North East Creators’ Post

Can a city be sexist? Our panel at the Public Spaces Expo concluded it absolutely can. Furthermore, the built environment sector has a critical role to play in designing spaces that are welcoming for all. So, what’s stopping us, and how can we overcome these barriers? ➡️ Sector confidence: 75% of Built environment professionals feel underconfident in how to engage communities. To combat this, Al Mathers of The Young Foundation made a convincing case for formally embedding participatory approaches into professional practice and into training – and for practitioners to reframe their roles as facilitators of place, not designers of place. ➡️ Community confidence: Future of London’s recent co-production report argued that true co-production can only happen when the power and knowledge are shared equally between all stakeholders. Jennie Savage FRSA of London Borough of Tower Hamlets highlighted that this approach ensures there is mutual respect for all types of expertise in the process: residents as experts in community and professionals as experts in placemaking. ➡️ Budget constraints: To engage with communities in a meaningful way, Dorréll Gayle-Menzie from Scott Brownrigg challenged the sector to think differently about investment, to think beyond a project-based approach of community engagement. He advocated for funding communities as long-term custodians of place. We will be exploring how the sector and communities can redefine ‘value’ in an upcoming workshop on 6th November (see link in the comments below for details). ➡️ Lack of diversity within the sector: The UK’s placemaking workforce is predominantly white, male, heterosexual, and able-bodied. Dr Bridget Snaith CMLI and Anna Odedun shared insight from their recent paper ‘Weeds, wildflowers and White privilege’ which points to the sector itself – asking us to reflect on the lack of diversity within our workforce. To get involved in our ongoing research into co-production in the built environment contact Hailey Sockalingam. To explore how your organisation can benefit from our Emerging Talent Programme to increase diversity in the sector get in touch with Elaine Cleland-Awity. #FutureOfLondon #PublicSpacesExpo

Accessibility extends beyond physical spaces - it encompasses digital and cultural realms. By addressing these three categories, we can create an environment that welcomes everyone. #AccessibilityMatters #InclusiveDesign #digitalaccessibility

BUSINESSES: Input into Manchester City Council's #OurManchester 2035 Strategy. This is the city's plan for the next ten years to make everyone part of the city’s successes.   In 2015, the council asked for people to imagine their dream #Manchester, and those ambitious hopes informed the 2015-2025 strategy. Its themes had equality, inclusion and sustainability running right through them.    Since then, Manchester has grown towards the vision of becoming a world-class city. But with setbacks like Covid and the cost-of-living crisis hitting hard, there’s still lots to do in tackling gaps in health, wealth and opportunity. Share your views and priorities to help shape the next 10 years of #OurManchester objectives. Take a few minutes to fill in this online survey: https://lnkd.in/eckpvKs4 Bev Craig Mark Fletcher

Hi friends (in particular those in Ontario and Quebec!). I'm hoping I can ask for your advice and a few suggested connections in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal! In the latter half of July, I'm planning a self-guided "mini-sabbatical" (aka "study tour") as I embark on deep exploration of collaborative governance structures and processes, collaborative leadership philosophies and practices, public/private partnerships, cross-sectoral / multi-disciplinary teams -- as applied to cities, metropolitan regions, and civic issues in general. I'm looking for suggested projects, community leaders, founders/board directors etc. from those three cities who created or lead collaborative approaches to solving the complex issues that cities and municipalities face. I don't mean collaboration on paper or joint press releases used for political points, I mean real sleeves-up, hands-in-the-dirt project work that is moving the needle on a local issue(s) by bringing diverse groups together and leveraging each other's strengths and resources. My passion for urbanism mostly applies to economic development (in particular: how can we create inclusive and vibrant economies within metropolitan cities that are aligned to our values and to 21st century challenges and opportunities). That stated, I believe - and have witnessed - that collaborative leadership as a philosophy and as a practice applies to many civic disciplines and issues/outcome areas. A lot can be learned from effective examples. Please DM or suggest people below! I'd really appreciate it! Good example of cross-sectoral collaboration that has evolved into many results and outcomes over the years: Toronto's City Summit Alliance started in 2002, now known as CivicAction - https://civicaction.ca/

Embedding culture in our towns and cities is important, not only for our local communities, but also for the health of our national economy.   However, arts and culture are facing significant challenges, not least because the primary source of investment from local authorities has almost halved since 2010 according to Campaign for the Arts.    On the bright side, ahead of the UK general election on 4 July, the major political parties have outlined key policies to support the cultural and creative industries in their manifestos. Aside from government support, a wide range of stakeholders also need to be on board to see the sector flourish in the long-term.    Alongside our Co-founder Oliver Goodhall and Senior Associate Eve Avdoulos, PhD, we travelled across the UK to speak to experts at the forefront of this, Manchester City Council’s Luthfur Rahman OBE and Culture Central’s Erica Love, as well as visiting various cultural production spaces and organisations in the sector including:    ⏺ Aviva Studios Factory International, Manchester  ⏺ Altogether Otherwise, Manchester ⏺ Turf Projects, Croydon ⏺ HARRI and Making For Change, Poplar Works, London ⏺ The Bond Digbeth, Birmingham Our conclusion? Culture is not simply consumed. Cultural production spaces play a significant part in the wider ecosystem of this sector and our economy, supporting skills and jobs as well as wider societal needs. It’s essential that our politicians, policymakers and everyone involved in the #builtenvironment recognises this, so that our cities can thrive now and long into the future.   Many thanks to Luthfur and Erica for their expertise, the cultural spaces, Poplar HARCA, The Trampery | Certified B Corp | and Oval Real Estate for allowing us access, and to videographer Dion Barrett and production by ING Media. More here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eEFS6VrG #culture #creativeindustries #ThamesEstuaryProductionCorridor #NorthernCreativeCorridor

