Local leadership, Neil Deely - Design Network Conference

Neil DeelyCo-Founder Metropolitan Workshop LLPArchitecture and Urbanism

Local Leadership – how can we help?

Each local authority could nominate a built environment professional from the private sector and an elected member to champion local design quality. “Civic Champions” actively engaging with neighbourhood forums could help shape neighbourhood plans and improve design quality. (Professionals volunteering time for public outreach and skilling up of decision makers should take advantage of formal accreditation offered by their professional institutions.)

Recommendation #06

Civic Champion? Who should they be?

• Critical Friend • Help Illuminate the issues and help prioritise• Enable sound decision making• Encourage corporate memory and consistency.

Advisor to elected members to support and assist decision making through the

planning dpts.

Recommendation #06

Eg. Newham – great exemplar of Council Leader believing in the power and

importance of good design.

1. Design (PLACE) advice at pre-application Members forum

2. Design advice through DRP reports

3. Attendance on the night at Dev. Control Committee – incredibly powerful

Officers won’t recommend approval unless DRP have been satisfied.

LTGDC & LLDC have independent architect member of dev. control committee

LDA Design Advisors, MDAG etc

Recommendation #06

All individuals involved in making decisions about the built environment should receive basic training in placemaking and design literacy and it should be given the same status as legal and financial training for elected Councillors. Local planning authorities throughout the country should formalise the role of architecture and built environment centres and PLACE Review Panels in skilling up decision makers, including planning committee members and traffic engineers. This would follow the successful model of Urban Design London in skilling up planning committee members from London Councils. Local schools of architecture could act as co-ordinating agencies, working with local authorities, and regional events supported by PLACE institutions would spread the training more widely.

Recommendation #12

Training councilors is difficult! – choosing the right people in the first place is key.

Some elected members enjoy experience of many years of involvement in planning and built environment issues. For others providing instruction in the fundamentals is the goal. I know what I like!

More architects/planners as elected members?

Planning officers should have advisory role in selection process of planning committees members?

Dev. Corp. model of architectural advisors embedded as independent members

Architecture schools and LA’s working together very much depends on the school and the LA! Eg.  

Recommendation #12

Government should review public building procurement policy toclarify the regulations of the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) as well as giving sufficient prominence to design criteria. Industry should produce best-practice guidance to reduce the reliance on frameworks and to ensure that design expertise is embedded in the process and that competitions are held for significant projects.

Recommendation #31

NPPF promotes local planning – LA planning departments to generate local policy and have the flexibility to decide how to go about it.

Use DRP/Place Review Panel members for informal advice

(@ circa £250-300/day is good value!)

Use Norwegian model of Parrallelloppdrag:

Public sector visioning of private sector held lands – force the issue!

Recommendation #31

Parallelloppdrag

Parallell draw upp

• Draws out local opinion• Tests the market• Tests landowner reaction

• Way forward for Crossrail ?

Recommendation #31

Oslo

Opera Quarters

MindemyrenBergen

Mindemyren

Bergen

London’sCrossrail

PLACE institutions and think tanks should undertake research on the value of independent, place-based leadership, such as mayors, to the public. In the UK where we have them, and in other countries, city leaders are proven to be the most successful drivers of sustainable and strategic urban planning.

Recommendation #58

Sweden Vs France

• Understanding the need for legacy and doing the small things well.

• ‘Strategic' long term leadership on design and quality as opposed to merely promoting 'grande projects'  Cambridge Futures Sian Reid Ldr in the 2000s gave strong political leadership on design and promoted the Quality Charter.

 ‘The planned growth for Cambridgeshire provides an excitingopportunity to create sustainable and vibrant new communities. It iscrucial that we build high quality housing with a unique identity thatwill provide visually pleasing environments where people will want toLive’ 

Recommendation #58

Research ModelsPorts in Northern Europe

Case study

Drammen

Drammen Industrial city famed for shipbuilding, log driving, trade and paper and pulp industries

Mayor ofDrammen

Current Developments within Drammen – Bragernes – Public Square renovation

Union BryggeNew urban area with pedestrian bridge link

ElveparkenRiver park

Øvre Sund BruNew road bridge

Drammen Bus StationAward winning bus station

Union BryggeNew urban area with pedestrian bridge link

PapirbreddenNew knowledge park – University campus

Flytoget

Drammen Havn

Drammen Havn

Estate ModelsInterpretation

Colour

Code

Building on

top of Silo

Room

For

Drammen

Neil DeelyCo-Founder Metropolitan Workshop LLPArchitecture and Urbanism