We Made That

It’s #BCorpMonth and we’ve published our new Impact Report. 2024 brought political change to the country. At the ballot box, the country returned the first Labour government in 14 years. Yet there was also a certain pause – perhaps an intake of breath – before action, understandably reflecting a new era of decision-making at national, regional and local levels. Our third Impact Report covers 2024 and we have reflected on what it means to work together, not just within the practice, but with partners, collaborators and communities across: • 9 urban research studies • 23 strategies and masterplans • 22 public spaces and buildings • 7 design advocacy roles We deepened our work with returning clients and increased our partnership working with wider consultant teams. In London, across the Thames estuary, in west midlands towns and in places across the north west, we’ve been anchored by strong relationships with communities and clients. This is reflected in an increase in the proportion of our projects for repeat clients, up to 78% from 70% the year before. We’ve also been working in new places. #Bristol, #Coventry, #Weston-super-Mare, #Wigan and #Malmö, Sweden are all places with an independent and vibrant spirit. Everywhere, our collaborators have been welcoming. These have all brought us into closer contact with change-makers doing things in many different ways. We carry these valuable lessons with us across all of our projects. Read our Impact Report 2024: Citizenship as a verb 👉 https://lnkd.in/eR96qsJH #BCorpMonth #Impact Featuring partners and collaborators: PRD, Civic Engineers, Useful Projects, Graham Harrington, Place Services, Stockdale, Turf Projects, Croydon Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, City of Wolverhampton Council, BOSP (Brighter Opportunities for Special People) ⭐, ekosgen, GC Insight, Wigan Council, London Sustainable Development Commission, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Greater London Authority, Steer, Cushman & Wakefield, London Borough of Newham, Professor Clare Rishbeth, Dr Hanna Baumann, Annabel Precious, Tiffany Lam, Mary-Helen Young, Tasnia Alam, Joseph Cook of UCL Citizen Science Academy, Transport for London, Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC), London Borough of Hackney, Kjellander Sjöberg, Förstberg Ling, Ramboll, Leela Keshav, New Architecture Writers and B Lab UK

Breathing in clean air and access to green and blue spaces are a given, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case in many communities across the UK. Is progress fast enough in our existing places, and are we setting ourselves up to build new homes that will support healthy lifestyles? Our first ‘Right to Place’ roundtable in partnership with Key Cities saw us gather local authorities, public sector bodies, educational institutions, and consultants in #Trafford to share insights, ideas, and success stories for creating healthy cities for all. With representatives from #Bradford, #Salford, and #GreaterManchester, we heard about different cities’ initiatives and learnings from the processes in creating healthier cities for all communities to benefit from. Everyone agreed that this doesn’t come without its challenges. However, we picked out some key pieces of advice that can help move the process along. 💬 Don’t be afraid. Starting new projects to improve health and wellbeing can unravel opposition from community members, but this shouldn’t prevent planners, developers, and designers from persevering, as everyone will reap the benefits. 💬 Trust and communication are key. Local authorities and councillors must ensure their communities understand what, why, and how any intervention in their area will improve their health and wellbeing. 💬 Be clear on the case for intervention. Having robust evidence and demonstrating impact can help to secure all-important funding, whilst also winning over naysayers. The Government is committed to its ‘biggest building boom in a generation’, so it’s crucial that we bridge the gap between significant public and private spending and tangible returns for our communities to ensure that every investment contributes to healthier, more vibrant cities for all. Thank you to all our attendees: Holly Lewis, Tom Fox, Anna Wiley, Peter O'Hare, Shanaz Gulzar, Eve Holt, Mike McCusker, Dr Saira Ali FLI, Sam Hayes, Leah Stuart, Kelly-Marie Rodgers. Read more about Right to Place here https://lnkd.in/eCdiZXVC #healthycities #cleanair #infrastructure #regeneration #inclusivity #spatialjustice #activetravel 

Svenska nyheter! 🇸🇪 We’re thrilled to share that Holly Lewis will be included in the Malmö Pool of Experts, joining an incredible group from across the built environment industry. The Pool of Experts brings together diverse voices from architecture, urban planning, sustainability, mobility, and more to ensure transparent, inclusive, and innovative city development. Experts will contribute as jury members, advisors, and consultants, shaping the future of Malmö. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the brilliant city of #Malmö after working with Kjellander Sjöberg and Förstberg Ling last year! Finn Williams Malmö stad #UrbanPlanning #SustainableCities #Architecture #CityDevelopment #Malmö #Stadsutveckling #Stadsbyggnad #Stadsplanering #Arkitektur

It’s not often that as an architecture and design practice you get the opportunity to collaborate so closely with an academic. While we frequently engage with academic researchers through projects, opportunities for deeper, longer-term hands-on experimentation are rare. Thanks to an Innovation Scholar research grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Humanities Research Council UK, we had the chance to work with Professor Clare Rishbeth on a year-long exploration of participatory methods in urban design practice. Clare Rishbeth, a Professor in Landscape Architecture at the The University of Sheffield was seconded to We Made That for a year. The result? ‘Feelings in Place’ methods guide for emotional honesty within community engagement processes which you can download here: https://lnkd.in/ef5zivWD 💡 Acknowledging mixed emotions about different places can counter stereotypes and stigmatisation. 💡 People’s ‘feelings in place’ need to be heard and shared in ways that are honest and respectful. 💡 Who is included and what happens next are both important. 📖 Read more about the practical and effective ‘Feelings in Place’ methods: Multisensory scanning, emoji storytelling, and working with community researchers. #FeelingsInPlace #SpatialJustice #CommunityEngagement #Placemaking #UrbanDesign #ResearchInPractice #partnership 📸 Nina Robinson

