design Scotland/wearesnook.com.
