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Developing Socially Productive Places Learning from What Works: Lessons from British Land – RSA Conference

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Developing Socially Productive Places Learning from What Works: Lessons from British Land – RSA Conference Developing socially productive places Learning from what works: lessons from British Land – RSA conference July 2014 Contents About this paper 3 Foreword 4 Planning, development and the power of communities 6 Conference summary: challenges for the built environment 8 Conference summary: learning from experience 11 Developing socially productive places 19 Further resources 22 Endnotes 24 Developing socially productive places 1 The RSA in partnership with 2 About this paper This paper reflects the insights generated David Bloy, British Land from the RSA’s conference on April 2nd Sarah Cary, British Land 2014 – Developing Socially Productive Places. Anna Devlet, British Land This project has been kindly Tim Dixon, University of Reading supported by British Land. British Land owns, manages, develop and finances a Rachel Fisher, National Housing portfolio of retail, office and residential Federation property across the UK Liane Hartley, Mend We are grateful to the following individuals who provided comments Joseph Kilroy, Royal Town on a draft, and to all the speakers and Planning Institute delegates who were generous in sharing Waheed Nazir, Birmingham Council their expertise at the conference and in subsequent conversations: John Parmiter, Peter Brett Associates Graham Randles, nef consulting Lisa Taylor, Future of London Ed Watson, London Borough of Camden Developing socially productive places 3 Foreword This paper explores the relationship public services,1 a concept created by which ultimately produce social and between the physical and social aspects of the 2020 Public Services Commission economic value. For example, a theatre community-building and place-making. and developed at the RSA. Socially is useless without the groups and It invites local authorities, developers, productive places are neighbourhoods companies which perform. communities and businesses to deepen and districts where people are enabled With some notable exceptions, their understanding of what makes places individually and collectively to meet the property and development industry good for people in the long term. their own needs and achieve their has struggled to quantify the value Content is drawn from a conference aspirations for issues which matter to of the relationship and the nature of organised by the RSA with the support them. They require a system of physical interaction between the ‘hardware’ of British Land and held in April 2014. assets – homes, streets, open spaces, and ‘software’ of socially productive Developing Socially Productive Places shops, workplaces and community places. Building assets for community brought together perspectives from facilities – which function together in use alongside development is often over 100 professionals from a wide ways that respect and broaden the social an afterthought; considered a social range of organisations. Drawing on and economic networks through which sweetener or an extractive tax on top examples of good practice, shared at we live, work and play. of the economic basis for development. the conference by expert speakers, we It can be helpful to see the system This is short-sighted. Long-term looked at approaches to policy making, of physical assets provided by the property value is driven by the long- engagement and metrics that might development industry as the ‘hardware’ term economic relevance of an asset. support a ‘socially productive’ built on which social and economic activity Remaining relevant in the long-term environment. takes place, from household to requires adaptability – the ability In essence, social productivity is multinational level. People, institutions, to support updated software. the additional social value that can be organisations and firms develop the Many have been trying for a long time created through better relationships ‘software’ applications: working to ensure that the development industry between citizens, society, business and arrangements and patterns of activity delivers the best possible impact and that 4 planning supports this. But experience Featuring examples from practice This paper challenges and shared at the conference highlighted the presented at the conference, Section 3 supports the next generation aspiration gap that remains. Fostering illustrates how progressive approaches culture change is not easy; the capacity can support socially and economically of developers and local to develop and apply innovative valuable outcomes at different stages authorities to develop new solutions is stifled in a climate where of the development process – from ways of working with public finances face unprecedented engaging communities in planning to pressure and developers are emerging evaluating impact on well-being. local communities and from years of market uncertainty. Section 4 draws conclusions from governments, outlining Reflecting on the different context for the evidence and outlines a long-term the value of insight into change in the public and private sector, agenda for generating the experience this paper challenges and supports the necessary to develop socially productive local networks next generation of developers and local places, and provides references to further authorities to develop new ways of resources. We conclude that progress will working with local communities and only be made if both public and private governments, outlining the value of sectors, individuals and community insight into local networks. groups, collaborate in new ways. Section 1 provides an on overview of Finally, we suggest several how planning and development relates opportunities to learn from existing to the communities and places which and emerging practice, which will inform host and support the process of change the RSA’s programme of work on place, in the built environment. Section 2 communities and public services. draws on the keynote speech of former housing minister Mark Prisk MP at the conference, to outline key challenges for the coming decades. A message from British Land, Chris Grigg Our research into 30 years of Our challenge is transferring We partnered with the RSA to learn development at Regent’s Place – a large what worked in Regent’s Place to how we can better invest our time central London mixed use campus – other cities and neighbourhoods. and resources into local communities, was an opportunity to explore what is How can we all demonstrate to local creating places that benefit local people. transferrable elsewhere. And the research communities that they will benefit did more than answer the question from physical investment? How can of whether a development created in we create organisations and community partnership with the local community partnerships which work with us to can create trickle-down benefits for that direct the shape and uses of places? And community. Crucially, it showed that are there other models of accountability these social benefits can also actually and transparency to consider? We are bring commercial benefits. also grappling with how we can improve the local economic benefits of our construction and property management activity; we want to explore better ways of supporting local jobs, production and skills. Developing socially productive places 5 Planning, development and the power of communities During a period when property values influence over the decisions that In some cases, the development are rising in most parts of the UK and affect us.2 and redevelopment of manmade development activity is picking up, a key The networks which link people environments is reflecting and driving concern of local authorities and other together into communities operate at social and economic change. For accountable bodies is that economic several scales, from local to global. example, in the UK, retail development growth must benefit residents while New technologies provide new platforms is changing in response to the growth improving public finances. for social and economic exchange at in internet shopping. We are seeing One dimension of developing socially a global scale, connecting people and developers add cultural facilities – productive places involves supporting places at an unprecedented speed. theatres next to office blocks and local people to engage with development cinemas and restaurants in retail parks as a means of addressing doorstep Global communication – and brands such as Asda adopting issues such as employment, transport trends are affecting planning a “community venturing” approach, and provision of health and education and development of the built forming partnerships with charities and locally. environment public services. There is also growing A socially productive place would Peer-to-peer, collaborative networks and sustained interest in the imperative build community capacity to benefit – empowered by new communication for buildings to reduce their contribution from and drive growth, and increase technologies –increasingly enable us to to climate change and their exposure to resilience to shocks and the ability to access resources and social networks, the risks climate change poses. adapt together to new circumstances. providing new platforms online and In other cases, planning and As demonstrated through the RSA’s offline for interaction. At the same time, development has been slow to adapt. Connected Communities’ programme many people are demanding ‘real life’ In a networked world, traditional models of action research, our social networks leisure experiences which are perceived as of ownership are being
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