Cura

Young people aren’t just looking for places to hang out, they’re creating them. 🌍 Turning online interests into real-world communities, bringing digital connections to life in ways that feel more meaningful and personal. Eventbrite calls these Fourth Spaces - places where Gen Z and Millennials connect over shared passions, form friendships, and discover new parts of themselves. 🔥 The research says:  • 84% of people at interest-based events say they’ve made close friends 🤝 • 45% feel a stronger sense of belonging and identity through these gatherings • 79% are drawn to events that mix different interests into something unique From supper clubs and comedy nights to board game meetups, craft workshops, cosplay events, and wellness hangouts, these spaces are reshaping how young people connect in real life. They’re bringing online passions - food trends, gaming, DIY culture, fandoms, or wellness communities -into physical spaces where friendships and identities can take shape. This shift speaks to a wider trend in placemaking. People want spaces that reflect who they are, not just where they are. For developers and councils, this is a call to rethink how we design, support, and programme social infrastructure. 💡 Jenni & Maryline #genz #placemaking #socialinfrastructure #community #cura

A simple woven mat, made from recycled rice bags ♻️, is transforming Bangkok’s Lan Khon Mueang town square into a place for rest, reflection, and urgent conversations about plastic waste. Designed by MVRDV for Bangkok Design Week, the Mega Mat is more than an informal gathering space - it’s a living infographic, mapping Thailand’s plastic waste crisis across 860 square metres of reclaimed material. Each coloured band tells a story: what is recycled ✅, what is lost to landfills 🚯, and what remains uncollected. This is circular thinking in action. The project doesn’t just repurpose waste; it shifts mindsets. By using familiar materials in new ways, Mega Mat invites people to engage physically and emotionally with an issue that is both local and global. And when the installation ends, the mats will continue their journey - donated to temples, used for yoga, or upcycled into new products. Regenerative placemaking starts with awareness. It thrives when design, material reuse, and community participation come together. Mega Mat is a powerful reminder that the spaces we shape can, in turn, reshape us. Jenni & Maryline #regenerativeplacemaking #circulareconomy #publicspace #bangkokdesignweek #sustainabledesign #plasticwaste #designforchange

As a female-led business, gender diversity, inclusion and parity is not only at the top of our place agenda but also a felt and lived experience. Ladies, girls, we celebrate you on IWD and every day. #placeinclusion #cura #genderequality #iwd

“A picture is worth a thousand words” - and so are stats. February was packed full of inspiring and impactful talks: ING Media's Innovative Breakfast Club on shaping playful cities, Future of London's latest report on Resilient Cities, and the The Academy of Urbanism (AoU)'s session on Quantifying the Value of Place. These discussions brought some striking stats to the forefront that are reshaping how we think about cities and spaces. Here are a few key figures to consider: 🔥 40 and 400 – In 2022, temperatures in London reached 40°C for the first time, leading to nearly 400 heat-related deaths. Heat resiliency and climate equity are rising to the top of the agenda. 🏡 90% – By 2030, 90% of the UK's housing stock is expected to suffer from overheating. How can we future-proof our homes for a warming climate? 👩🎨 25% – Children under 18 represent roughly a quarter of the UK population. How are we designing spaces that nurture creativity, risk-taking, and learning for young people? 🧒 95cm – The average height of a child. Urban95 is an incredible initiative that looks at urban life from the perspective of young people, helping citymakers create more inclusive, child-friendly spaces. 🏞️ 1.5 million – The UK government plans to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years. How will this increased density impact the quality of our public spaces? 📊 £15,500 – The value of a WELBY (Well-being Adjusted Life Year). Defined as a one-point change in life satisfaction for one person over a year,. The Treasury values one WELBY at approximately £15,500. Figures for thought… Jenni & Maryline

More than places of work, offices can actively contribute to the life of a city. 🌆 When offices become part of the urban fabric, they stop being just workplaces and become neighbourhood assets. This is regenerative placemaking in action, creating workplaces that work for both the people inside and the communities outside. A truly integrated office is one that contributes, as a place to meet, connect, and collaborate, not just for workers but for the wider public. 🏢 Active ground floors – Buildings with cafés, cultural spaces, and local retail create destinations that invite people in. 🌍 Shared green spaces – Publicly accessible courtyards, rooftop gardens, and biodiverse landscapes offer much-needed breathing space in dense urban areas. 🔗 Local partnerships – Workplaces that connect with schools, social enterprises, and businesses to offer space for events, mentoring, and community initiatives. Offices have a responsibility to be more than just efficient workspaces. When designed with social value at their core, they can strengthen local economies, enhance wellbeing of workers and communities, and foster deeper connections between people and place. Jenni & Maryline #futureoffice #regenerativeplacemaking #socialvalue #communityintegration #cura 📷 22 Bishopsgate

What if trees were treated as infrastructure, as essential to cities as roads, power lines, and transport networks? We can learn some lessons from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Through the FreetownTheTreeTown initiative, the city is tackling the issue of urban expansion and deforestation, proving that urban forests aren’t just a ’nice to have' but a vital part of climate resilience, biodiversity, and social equity. 🌱 950,000+ trees planted 🌍 1,500 hectares of urban forest restored 💼 3,000+ green jobs created 🎯 5 million trees targeted by 2030 And it’s not just about planting, it’s about long-term stewardship. Freetown has a “pay-to-grow” scheme, where local residents are employed to plant, nurture, and digitally track trees, including mangroves. Each tree is geotagged via an app, and the initiative is funded through a tree token system, where reforestation credits are traded on carbon markets. The Freetown model offers inspiration for regenerative placemaking, where green infrastructure isn’t just an afterthought but a fundamental part of urban design. Can we get ahead of the curve? Jenni & Maryline #regenerativeplacemaking #urbanforests #climateresilience #greencities #FreetownTheTreetown #cura

