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AUTUMN 2015
SHAPING PLACES
research + engagement news from the School of Architecture, Planning + Landscape
The Town Meeting/ Sustrans DIY Streets/ Making Provisions/ Warm room/ The North East Obesogenic Environment Network/ Newcastle City Futures
Welcome to the third edition of Shaping Places: the research and engagement newsletter of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape.
happens when a researcher and a theatre company come together to produce a play in which the audience are the main protagonists.
This edition comes nearly a year after our research was graded 4th in the UK for both research intensity and research power in the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. These results stand as testament to our desire to make a positive difference by undertaking excellent research with a clear purpose.
We also look at emerging research, which is likewise designed very much with other stakeholders: on ways to minimise the risk of food crises; and on the relationship between planning our neighbourhoods and health.
In this edition we highlight how engaged research can produce positive and lasting benefits outside academia through projects diverse as: architecture students working with communities and organisations in Kielder to build a warm room for visiting stargazers; our academics and students working with the charity Sustrans to add value to their DIY Streets projects in Newcastle upon Tyne; how our research and engagement activity on city futures has led to a closer working relationship between the University and city leaders; and what
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Public Lecture SeRies
In some cases, these projects build on previous work and illustrate the importance of sustained relationships with partner organisations. We look forward to working with these partners again in the future and to developing new connections as we begin a new academic year.
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape’s Public Lecture Series, now in its sixth year, showcases inspiring writers, researchers and practitioners in the built environment and related fields. Lectures are free and open to all and our aim is to welcome people onto campus to inform, stimulate and engage them in current thinking on issues of societal and global concern. Details of our 2015-16 series, and recordings of previous lectures, can be found on our website www.ncl.ac.uk/apl
NewcastleSAPL
Professor Geoff Vigar, Director of Research geoff.vigar@ncl.ac.uk Professor Rose Gilroy, Director of Engagement rose.gilroy@ncl.ac.uk
Image credit/ James Fish
Contents 01/ Public Lecture Series 02/ Sustrans DIY Streets: Creating and evaluating inspirational participation 03/ Making Provisions: Anticipating food emergencies and assembling the food system 04/ Warm room: Students design and build astronomers’ warm room 05/ The North East Obesogenic Environment Network Cover image The Town Meeting /credit - CUBESEDGE
06/ Newcastle City Futures: Newcastle Urban Foresight 07/ The Town Meeting: Using theatre to explore how communities interact with the planning process 08/ PHD Successes 09/ Book Publications 10/ Engagement with the region directory
CONTACT Kim McCartney Research & Consultancy Manager kim.mccartney@ncl.ac.uk Anne Fry Events & Engagement Manager anne.fry@ncl.ac.uk
@NewcastleSAPL www.ncl.ac.uk/apl
Sustrans DIY Streets: A team from Newcastle University have been adding value to work undertaken by national charity Sustrans
Creating and Evaluating Inspirational Participation 1 Sensory Mapping
and their DIY Streets Programme. The objectives of the
Residents were asked to ‘Imagine Fenham Hall Drive as the
(DIY Streets) Programme are to:
best street in Britain…’ and using small scale models and
02 There are lots of old people in Fenham, could do with somewhere to sit and watch the world go by. woman walking dog, aged 50+
3 dimensional maps, people were able to create a series of
Re-design streets and neighbourhoods to
scenarios and explore ideas. These ranged from sparkly
overcome barriers to walking and cycling
paving and treehouses to cafes and play and meeting spaces.
I like these (the bench), we can sit here after finishing your swimming and eat your sweets and get your energy back.
Such an approach engaged a wide range of residents,
Increase community involvement in decisions that
particularly those put off by street view maps.
affect their neighbourhoods
Increase walking and cycling
Geoff Vigar, Professor of Urban Planning, Armelle Tardiveau and Daniel Mallo, lecturers in architecture, PhD candidates Rorie Parsons (APL) and Clara Crivellaro (Open Lab), and architecture student Bryony Simcox worked with Sustrans on their DIY Streets project in Fenham, an area in the west end of Newcastle. Their work sought to deepen the engagement with the community in a specific part of the DIY Streets study area and will later broaden the evaluation of the project to assess whether interventions of the type used by the team can contribute to the development of social and community capital.