“While the needs of cities and universities may be different, the solutions often find common ground in real estate.” In CBRE’s latest newsletter, EVP Michael McShea emphasizes the importance of collaboration between cities and universities to address shared challenges like housing shortages, economic growth, and revitalizing infrastructure. At AREY Group, our P3 Partnerships with institutions such as Mercer University and Central Georgia Technical College create housing solutions that benefit students and the wider community. By leveraging a university’s campus presence and our team’s real estate expertise, we develop projects that address the housing needs in their respective cities while fostering economic growth and community engagement. Interested in becoming a P3 Partner with AREY? We’d love to chat more. #WeAreAREY #AREYrocks #P3partner #publicprivatepartnership #multifamily #realestate

City Stories. Influential Leaders. Bold Strategies. Game Plans. Creative Policies. BEYOND 2024 brings you Creative Cities from MediaCityUK, Salford, where the last decade has seen a transformation of Greater Manchester's creative economy, now a key part of the north-west’s identity. This year, we explore the innovative potential of Creative Cities, using MediaCity’s story as a launch pad amidst a new era in UK government. What makes a world-leading creative city? With compelling stories from the UK and around the world, we’ll explore the building blocks and game plans that have brought creative cities to life. We'll hear how innovation can flourish, and how technology will shape our future city regions. We'll delve into the roles of creative networks, hubs, cultural and research institutions, talent pipelines, networks, policy and culture. We'll learn about bold strategies placing creativity at the heart of urban growth, the rise of new creative cities, and how they navigate the challenges of change. We'll also host BEYOND's largest ever showcases, featuring cutting-edge prototype projects and innovative R&D from the full breadth of the creative industries. Be a part of it, join us in November. Early Bird tickets available now, at a reduced price for a limited time. https://lnkd.in/gNXzuDwK #BEYONDconf #Salford #creativeindustries

Culture is driving the online visibility of the UK’s cities. Our analysis at ING Media reveals the power culture wields on a city’s investment prospects. Bradford, next year’s ‘Capital of Culture,’ leads the pack as the fastest-growing UK city for digital visibility. Notably, two of the top ten cities have previously held the title of UK or European capitals of culture. These cities leverage culture to enhance their profiles and punch above their weight in digital visibility. For the first time, we’ve explored the tangible communication benefits of City of Culture status: Bradford (2025): Already benefiting from next year’s title, it boasts the largest percentage growth in digital visibility in 2023. Coventry (2021): Climbing the ranks, Coventry secures the second-highest position in our overall digital visibility rankings. Hull (2017): Hull continues to lean on its cultural capital, experiencing frequent spikes in culture-related content. Londonderry (2013): Despite hosting a decade ago, it maintains the best population-to-visibility ratio. Download the full report here https://lnkd.in/etHdfkD4 #cities #ukcities #bradford #hull #londonderry

A great piece in GovInsider from #FOI2024 on the important contribution arts and culture make to economic growth and the health and wellbeing of city residents. Obviously the same applies in a regional town and village context. #culturalstrategies #localeconomy #healthandwellbeing #creativecommunities https://lnkd.in/gat2ku8T

Yesterday I was at City Hall participating in the Mayor of London’s Design Lab curated by David Kester. I participated in the launch last February - where is time going? We talked about workplaces, racism and recruitment. There were some exceptional examples of practice from across the City that are removing, unconscious biases and systemic barriers, thus enhancing recruitment and retention from diverse communities. I loved being in the room with so many great thinkers and having the oppertunity to share the work I helped start back in 2020 - Change The Race Ratio. Richard DeNetto the CEO shared that since its launch Change the Race Ratio has attracted over 115 signatories (FTSE350) who have all made a public commitment to the campaign. 📍 74% of respondents have set racial and ethnic minority targets for exco and exco minus one, with targets ranging from 10 - 20%. These are to be achieved on average by 2025 📍 The number of respondents to set Black representation targets for exco and exco minus one has doubled compared to the 12 months prior 📍 8 out of 10 respondents are either currently reporting or plan to report their ethnicity pay gaps. The Mayor of London commissioned a Design Lab to build integration and anti racist policies into recruitment processes that are holding back London’s talent and its opportunity to remain a city attracting and retaining diverse communities who are celebrated. It’s London’s global USP. This movement is a business imperative as the numbers of young talent staying or choosing London is decreasing; cost of living, immigration policies are making it difficult. There is a huge talent pool already living in London that do not see themselves part of the City. We can do so much more to bridge that gap. The collaboration between London Higher & business is another great example of a partnership for change, supported by brilliant leaders like Anna Purchas. Anyway, I think it’s a good time for the Design Lab to connect with Change the Race Ratio and London Higher. A chat on joining energy could prove hugely beneficial for our young people and for London. Link to the Design Lab https://lnkd.in/ghn-ScGY