Information Service IN FOCUS MARCH 2014
Delivering better places by design: lessons from major events The use of major events to support regeneration and drive positive economic, social and environmental benefits within surrounding communities is a well-established strategy. Lessons on how to do this effectively have emerged from the experience of sporting and cultural events of all sizes – from mega events like the Olympic Games to smaller, individual music festivals and sporting events. This briefing from the Idox Information Service explores this issue. We look at: • The links between major events and urban renewal; • Evidence that major events can be used to drive wider economic, social and environmental benefits; • What other places can learn about transforming communities, from experiences in major events in London, Glasgow, Manchester and Melbourne.
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Linking major events and urban renewal Great placemaking is built on collaboration. By bringing people together through design it is possible to develop a shared vision for creating better places. Major events, such as the Commonwealth Games, create a buzz among local residents that can be used to create conversations and a shared understanding about how they want their communities to be. An evaluation of the Manchester Commonwealth Games (Ecotec, 2006) identified a number of success factors for using major events for renewal: • To be sustainable in the longer term, the initiatives stemming from a major event need to be ‘owned’ by communities and partners and championed from within; • One thing guaranteed to lead to disappointment is to overplay the benefits that local communities are likely to receive; • When encouraging community involvement, effort needs to be put in to targeting the most socially excluded and hardest-to-reach groups; • Initiatives should build on existing programmes rather than being ‘parachuted’ in; • Event-themed social and economic regeneration initiatives should build upon,
and connect with, any physical and infrastructural legacy; • Effort should be made to ensure positive impacts are geographically diffused across target areas; • Legacy initiatives are most successful when they are used to assist, and accelerate, the achievement of preexisting goals.
• Define expectations for design quality in strategy documents, masterplans, planning documents and individual project briefs to secure the quality of the outcome; • Create a distinctive destination through the strong spatial quality of the public realm, and the character and setting of the buildings within it.
The creation of high-quality places is central to the potential for events to act as a catalyst for further regeneration. Lessons from London 2012 showed that the opportunities for economic and business development on key sites only succeed in terms of renewal if they link up with surrounding areas (London East Research Institute, 2009). It also suggested that for any renewal project it is important to: • Set high aspirations, but make sure they are deliverable and pragmatic; • Use efficient design to maximise the benefits of limited investment and minimise waste; • Respond to the context to create a distinctive new identity as the basis for regeneration; • Create a forum that represents different stakeholder interests (such as access and inclusion) to resolve conflicts between competing objectives; • Address critical issues before planning applications are submitted;
The aims of placemaking and community building are complementary but also potentially contradictory. The planning of major events can risk focusing public realm and infrastructure improvements on activities to support tourists rather than existing communities. It is also important to recognise that good design and placemaking does not just relate to physical infrastructure and buildings. By embedding design excellence in all renewal or community initiatives, it helps ensure delivery of social, economic and environmental benefits. For example, access for people with disabilities is a key design lesson from previous major events. For the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, an Equal First strategy aimed to integrate accessibility into every aspect of planning for the Games (Insight Economics, 2006).
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