Westlink M7’s Post

The Power of Pride in Regional Communities... There’s something special about regional communities and their deep-rooted pride in their towns. It’s more than just belonging; it’s a driving force behind growth, innovation, and development. Since moving to the tiny village of Central Tilba on the NSW far south coast six years ago, I’ve witnessed this firsthand in our village and throughout the region. When people are proud of their community, they invest in it, supporting local businesses, organising events, and advocating for new opportunities. This pride creates a ripple effect, attracting new residents, businesses, and visitors, driving sustainable development across the whole region. What’s amazing is that this isn’t fuelled by large-scale initiatives but by everyday people who believe in their town's potential, preserving its character while pushing for progress. This pride isn’t just about tradition; it’s about ensuring these regions thrive for future generations. How has regional pride boosted development in your community? 📷 Aerial view: National Trust Village of Central Tilba Image Credit: Davey Rogers Photography

Cllr Patricia Van Der Ross describes the newly launched Ebenezer SafeSpace in Green Point as “A caring approach since 2021” (see: https://lnkd.in/dhU2S9Ma). Kudos to the team on yet another great initiative 👏... But let's watch this space. My two cents is that the City needs to adopt a HOLISTIC, caring approach. While initiatives like the SafeSpace programme target the homeless, broader urban renewal and policy initiatives must also address the EXCLUSIONARY nature of redevelopment, especially in Cape Town. For instance, the proposed Incentive Overlay Zone aims to boost development in areas like Athlone, Maitland, Parow/Elsies River, Bellville, and Diep River (see: https://lnkd.in/dB3xFsBh). Has the City learnt from its PAST REDEVELOPMENTS, such as the Urban Development Zone (UDZ) implemented in the early 2000s in the inner-city of Cape Town, which resulted in high rates of EVICTIONS and residents being PRICED OUT of neighbourhoods? It is essential to pre-empt the potential impacts such developments could have on already struggling and vulnerable households, especially in areas where these overlay zones are intended to be implemented. From my experience working with inner-city neighborhoods in Cape Town, which have been grappling with high rates of evictions and residents being priced out, the community's sentiment is clear: “We're not anti-development, but we want to be included in it.” City of Cape Town and mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, how are you pre-empting potential DISPLACEMENT IMPACTS in these neighborhoods; AND are you including these vulnerable households in your planning and redevelopment processes in a MEANINGFUL way?

Trees in the ground is the only way that species will reach growth potential and contribute fully to BNG and greater environmental benefits - the street planter solution is often the go-to due to budgets and underground services but whilst this can be understandable in some retro-fit scenarios should never be the case for new developments and public realm projects.

Replacing an existing building with a new one is almost always more environmentally costly than rehabilitating the existing one. Look into what can be done to foster a culture to “#reuse and #recycle” when it comes to #buildings. #LocalGov

Courtenay Place Redevelopment With the shambles of Thorndon Quay as the closest thing the WCC has as a success, and the uncertainly of the future of the Reading Centre hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles, I say go slow before making a big blunder. I dread how much ratepayers' money will be spent before we know who the new owner is and what they want to do with the site. Imagine the ratepayers' fury if it all has to be dug up for the new owner, or closed off while they do their construction. With the economy turning the corner next year, and the Police doing foot patrols again, Courtenay Place may heal itself. If Council must do something let it, for now, be the minimally viable product. We may have to put it all back next year. https://lnkd.in/gP479P-5

Community benefit – providing something that benefits the community in return for being allowed to build more floorspace – has been a hot topic in recent years, albeit some of the benefit claims have been ‘rubbery’ at best. Here, in Bologna, a community benefit scheme has been running for around 900 years. A housing crisis back in the day precipitated a ‘deal’ that portici (that’ll be colonnades to us) be established to enable buildings to sail out over the edge of the street to deliver more floorspace and, in return, provide shade and shelter to pedestrians – a tangible and enduring benefit. The result is a city that is unique and comfortable. 62kms of portici means that apart from the inherent architectural elegance, you can pretty well walk from one end of the city to the other without getting wet or fried; something that is increasingly important in the context of a more severe climate …

Village halls are the heart of the community. Setting them up and running them can be complicated. This new handbook brings together the information and support you need to run successful, compliant and sustainable spaces. Find info on taking on a community space, governance, looking after your building, day-to-day running and more. https://bddy.me/3Sso9k6

