In our back yards

Architects routinely work in collaboration with communities so they are ideally positioned both to help implement the Localism Act and to benefit from it, says Angela Brady

This is the year when localism moves from the desks in Whitehall and the benches of the House of Commons to a village hall near you. The Localism Act comes into effect on 1 April, bringing with it the government’s ‘bottom up’ approach and a more collaborative way of designing and planning large developments. The government sees the act as the best way to meet its ambition to raise the standards of design in the built environment.

The powers for communities to develop a neighbourhood plan will allow them to ‘shape the look and feel of their areas’ by making policies on the location, type and design of developments. Meanwhile, the new requirements force developers to engage with local communities on significant developments and use collaborative design techniques such as charettes and Inquiry by Design. This is where RIBA members can step in and help engage the public.

Grasp the opportunity
Whether or not localism really is the antidote to banal and poor quality development, there is no doubt that the desire to give communities a stronger voice means that local people will be able to demand more from the professionals who help shape our built environment. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for architects to use their skills and expertise to help communities create exciting and bold plans. We must act fast.

The legislation may be new but the main tenets of localism and the processes it uses –such as engagement and brief-making – have long been an essential part of the way many architects work (see right). So formalising such processes in statute may provide opportunities for those looking to diversify their business, extend their client offer and capitalise on their skills.

Localism needs design professionals to succeed, but the quality of the places created will depend on our ability to appropriately engage with local people and issues right from the start, designing ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ communities. Many architects already do this well.  It provides an opportunity for us to break down barriers, change attitudes and demonstrate the value of what we do, in a less remote way so people understand the difficult decisions and trade-offs that have to be made along the way.

Conversation pieces

It’s good to get involved
I interviewed five designers to mull over the architect’s role in delivering localism: Steve McAdam of Fluid/Soundings, Jane Duncan from Jane Duncan Architects, Daisy Froud (‘Participation’ at AOC), Doug Hughes of Hughes Architects and Hari Phillips from Bell Phillips Architects. All felt their experiences had been worthwhile, with many leading to new work opportunities and raising the profile of architects within the community.

What motivated you to start?
JD  I felt that I could make a difference. It was fantastic to work with a huge range of community members, but also a real opportunity to get known locally.   

DH  Working voluntarily allows a certain freedom to develop your own brief and to test whether you have your finger on the pulse of public opinion. It also allows us to make lots of new friends in the community!

DF We believe we get a better architectural outcome by engaging with and understanding the desires of the people who interact with the buildings and spaces to which we contribute.

Principles of good engagement
SM Every project is different, but what unites them is a desire to get out there and talk to people before any plans take shape. It is counter-productive to try and hatch a plan secretly and then foist it on locals. It’s better to recognise that the ‘public’ is a huge and relatively free source of knowledge, ideas and understanding which if tapped and empowered can help define a much better product, and is likely to garner local support and real sustainability. It’s not so much the architect leading the process, as facilitating, informing and focusing it, that will be the challenge.

DH  My advice is to change your language and don’t speak ‘fluent architecture’ as it turns people off. Don’t be too proud!
DF Bring vast amounts of energy, enthusiasm, and argument about why this is an important thing to do. Have a genuine curiosity to talk to people. This initial stage of a project is really important, so we map a strategy in advance and log all contact made and responses given. We have to work harder to involve younger people, and those who perhaps have less sense of having a voice or who are newer to an area.

Challenges and pitfalls
JD Everyone has their own agenda so bringing the key issues of built environment and sustainability to the fore requires really delicate political manoeuvring.

SM We have used community engagement in deprived and wealthy neighbourhoods equally successfully, but you do need a clear process that has been established or endorsed locally so everyone knows what is expected of them, when and to what accord.

HP The early stage of getting the neighbourhood forum going was frustrating, with too much petty politics, bureaucracy and infighting between groups. Architects need to be clear why they want to get involved in neighbourhood planning, how much resource they can commit, how much work they are prepared to do on a pro bono basis and what they expect to get out of it.

DH Always treat the process of engagement as a live, paid project, and not as a back up for when workload dries up. You need to be enthusiastic, even when you are exhausted by (often unpaid) input and resource. Milestones and momentum must be maintained to keep the interest of the community.

Are architects well placed to lead on community engagement?
SM This depends on the attitude of the architect. Many believe that as the professionals, with the requisite skills and experience, they don’t need to involve end users, local communities or local stakeholders in the design process. With that approach, there is little point pretending a social approach to design will work.

HP Architects have the perfect skills to help formulate and implement neighbourhood plans. But they need to work closely with others who have complementary skills.

JD Architects are used to being imaginative, pursuing large-scale strategies, communicating ideas and fighting for them. Our allies can be many and various if we are inclusive and listen. We have all the skills to become local champions.

Experiences of working with communities
JD I was surprised by how long it takes to get a strategic idea embedded into a community, find funding and make it happen – it’s years!

SM We’ve met groups who could run circles around the ‘professional team’ and who were often as well qualified academically as the best consultants. Design has to evolve accordingly. But that doesn’t devalue the architect, it just changes the way design is carried out, and draws on many incipient skills architects can offer.

DH I expected apathy but as soon as we started the conversation with the community we were amazed at their energy, willingness to help and resourcefulness, and the wealth of their ideas. Locals gave unique insight into why some ideas had not borne fruit in the past, so we didn’t go down too many cul de sacs and waste time.

The value of the process
JD  The benefits to practice are long term, and you have to put in a lot of hard work and be creative for your community before you obtain work. But as a result, our practice successfully tendered for several local community projects.     

DH We have generated many new projects from this work – not necessarily locally, as word has got out that we are a practice that listens.

HP There are several opportunities emerging as a result of our work on the plan.

SM The most important thing is to understand that a collaborative approach to design does not diminish the role of the architect – it makes it more complex and demanding. It requires an open-mind that does not decry the role of the ‘public’ in co-design. We have had fantastic input from youth groups, amenity groups, tenants and residents associations, artists, planning consultants and pressure groups. Al add something – helping this happen is one of the best things we can contribute. n

See the full interview at www.architecture.com/localism
Twitter.com/angelabradyRIBA

RIBA Localism guides
The RIBA’s recently published Guides to Localism: Opportunities for Architects, outline how the role of the architect may change under the new approach to planning, and highlight the crucial part they must play in helping communities to understand the potential of their local built environment. The guides draw on the practical experience and expertise of architects and expertise that exists in the profession, and outline key principles.

For further reading about localism, and to download the above guides, visit architecture.com/localism.
Localism: what does it mean to you? The RIBA is keen to hear from members with their questions, thoughts and suggestions at public.affairs@riba.org