2 Street Prototyping The team built prototypes of mobile street furniture: two benches, a planter and a low table. These were placed on wheels and their mobility allowed people to play around with
people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.
DIY Streets is a well-established programme that seeks to work closely with local communities to help them re-design their neighbourhoods affordably, making them safer, more attractive, and more conducive to active, healthy travel such as walking and cycling. The project focused on a specific street and used ‘inspirational’ participation practices that can harness the capital that exists within a community, enabling them to reach their own decisions. The
was placed in front of the local library during a street party
mum
organised by Sustrans. They helped trigger conversations about the street and potential changes that would enhance
We were just waiting for the bus… it’s a good little spot, next to our school.
the area and encourage use of public space.
3 Street Observation
schoolgirls
The furniture, along with a green carpet and trees, were placed at a busy intersection where the team observed how people interacted with these unfamiliar objects on their way the furniture throughout the day in different ways and this action created an opportunity to interrupt the current rhythm on the street and create a social space where none existed before.
4 Focus Groups Focus groups were held with residents to discuss the study area and possible future interventions. Large photographs of the area were used as a template, on top of which sketches and drawings were made based on suggestions from the group.
5 Stakeholder meeting
approach contained five elements. Lady and daughter sitting on the bench/ Armelle Tardiveau Children’s hands playing with the sensory model/ Clara Crivellaro Library elevation with street prototypes/ Bryony Simcox
It’s until you see things like this (bench) that you realise how dreary the environment is.
familiar objects in unfamiliar places. The mobile furniture
to work and school. Both adults and children engaged with Social Capital - the networks of relationships among
young child
The use of familiar and unusual objects as a method for engagement has been a success. The bespoke furniture in particular helped trigger imagination and facilitate spontaneous conversations. More importantly, such objects helped not only to assess community aspirations, including the reclamation of public space, but also to contribute to ongoing debate and action to co-create a more social, delightful and playable street. The project team are currently working on a framework to evaluate the ways projects such as this might, or might not, generate social and community capital in the medium to long term. The project is ongoing to the end of 2015 and findings
A conversation has been facilitated between residents and
have so far been presented to the Cycle City Active City
representatives of the community such as Councillors and
conference (Newcastle June 2015) and to the Institute of
managers of local facilities such as the allotments and the
British Geographers conference (Exeter Sept. 2015).
library.
Making Provisions:
anticipating food emergencies and assembling the food system
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From animal disease outbreaks to accidental
Dr Andrew Donaldson, working with Dr Jane Midgley
contamination, food-borne illnesses and concern
and Dr Jeremy Brice, will connect with individuals
over the providence or ingredients of food, food
responsible for major incident plans related to food
crises of one form or another are seemingly a
crises, regulatory organisations, farms/producers,
regular occurrence. The question that gets asked
supermarkets, logistics and transport companies,
each time is ‘couldn’t we have seen this coming?’
campaigning NGOs and the voluntary/charitable sector, amongst others, in order to address the
The Making Provisions research project, led by
following research questions:
Dr Andrew Donaldson, and jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), under the Global Food Security programme, examines the
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What forms of anticipatory activities,
ways in which those involved in the production,
techniques and technologies exist in the food
processing, retail, management and governance of
system?
food anticipate future problems and develop plans to avoid them or deal with them, through precaution, preparedness and pre-emptive action.
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How are these activities enhanced,
driven or hindered by the increased amounts of information associated with foodstuffs?
A key feature of a food system that is resilient to shocks and able to deal with uncertainty and emergencies is the capacity to anticipate and make provisions for handling possible future events. Through desk-based research, site visits and interview, the project will explore how the increasing amount of information generated about food during
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How do they affect relationships between
different sites and actors in the food system – both in terms of inclusions and exclusions?