We have now submitted our planning application for our regeneration scheme of 38-40 George Street, Oxford; where we are proposing a Premium Staycity 'Wilde' brand Aparthotel, Community Use space by Makespace Oxford and Public Realm enhancements. The proposal will contribute towards the city’s need for more overnight accommodation and community space, generate employment opportunities (with Oxford Living Wage as a minimum), and it will help advance a sustainable city centre ecosystem. We are looking forward to the next steps on this fantastic scheme with our project partners. Check out our key benefits for the scheme here. #Wilde #staycity #staycitygroup #Marickrealestate #MPS #Marick #MPSConsultantsltd #38GeorgeStreet #GeorgeStreetOxford #GeorgeStreet #Councilpartnership #Jointventure #OxfordCouncil #Oxfordcitycouncil #Oxfordcity #Oxford #Oxfordregeneration #construction #development #property #StudioMorenAssociates #ByrneLooby #Ayesha #HoareLea #Bidwells #Oxfordcitycouncil #Makespaceoxford #makespace #communityuse #communityusespace #planning #Communityengagement #socialvalue #andrewheselton #Patrickgoing #MatthewKimberley #JamesLaw #community #project #business #localbusiness #collaboration #socalvaluematters #Aparthotel #propping #temporaryworks #Conservationarea #sustainability #allelectric #oxfordproject #oxfordconstruction Andrew Heselton #millsandreeve #mills&reeve #planningperformanceagreement 

Giving a town's main streets back to people is probably one of the best things any place can do to rejuvenate its main street. Evidence from Clonakilty, Kildare Town and Dún Laoghaire suggests so. However, we still need more Irish examples to verify this and learn from. Resistance to moving away from car dominated streets can be incredibly strong. A few hard 'nos' can really impact/quieten the great majority of soft 'yeses'. The simple graph below represents my current thoughts on how new pedestrianisation/heavy pedestrianisation priority in a town's main street compares against continued car dominance. Effectively, with little comprehensive change to the main street it will continue to decline. By contrast, after conversion to pedestrianisation/heavy pedestrian priority there is an initial dip in prosperity caused by the change not suiting suit certain businesses (it is important to recognise that there will be some losers and provide some sort of assistance). After a reasonably short period of time, other businesses and services attracted by the environment take their places. Street prosperity then steadily increases as a virtuous cycle is created. Of course, any pedestrianisation/heavy pedestrianisation programme needs to be well planned and designed. I would appreciate any comments and examples of good practice in Ireland. Please forgive the slightly fuzzy graphic!

Want some hope and inspiration? Wondering if it is possible to change things from awful to beautiful? Then step away from what is at the top of your to-do list and spend 13 mins watching this video. To those who have opportunistically weaponised '15 minute city' in pursuit of political populism and profit, stop stealing people's dreams. Welcome to Le Plessis-Robinson - a municipality near Paris. “This town did the impossible! It was able to transform itself from a gloomy dispirited town, dominated by decaying concrete flats into a thriving, friendly and beautiful community”. Key to its success? "A steadfast mayor, a couple of visionary architects and sheer will". Seven critical success factors: 1️⃣ Long term vision is key – “this plan was not the result of just a couple of profit hungry developers” 2️⃣ Smart policies – use public-private partnerships 3️⃣ Urban form – “get the urban form right…from blocks to streets", “create a clear difference between private and public space” 4️⃣ Social housing can be beautiful – “Beauty and human dignity go hand-in-hand. Forcing those without any choice to live in ugly concrete boxes is unethical”, “the quality of the social housing is so high that you can’t even see that they are social housing from the outside” 5️⃣ More than just a park – “they created a true river ecosystem and boosted the biodiversity of the place enormously” 6️⃣ The walkable city wins – “shops and services are close enough so that people can walk or bike to fulfil their daily needs. It is a good example of the 15 minute city” 7️⃣ Beauty does matter – “The mayor of this town saw the importance of beauty as self-evident…slowly but surely the town became more pleasant, which started to attract more business, and increased people’s attachment to the place” Importantly: “The pleasantness of Le Plessir-Robinson was not random. It was designed” I watched the video today at the suggestion of a colleague in the Netherlands who was providing feedback on our draft 'Triple Access Planning - Handbook for Practitioners' (coming soon!). It resonated strongly even without mention of digital accessibility. Failing to plan is planning to fail. We need strong not weak planning. Focused on people and planet from which can flow prosperity. Not focused on narrow-minded profiteering. Planning success comes from the top and the bottom - a visionary leader and genuine consideration of the quality of life of those in social housing. Next time you come across someone bad-mouthing 15 minutes cities or 20 minute neighbourhoods invite them to indulge in some lifelong learning and watch this video. Beautiful futures are possible. This year over half of the world's population has the chance to vote in elections. Visionary leaders - make yourselves known! People, don't be fooled by false (profiteering) prophets - pick your leaders wisely and make your votes count for a greener, fairer more prosperous future. #15minutecity #leadership #tripleaccessplanning