So this week I’ve been at the 6th annual congress of the Academy of Urbanism (‘Space, Place, Life’), this time in Glasgow. This year the theme was ‘neighbourhoods’, with several key issues afloat in pre-conference ‘provocation papers’—- which for a change I’ve had time to read, thanks to the long train journey across the Pennines to Preston & then up through the North to the True North (I mean Scotland). I’ve been a member of the Academy of Urbanism (AoU) for a few years, but I’m particularly interested at the moment because we’re just now setting up our own Academy—- The Orangery Academy—- for Yorkshire.
One theme is’ learning’, and how to go about regeneration of places by seeking learning/ education linkages and opportunities wherever they can be found. This has been part of our approach at Beam for some time. On a larger scale, though—- by doing this, apparently, and furthermore understanding how learning can link social with economic aims, and private with public sectors, the Finns have turned their whole country into a ’learning place.’ The UK still has some way to go…..

In summary, the main theme of this year’s Congress is about a 360 degree, sonar, radar, x-ray, and periscopic understanding of ‘place’. Good places have to be understood in the round and in depth, as whole places. Health, emotion, identity, self-worth, the stories of individuals and neighborhoods, are as important as economic audits, masterplans, and well-designed (let alone iconic) buildings. Understanding that place-making is more than economic development and design is a huge leap for many planners, architects, local authority and government economic specialist—- even self-styled urbanists—- and most in the UK have yet to make it.

Yet artists and artistic approaches to creatively ‘auditing’, exploring, and articulating ‘place’ and its people, have a huge track record in this country. In response to my question about this, successful social entrepreneur Andrew Mawson reiterates how finding the innate creativity in local people, and combining health centres and schools with art galleries, were key aspects of his success. I think the AoU may be missing a trick here—- and hasn’t yet given remotely sufficient attention to the role of the arts, artists, and creativity (the artist-in-people) in place-making.

More thoughts to follow…