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In what ways might anticipatory actions
be improved, disseminated or introduced to help build a more resilient food system without unduly compromising day-to-day functioning of the system?
its production and the increasingly sophisticated technologies for generating and managing that information, helps or hinders the anticipation and management of food emergencies. Making Provisions will also look at how those involved in all aspects of food production (from large commercial operations to local /alternative modes), retail and regulation form communities and networks to plan for problems and build a more resilient food system, and whether certain ways of thinking and acting - and the bodies associated with them - come to dominate efforts to stave off future problems. Image credits/ (clockwise from top) Matt Horne, Jane Midgley, Colin Cuthbert
The project aims to identify current gaps in practice and examples of best practice concerning the management of food system risks and anticipatory actions. A dedicated project website will make the research findings available to organisations in order to develop greater awareness of, and information about, food management systems and ways of anticipating food crises. Making Provisions aims to ultimately contribute to the health and wealth of the nation by helping to conceive
Resilience – the ability to respond, adapt and recover from crises Anticipation – the capability to imagine and identify future problems and threats
of more resilient, safer food system.
warm room: Newcastle University architecture students have designed and built a warm room and cooking shelter on Kielder campsite for visitors to the Dark Sky Park.
Students Design and Build Astronomers’ Warm Room
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Architecture students worked with the Kielder Water
Shaping Places 2, Summer 2014). The projects have
and Forest Park Trust, Kielder Art & Architecture, The
been grounded within a consideration of the broader
Forestry Commission and the Kielder Village community
ecology of the building process, using locally sourced
to develop a brief for the project, from which proposals
materials, or reusing or recycling locally available
were drawn up and presented to the community.
resources where possible. They have also sought to explore social sustainability, by working directly with
The resulting timber-framed building is clad with larch
communities in participatory ways, using local expertise
and lined with birch plywood and has floor to ceiling
or providing local training opportunities whilst also
windows to allow views of the Kielder landscape and sky.
adding a direct social and economic benefit to remote rural communities.
The Warm Room provides a sheltered space and equipment charging point for stargazers who participate
Both projects were completed under the supervision
in overnight star camps as well as a venue for meetings
of Director of Architecture Professor Graham Farmer.
and educational events. The students also designed
Professor Farmer’s academic work explores the
and built a sheltered external cooking area for use by
connection between design practice, teaching and
campers.
research through engagement with communities. The projects provide students with practical insights and
www.kielderartandarchitecture.com/art-architecture/the-warm-room.html
The Warm Room is the result of a continuing
skills as well as the opportunity to work with external
collaboration with Kielder Art & Architecture’s Testing
organisations, clients, users and communities. They also
Ground programme, following the construction of a
allow for ‘real world’ experimentation with materials,
stargazing pavilion at Stonehaugh last summer (see
performance and different modes of design practice.
The North East Obesogenic 05 Environment Network Are some high streets bad for our health?
What can be done about these ‘toxic high streets’? Investigation is needed into how the places we live in affect our decisions about our lifestyles and our health. As a first step Dr Tim Townshend is coordinating a network
This is the question being answered by Dr Tim
which aims to help initiate partnerships between research,
Townshend, whose research into interdisciplinary
practice and the wider community, focusing on the causes
health and the built environment has taken in the
of obesity.
subject of ‘Obesogenic Environments’. The North East Obesogenic Environment Network Obesogenic - that which pertains to or causes obesity in humans.
(NEOeN), which also involves Steering Group members Dr Amelia Lake (Durham University), Dr Louisa Ells (Teesside University) and Dr Michael Heasman (Public Health Intelligence North East) will focus on five main themes:
Obesogenic Environment - the totality of influences that contribute towards obesity, such as our surroundings, opportunities or life conditions. In the last couple of decades local shopping
Obesogenic Environments
Food Environments
Physical Activity (Green spaces, transportation, walkable neighbourhoods)
Urban Planning Policy
Culture
streets have completely changed. In upmarket neighbourhoods, it’s all about delis, bistros and
The Network has recently set up a blog to highlight
expensive kitchen shops. However, in poorer areas
research and act as a hub for individuals and organisations
there has been an explosion in fast-food takeaways
interested in health and the built environment.
- selling energy-dense, but nutritionally poor food, colocated with other potentially ‘unhealthy’ outlets such
The website: www.neoen.org.uk is to be launched, and
as pawnbrokers, betting shops, pay-day loan shops,
invites to join the network will be sent out, in Autumn 2015.
tanning salons and so on. Dr Tim Townshend believes there is an unequal impact on the lives of poorer communities from these concentrations.