… the other way around never works.” 📚 In “A life between buildings”, his main body of work, #Gehl reminds us that building design - the Vertical - is only a means to an end. The end being the Place - the “Horizontal”, where life happens. 📈 Of course, buildings are crucial economic drivers for commercial development and it is expected that land owners and developers would prioritise their design… But what about public space? For us, #placemaking starts with gathering and unpacking the demographics and local stories that shape the vision. We use these insights to create user journeys that inform the place brief and its curation. One thing we know for sure is: People attract people. 💡 Who are the people you’re building for?  💡 What are their behaviours, preferences, habit?  💡 Where do they like to spend their time and money?  💡 Who are the local businesses embedded in the local community?  💡 What principles make your place stand out? ✨ From land bids to redevelopment projects, from city-wide initiatives to campuses, we apply our #regenerative placemaking principles to bring places to #LIFE - first. 🔔 Jenni & Maryline #cura #placedesign #publicspace #citymaking

An architecture that heals… "spatial wellbeing" Maggie’s Cancer Centres in the UK and beyond, have long understood the importance of creating spaces that enhance wellness and comfort. Across their centres, Maggie’s have successfully developed places that are unique and yet respond to the same philosophy: places that are designed to help recovery through fostering connections, to each other and to nature. Working with many well known architects, Gehry Partners, LLP, Zaha Hadid Architects, Heatherwick studio to name a few; they have imagined calm and friendly places where people feel reassured, comfortable and supported. Whether it is about large windows and natural light, private gardens, or welcoming spaces that balance privacy, interaction and comfort. We spotted a few key principles that guide Maggie’s architect briefs that felt closely aligned with our process at Cura. 🏘️ Understanding the relationship with the local communities, we start with local context, history and voices to make sure the project is integrated into the local fabric. 🧑🦽 🧍♀️ How will the buildings and public spaces will be used? We work with personas and user journeys to understand how people, not stats, will use the space through the day. This helps bring the vision to life and inform both design and activation. 🤩 Places should be beautiful. They should acknowledge and honour the journey people go through and support health and wellbeing. Jenni & Maryline #regenerative #healingdesign #cura #spatialwellbeing #health #placemaking

Why some places just feel right, and what storytelling has to do with it.   The spaces around us are more than bricks and mortar; they're narratives, shaped by history, culture, and lived experience.   But storytelling isn’t just about the history - it’s about the aspirations of a place too, and all those who have, and will, live, work, and visit. Stories permeates through every aspect of the place: the design, the activation, the naming, and the way a place continues to be used over time.   At Cura, we weave storytelling into every stage of our work, ensuring places don’t just function, but resonate. And the best stories start with deep listening, seeing, and experiencing.   📍 Why does storytelling in placemaking matter?   🔹 It makes places more valuable, socially and economically  Communities have always known that when a place feels significant, people want to be part of it. Historic England found that heritage-led regeneration delivers a 6:1 return on investment, proving that places with compelling narratives don’t just attract people, they generate long-term value. 🔹 It creates an emotional connection That feeling of walking into a place and sensing that it belongs - to its history, its people, its purpose. That’s storytelling at work. Research from Stanford shows people are 22 times more likely to remember information when told as a story rather than a fact alone.   🔹 It gives places identity and meaning According to the National Trust and Historic England, heritage-based storytelling can increase visitor dwell time by up to 30%. People are naturally drawn to places rich in meaning—it’s not just nostalgia, but a way of making spaces feel truly alive and rooted in something bigger.   Because when a place has a story, people don’t just use it - they belong to it.   What places have left a lasting impression on you because of their story? 👇 Jenni & Maryline #placemaking #storytelling #regenerativeplacemaking #urbandesign #communityengagement #cura

🌿 Reclaiming play, regenerating place 🌍 We often emphasise the importance of connecting with nature—yes, even in the cold! ❄️ But while much of the conversation focuses on adults and wellbeing, what about children? Research from The RSA (The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) is rather chilling: 75% of children spend less time outdoors than prison inmates, and access to wild play spaces has dropped from 40% to less than 10% in a generation. That’s why initiatives like the RSA’s Playful Green Planet matter 🌏. Their mission? To radically connect children with nature and community. By transforming underused urban green spaces into vibrant outdoor playrooms and classrooms, the programme fosters nature-immersed creative play while nurturing climate awareness and social activism. Play can have such a transformative power to strengthen communities and reconnect children with nature 🌱. Play isn’t just fun—it’s how we learn, connect, and imagine new possibilities. Whether jumping in puddles 🌧️ or building dens 🌲, children who are free to explore and experiment develop confidence, creativity, and a lifelong bond with nature. Investing in playful, green spaces is investing in healthier, more resilient communities—because healthy children grow into healthy adults. Let’s turn grey into green 🌾, passive spaces into active ones 🏞️, and isolation into connection 👫. Jenni & Maryline #regenerativeplacemaking #playfulcities #greenfutures #outdoorplay #communityledchange #playfulgreenplanet #cura