This #InternationalWomensDay we wanted to give you your yearly reminder that no amount of lighting is going abolish the patriarchy. … But you can catch Holly Lewis in conversation with David Taylor, Editor NLA talking about redefining safety for women and girls in the city. 5 Minutes with…https://lnkd.in/eB2msqbc … Or read Helen Parton’s article for RICS Modus magazine and her talking to our team about where women have often been overlooked in the creation of the built environment, but that new projects are highlighting their achievements and amplifying their voices in modern surveying practices including women’s safety audits. https://lnkd.in/eNqKmTqA … Or find out more about the outcomes of the women’s safety audits pilots in Architecture Today and what moves architects can make based on its findings. https://lnkd.in/eV-R4a4J #IWD2025 #UrbanDesign #SaferCities #WomenInArchitecture  📷 Nina Robinson 

How can creativity and culture contribute to building a more local, inclusive economy on our high streets? Last week Future Leaders pitched ideas for creating inclusive economies and this is the question raised by our team member, Silvia Commisso, Senior Urban Designer, in her proposal “Making Creativity High, on the High Street” at the Future of London #FutureofLondonLeaders graduation, where she took home the audience award for ‘Best Pitch’. Securing an affordable, suitable, and secure workspace is a significant challenge for many creative practitioners, due to intense competition, limited availability and high rents. Silvia reflected on the recently introduced ‘High Street Rental Auctions’ policy, suggesting further actions that governments and councils can take to support creative practices by repurposing vacant shops. Central to her vision is providing support and priority to activities that deliver high social value, not just commercial profit, creating a high street that nurtures inclusivity, diversity, and local economic growth. Read all the inclusive economies proposals here: https://lnkd.in/eqnU53Yb 👏👏👏 Congrats Silvia 👏👏👏 and all the Future London Leaders cohort! #InclusiveEconomy #FutureofLondon #FLL38 

How can participatory research methods help us understand ‘feelings in place’—and, more importantly, how can they drive meaningful change in practice? Join Professor Clare Rishbeth (The University of Sheffield) and Holly Lewis (Co-founding partner, We Made That) as they explore how academic research methods can be adapted for real-world impact. This will feature the methodological approaches developed through Clare’s recent secondment to We Made That for a year-long research partnership funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) UK that focused on integrating lived experiences into placemaking and regeneration. 📢 Feelings in Place: Methods to Progress Spatial Justice 📅 Tuesday, 11th March 2025 🕔 5pm – 6.30pm 📍 Floor 13, Arts Tower, University of Sheffield Free and open to all. Book your place here: https://lnkd.in/epZJ85GA 📷 Nina Robinson #SpatialJustice #Placemaking #UrbanDesign #ResearchInPractice #Sheffield

The final Thames Estuary Production Corridor Road Maps for Growth webinar is taking place in just one week.    Join the Road Maps for Growth webinar to discover more about these resources and how culture and creativity can create a bright future for the Thames Estuary on Tuesday 25th February, 1pm – 2pm.    The webinar aims to set out the tangible actions and partnerships which can further support the role of the Thames Estuary as a globally significant hub of Creative and Cultural Production. Secure your free spot here:  https://lnkd.in/eZ8qCBGw Thames Estuary Growth Board We Made That 

It’s time to maximise the positive impact that culture brings to our cities. We Made That and Field Art Projects are deep into developing a strategy on behalf of Bristol City Council to ensure public art and cultural activation in #Bristol city centre and the neighbouring Frome gateway area that supports long-term regeneration goals and aligns with existing policies and guidance.   Bristol City Council is already on the front foot when planning for culture through its policies locking in the delivery of new space for culture and community and public art, and area strategies that frame culture as a key ingredient in the future of the city. Building upon this strong political and corporate position, we have engaged with local stakeholders across the two areas of growth and regeneration to co-define how public art and cultural activation can create economic, social and environmental value in surrounding communities. The developing strategy seeks to address key challenges such as maintaining the vitality of the city centre through a period of significant change and disruption, broadening the reach of public art and cultural programming to meet the needs of existing communities, and providing the means to allow existing community and cultural organisations to thrive. Watch this space. 👀 📷 The Green Way Project Design West in partnership with Graft Bristol, St Pauls Learning Centre, St Pauls Adventure Playground Ape Project Cic and Bristol City Council #Bristol #publicart #culturalactivation #participation #culturalstrategy #socialimpact

Who’s right, what right, and where’s that right? Thomas Aquilina writes in The Developer and Festival of Place about taking a human rights-based design approach in an attempt at finding a common language to understand spatial justice. He makes the case for embedding rights – to fresh air, to feel safe, to a stable home – into the foundations of urban planning and regeneration. The incomplete list of ‘rights to place’ is not about meeting basic standards but about making clear demands for collective rights. If we don’t design with rights in mind, we risk reinforcing inequalities rather than dismantling them. Thanks to Christine Murray for featuring this important conversation. Read his piece here  👉 https://lnkd.in/e7xnkpfx Thomas Aquilina is a senior associate at We Made That. He is also an associate professor and co-director of Spatial Justice at the The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. #spatialjustice #equitableplaces #rights #righttothecity