Image credits/ Graham Farmer
Image credits/ Tim Townshend (left), Simon Veit-Wilson (right)
Newcastle City Futures:
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Newcastle Urban Foresight
Image credits/ Dermot McNaney (far left), Jack Fisher
Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones is leading the
The artefacts on display acted as prompts to
Newcastle City Futures project, which uses a
discussions and debates about what Newcastle could
range of methods supported by academic evidence
and should be like in the next 50 years. Visitors were
to shape conversations between city leaders and
asked ‘What would you protect and why?’ and student
communities to enable them to better plan for the
volunteers invigilated the exhibition, engaged the
future of their cities.
visitors, and created resources for a family area which, alongside artist facilitated activities, enabled children
Newcastle City Futures began as a ‘pop up urban
and young people to participate in conversations about
room exhibition’, a multi-media exhibition which
the future of the city.
explored examples of development from Newcastle’s
The Newcastle Urban Foresight project is a partnership between the national Foresight Future of Cities programme of the Government Office for Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle City Council and Newcastle Science City Board.
The Newcastle Urban Foresight project, which includes Dr Paul Cowie, piloted a methodology in the Newcastle city region which brings together local stakeholders and draws upon the city’s resources to identify and address future potential challenges and opportunities. This methodology can be adopted elsewhere nationally or internationally. The project was launched in summer 2014 and a Lead Expert Group (LEG) was established; the LEG was later merged into the Newcastle City Futures Development
recent past and proposals which were never realised
Separately, Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones and
(see Shaping Places Summer 2014). It ran over May
Professor John Goddard (Newcastle University) were
and June 2014 and over the 19 days of the exhibition
invited by the Government’s Chief Scientist Sir Mark
received 2,400 visitors, hosted 24 free events
Walport to lead research into the trends facing the
authority, enterprise and business, and the voluntary
and involved 22 different partners ranging from
Newcastle city region as part of a national project
sector to forge stronger relationships and to boost
professional bodies, private sector organisations,
Foresight Future of Cities.
research-policy links.
Group. Chaired by Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones this comprises representatives of higher education, local
local authorities and artist run community archives, amongst others.
Tewdwr-Jones, M., Goddard, J. and Cowie, P. (2015), A Future for the City Region: Newcastle Urban Foresight, Newcastle City Futures, Newcastle University, Newcastle, which outlines the findings of the Foresight project and illustrates the role universities can play in shaping the future of the cities in which they are key institutions, is available from www.newcastlecityfutures.org
The Town Meeting: With localism now an established element within planning there is a growing need to understand its consequences for both planning and planners. However, it is often difficult to research community participation in planning in a systematic and robust way. Communities are diverse both in their
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Using theatre to explore how communities interact with the planning process The main aim of this project is to make academic research more democratic, accessible and relevant to communities.
composition and the planning issues they face. This
However, with the current seam close to exhaustion, there is growing uncertainty about the future and a difficult decision has to be made. The play is set on the eve of a crucial hearing when the audience, in its role as the town’s residents, must come up with a plan for Little Rikjord’s future assisted
project uses theatre as a way of overcoming these
The use of theatre as a tool for conducting
only by shambolic junior planning officer Benjamin
issues and at the same time seeks to co-produce
collaborative research, known as performance
Rennold (Brad McCormick).
research with communities through the production of
ethnography, is novel in the field of spatial planning
a new piece of theatre – The Town Meeting.
and these issues are particularly relevant at the
Little Rikjord is modelled on a real-life mining town in
current time with moves to ever greater devolution
Sweden – Kiruna - which is being moved 3km east to
in planning. The play has highlighted how the role of
allow iron ore mining to continue.
The Localism Act was introduced in November 2011. The aim of the act was to devolve more decision making powers from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils. www.local.gov.uk/localism-act
The Town Meeting was developed by Dr Paul Cowie
planner has changed in recent years, moving away from the role of expert to more of a facilitator or
The play has already been performed in seven
mediator in the planning process.
communities in the north of England and a further tour is being planned across the north. Later this year
The Town Meeting is set in the fictional Little
the play will also be performed in front of professional
Rikjord - a town in crisis. Voted most picturesque
planning officers who will take on the role of the
town in Great Doggerland four years running, it is
community.
an affluent and vibrant community which owes most of its wealth to an open cast iron ore mine.
