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Urban greening
THE GREEN TEAM: WORKING WITH RESIDENTS TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE SPACES Architecture practice what:if has forged strong links with a wide range of people, including those with a distrust of councils, when designing public realm and greening projects, writes Gareth Morris Involving local people in the design and implementation of greening projects has helped galvanise a sense of local ownership. It has been key to placing community at the heart of environmental sustainability and addressing the issues of long-term maintenance of new green infrastructure. For the past eight years, architecture practice what if: projects has been working with local authorities on active travel schemes, providing design oversight on new public realm and greening projects. We have worked in collaboration with Waltham Forest Highways team on infrastructure strategies including Mini-Holland, Liveable Neighbourhoods and Low-Emission Neighbourhoods. Speaking directly with a wide range of people is a key part of our design process. We aim to reach a wide demographic including those who are distrustful of, or unused to, engaging with their local
what:if planting day at Coppermill
authority. Each scheme has incorporated a structured council-led public consultation process set at key stages of the design process. In addition, our team helped to develop engagement programmes, with the objective of supporting ‘ground-up resilience’. This approach enables communities to be actively involved in new greening schemes from conception to implementation, with ongoing stewardship of spaces.
Programmes are designed to engage residents throughout all stages of a scheme and provide the opportunity for learning and the sharing of knowledge. This has incorporated: 1. Walks and tours, visiting local green spaces, highlighting local bio-diversity and bringing in green experts with local knowledge. 2. Focused workshops and meetings, and sometimes detailed discussion on the planning
