Earlier this month we headed to Coventry to attend the ReStitch Conference. Having launched in 2022 when the conference took place in London and Halifax, this year it was hosted in one location only, being Coventry.This year’s conference was billed as collaborative effort (in an...
In Europe we're used to seeing people strolling down the prom (‘promenading’) and likely do so on holiday ourselves.However, when we are out and about sometimes see public realm schemes that look good but there's nobody using them so it was great to see a...
Many Colombians love taking photographs both in groups and selfies. Whether it's in cafes, shops or boarding the plane there always seemed to be a pause while photos were taken. Almost, every place we visited from villages to cities had a place sign and it's taken...
In November, we headed to Sheffield for a tour with Place Collective UK to learn more about the changes taking place across the city.We started at Park Hill with a tour from developer Urban Splash. It’s been nearly 20 years since Urban Splash got involved...
Contesting Public Spaces: Social Lives of Urban Redevelopment in London. Ed Wall, Routledge (2022)Contesting Public Spaces considers public spaces in London - how it evolved, how it's used and how its context changes when large scale regeneration happen, often under a masterplan. Using three key...
Recently, we headed out to Thamesmead, London’s New Town. The part visited on the tour was in the borough of Bexley and the new Abbey Wood Elizabeth Line station has brought it much closer to central London. Billed as the ‘Town of Tomorrow’ when it was...
During the summer as meetings reduced we decided to use the quieter weeks to get out and about. Calling it meeting-free Fridays we managed to keep to it over five weeks during the summer, moving existing meetings to phone calls or keeping the day clear....
This month, our director Diane Cunningham headed to Scotland for a long overdue visit, much postposed due to lockdowns then train strikes. Diane knows Glasgow well but this time there was an opportunity to visit some new places.Glasgow southsideFirst up there was time for a...
We have recently returned from Toronto where the city was hosting the 11th International Markets Conference organised by Project for Public Spaces.Having been involved with the 10th Conference in London as part of the London Market Board, it was great to experience Toronto’s markets.We heard from speakers...
We met John Macaulay and Sophie Macaulay, the team behind GRIT Studios in Stockport and founders of Art Battle Manchester.They shared what has made Art Battle successful and how they have worked with local authorities and developers to take over empty spaces in town centres...