PHD Successes
www.cap-a-pie.co.uk
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and theatre company Cap-a-Pie and draws upon research into neighbourhood planning outlined in publications by Dr Paul Cowie and Professor Simin Davoudi, Newcastle University. This research highlighted issues of democratic legitimacy in
Congratulations to the following people, who successfully passed their PhD Viva Voce in 2014-15:
neighbourhood planning and how neighbourhoods seek to represent themselves within the planning system. The Town Meeting builds on this by exploring how communities react to external pressures and represent themselves; rather than research participants the audience are co-investigators.
NI KETUT AGUSINTADEWI Transforming Domestic Architecture: A Spatio-temporal Analysis of Urban Dwellings in Bali MOHAMMED ALHAJI MOHAMMED Natural Ventilation: An Evaluation of Strategies for Improving Indoor Air Quality in Hospitals Located in Semi-Arid Climates ALI ARDESHIRI Evaluating Urban Services Using Economic Valuation Techniques: Towards Better Urban Environmental Quality and Promotion of Sustainable Development
Image credits/ Warm design (top), CUBESEDGE (middle), Audience feedback wordle (bottom)
OLUWAFEMI AYODEJI OLAJIDE Understanding the Complexity of Factors Which Influence Livelihoods of the Urban Poor in Lagos’ Informal Settlements
RACHEL GILL GALLO GONZALEZ Exploring the Relationship Between Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in 10-11 Year Olds and the Outdoor Physical Environment in North East England MANSOUR HELMI The Ability of the Local Planning Authority to Implement Zoning Regulations: A Case Study of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia LIZ JUPPENLATZ Rural Regeneration and Localism: A Case Study of Northumberland CHANDRIMA MUKHOPADHYAY A Comprehensive Approach Towards Transparency: Case Study on Highway Development Through Public Private Partnership (PPP) in India WIDO PRANANING TYAS Resilience, Home-based Enterprises and Social Assets in Post-Disaster Recovery: A Study from Indonesia RHONA PRINGLE Moving Towards Whole Settlement Energy Self-sufficiency in Rural Communities
Book Publications Reconsidering Localism Edited by Simin Davoudi & Ali Madanipour (Newcastle University) Routledge: 2015 ‘Localism’ has been deployed in recent debates over planning law as an anodyne, grassroots way to shape communities into sustainable, human-scale neighbourhoods. But “local” is a moving category, with contradictory, nuanced dimensions. Reconsidering Localism brings together new scholarship from leading academics in Europe and North America to develop a theoreticallygrounded critique and definition of the new localism, and how it has come to shape urban governance and urban planning. Moving beyond the UK, this book examines localism and similar shifts in planning policy throughout Europe, and features essays on localism and place-making, sustainability,
09 social cohesion, and citizen participation in community institutions. It explores how debates over localism and citizen control play out at the neighbourhood, institutional and city level, and has come to affect the urban landscape throughout Europe. Reconsidering Localism is a current, vital addition to planning scholarship. “This important and timely collection has been well crafted by its editors, both leading thinkers in the field of planning studies. The essays point to the possibilities but also the paradoxes inherent in the contemporary emphasis on localism in many national settings. In a context of seemingly intractable global environmental and economic crises the book’s critical emphasis on sustainability is especially pertinent and powerful.” Professor Brendan Gleeson, Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne
Engagement with the region directory
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The Global Urban Research Unit (GURU)
GURU has undertaken a great deal of
within the School of Architecture,
research in and around the north east
Planning and Landscape executes high
region and has recently compiled a
quality research and consultancy for
directory of completed research, which
a range of funding bodies. Its work
is available to view at:
is primarily focused on developing a
www.ncl.ac.uk/guru/publications/
better understanding of place and its
EngagementwiththeRegion.htm
potential transformation. GURU’s work is theoretically informed but applied, inter-
For further queries about the work of
disciplinary, and internationally focused.
GURU please contact: kim.mccartney@ncl.ac.uk
GURU’s work is organised around four
Image credit/ Matt Home
Cities, Security and Vulnerability
Cities and International Development
Planning and Environmental Dynamics
Power, Place and Materiality
design by morphcreative.co.uk
over-lapping themes: