Supporting Great Places Malmรถ
We celebrate and learn from great places... The Academy of Urbanism is built on the expertise and engagement of over 500 leaders, thinkers and practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds.
We embrace city management and policy making, academic research and teaching, development planning and design, community leadership and urban change-making, arts and cultural development, infrastructure and engineering, property law and management, politics and media. Our mission is to recognise, encourage and celebrate great places across the UK, Europe and beyond, and the people and organisations that create and sustain them. We work with places to identify and reinforce their strengths, and recognise constraints on greater success.
Prof Rachel Cooper OBE AoU Distinguished Professor of Design Management and Policy Lancaster University “Places and spaces are important to everyone. How we design and create places must embrace a diversity of expertise in the social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political aspects of our cities, towns and villages, to ensure excellent design and policy making. The Academy of Urbanism is a driving force for bringing together everyone concerned and engaged with spaces and places. Exchanging insights and knowledge between professional practitioners, academics, communities and policy makers is essential to ensure we live in flourishing places, The Academy of Urbanism is an inspiring network that influences the future of places and spaces.”
Steven Bee AoU Chairman The Academy of Urbanism “Our growing network of experienced, spirited and influential Academicians has an international reach and embraces a wide range of perspectives on what makes places great. Our approach to learning and understanding is rigorous, independent and energetic. The Academy enables its members and supporters to engage with each other and with the ever-increasing number of places which seek and receive our attention and involvement. Our aim is to ensure that the spaces we create can attract and accommodate the activities that will turn them into vital and distinctive places.”
Debbie Aplin AoU Managing Director Crest Nicholson Regeneration “I have been an active member of The Academy of Urbanism since its inception and it has been wonderful to see how the network has grown in terms of its fellowship, learning and recognition of great places. The Academy appeals to the cross section of the development industry, from architects to conservationists to developers to ecologists to urban planners. The Academy holds various workshops and seminars on issues currently challenging the successful delivery of excellent placemaking across the UK and Ireland. In addition its influence is recognised not only in these countries, but across Europe too.”
...through cross-discipline networks and activities. Developing Academicians A broad and diverse network of over 500 leaders, thinkers and practitioners engaged in the social, cultural, economic, political and physical development of our villages, towns and cities.
Young Urbanists Bringing together people setting out on a career in urbanism; helping them to understand and embrace the range of influences on successful places.
Regions & Nations Supporting local networks of Academicians and Young Urbanists throughout the UK, Ireland and beyond, through informal discussion groups, seminars, conferences, study tours and debates.
Graduate Development Providing a structured introduction to the wider context of urbanism for new built-environment professionals.
Congress An inspiring, thought-provoking and entertaining opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from the latest thinking and activity of leading urbanists from around the globe.
Events Many events and activities are held across the UK and Ireland to engage Academicians, Young Urbanists and Academy friends with place-based learning.
City X-Rays Exploring the techniques to measure the quality, potential and success of places. Creating a shared understanding of quantitative and qualitative urban practice.
Learning Urbanism Awards Annually recognising great cities, towns, neighbourhoods, streets and places that have achieved notable success in their economic, social and cultural vitality. Partnering
Disseminating and engaging
Diagnostic Visits Using Academicians’ expertise and ‘action learning’ to help those responsible for places gain a better understanding of the elements that help or hinder their success.
Urban Laboratories Instigating and energising strategic partnerships between civic professional and academic interests to achieve more successful urbanism.
Publications Disseminating our combined learning and insight through our Journal, our Learning from Place series, published by Routledge, and our growing on-line archive.
knowyourplace An online platform for information and ideas about places. Search, retrieve, upload and engage, taking advantage of social and digital media to expand the boundaries of urbanism.
Get involved Sir Terry Farrell CBE AoU Partner Farrells “The influential work of the Academy – up and down the country – is something I have seen as critical to bolstering the importance of urbanism. This is the century where we are recognising as a culture that urban design and placemaking are the fundamental building blocks of any successful and sustainable community. I was especially grateful for the reach and diversity of the Academy’s network, who played a key roll in attending and contributing to workshops for the independent Review of Architecture and the Built Environment that I have led.”
Join the Academy If you are, or know someone who is, expert, experienced and enthusiastic about urbanism then please contact us to find out about how Academicians are nominated and selected. If you are a student or a younf professional then you may wish to join our Young Urbanist network. Sponsor the Academy Support one or more of our programmes of developing, learning, partnering and disseminating.
academyofurbanism.org.uk
Rosie Haslem Young Urbanist Consultant, Spacelab “I’m passionate about urbanism and love ‘learning from place’ – the key tenet of the Academy – and so it was a fantastic opportunity to be so involved in helping open up the Academy to more young people who are equally as passionate about cities. It has been very exciting to shape this new entity, and I look forward to seeing it move forward and grow!”
The Academy of Urbanism 70 Cowcross Street London EC1M 6EJ United Kingdom For more information please contact Linda Gledstone Director of Operations +44 (0) 20 7251 8777 lg@academyofurbanism.org.uk www.academyofurbanism.org.uk @TheAoU Join our LinkedIn, Facebook & Flickr group pages by searching The Academy of Urbanism