The passage of the Localism Act gave broad new planning powers to local communities across the UK. A new project seeks to build a bottom-up planning culture to take advantage of new opportunities.
"Seizing power from central government and putting it in the hands of the people, who would dutifully come together, magic markers in hand, to draw up neighbourhood plans, sounded nothing short of revolutionary," writes . "Yet more than a year later, not many of these 'local people' are sure how it works. Even to many planners, the finer points of neighbourhood planning remain a mystery."
"A new project at London's Architecture Foundation, masterminded by young architecture practice We Made That, aims to tackle this problem and put the workings of localism on public show for all to explore – and take part in."
"We were fascinated by the fact that communities were being given the power to write their own future, and yet they weren't being shown how to do it," says Holly Lewis, co-director of the practice with Oliver Goodhall. The product of their interest is The Open Office, "a live project space, part 'Citizens Urban Advice Bureau', part functioning practice," that will temporarily occupy the Architecture Foundation's street-fronting gallery in Southwark.
"The Open Office may only be a short-term one-off initiative," says Wainwright, "but it looks set to raise important questions about the future of participatory planning, and help unravel what the opaque implications of the localism act actually mean."
FULL STORY: The Open Office: a drop-in centre for neighbourhood planning
In England, Politics Pervade New Community Planning Initiative
When the Localism Act was adopted in 2011, local communities gained broad new planning powers across the UK. But as recent events in one London suburb demonstrate, politics and ideological conflict have found a home in the participatory process.
A Better Way to Plan School Facilities
Taking a wider view of communities could help keep schools open despite falling enrollment.
Rebuilding Together: How One Baltimore Program Advanced Education and Community Development
When Baltimore got funding for a round of school renovations, the state directed it to design schools that would also advance neighborhood revitalization — and it learned some lessons about why that's not always so simple.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Downtown Los Angeles on the Rise: A Promising 2025
Fueled by new developments, cultural investments, and a growing dining scene, downtown Los Angeles is poised for significant growth in 2025, despite challenges from recent wildfires and economic uncertainties.
San Francisco Slow Streets Bucks Citywide Trend, Reducing Injuries by 61 Percent
Low-cost interventions aimed at slowing traffic are making a major impact on road safety.
How Single-Family Conversions Benefit Both Homeowners and Cities
Converting single-family homes to triplexes can ease the housing crisis and offer affordable, flexible options for more households. Why is it largely illegal?
Report: Transportation Equity Requires More Than Electrification
Lower-income households often lack the resources to buy electric cars, signaling a need for a more holistic approach to improving mobility and lowering transportation costs.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research