SPATIAL DESIGN THE ROLE, LEADERSHIP INSTRUMENTS AND IMPACT OF STATE ARCHITECT TEAMS IN FOSTERING (OR SIMILAR) SPATIAL QUALITY AND A PLACE– MAKING CULTURE ACROSS FIVE EUROPEAN STATES JOÃO FERREIRA BENTO TERPSI LAOPOULOU Honorary Research Fellow Research Assistant This analysis was contracted by Acknowledgements Suggested citation Tallinn, 2019 the Strategy Unit of the Government This report has been informed by Bento, J., Laopoulou, T. (2019). Office of Estonia and funded under all the interviewees, including the Spatial design leadership: The the Operational Programme for state architects and the directors role, instruments and impact of Cohesion Funds 2014–2020, in the five European States, state architect (or similar) teams priority 12 “Administrative capacity”, listed in Chapter 2, as well as by in fostering spatial quality and SUMMARY objective 12.2 “Improving the helpful comments from Barbara a place-making culture across quality of policy-making”. Feller, Gerhard Jagersberger five European states. UCL and Veronika Valk-Siska. Bartlett School of Planning. The design quality of our buildings and places has a tect teams have long been established in several coun- direct effect on people’s quality of life. tries and states around the world, in several others, the Bartlett School of Planning, UCL State Architect and their supporting team is a relatively 14 Upper Woburn Place London WC1H 0NN Although the importance of design quality in achiev- recent position within public administration. In addition, UK ing a more sustainable urban development has been in the European landscape, this is still the exception recognized in several international declarations, in most and mostly a northern European phenomenon. metropolitan and urban peripheries, places with good spatial quality continue to be the exception rather than To better understand the impact of spatial design lead- the norm. Acknowledging that this situation is socially ership in processes of design governance, it is rele- and ecologically unsustainable, one of the main chal- vant to clarify the specific contribution of a State Archi- lenges ahead is how to change the current system of tect (or similar) team and examine whether or not it can production and its embodied values, so as to produce effectively improve the role of the state in promoting more sustainable, economical and socially equitable high quality environments. Additionally, little is known built outcomes. on the role and competences of a State Architect team or similar unit whose aim is to push for better develop- In the European panorama, the public sector already ment outcomes – for instance, on the different design has a great influence on the design of the built environ- policy tools they have at their disposal and their impact ment, either by planning policy or by developing control extent. systems, and thereby involving almost all sectors and levels of the state. This means that it is crucial to better Therefore, this research’s main objective is to under- co-ordinate and reconcile design policy across many stand how spatial design leadership and spatial aware- different areas and priorities. Furthermore, the design ness (to arrive at more informed political decisions) is quality of places may be regarded as a ‘wicked prob- being delivered in different European states through lem’ as it is determined by a huge number of actors, the formation of State Architect (or similar) teams, or public and private, and is the result of embedded social through other means. More precisely, it will be devel- norms and cultural values. Considering its social and oped a comparative analysis of the roles, instruments complex nature, it is necessary to create a favourable and impact of State Architect (or similar) teams across climate for good spatial design through a diversified five European states: Denmark, Ireland, Scotland policy agenda that covers a wider spectrum of areas. (United Kingdom), Vienna (Austria) and Flanders (Bel- gium). In some of those states, there is a State Archi- Departing from a broad view on public policy, this tect office in place, while in others the system operates research assumes that state intervention is a necessary in other ways and through other instruments. condition. Although the strength of the state appears to be somehow diminished, it is widely accepted that Following an inductive research strategy, this study the state continues to play an important role in society, examines the operational system in place in the above namely in market regulation and in the steering of soci- mentioned states, be it by a State Architect teams, or etal goals, place-making being no exception. To do so, any other form of an advisory expert group that pro- the role of the state has extended to a new dimension: vides the state with expertise on architectural and spa- besides defining the regulatory framework, it also takes tial design policy, as well as other relevant actors. After an active role of leadership, disseminating a message gathering information on existing stakeholders, the of quality and promoting the general public’s apprecia- study proceeds to a comparative analysis on the main tion of architectural, urban and landscape culture. differences and similarities across the five case stud- ies, allowing the extraction of policy lessons about the In this context, several countries and states have different experiences and the added value of having a appointed a State Architect (or similar) team within State Architect (or similar) team. Finally, conclusions their administrations to provide design leadership and are drawn on the role and impact of state design cham- strategic advice to government to improve the design pions on processes of design governance and the of public constructions, promote spatial quality and importance of a strong and committed governmental foster a placemaking culture. Although State Archi- spatial design leadership for achieving better places. SUMMARY 4 TABLE OF 1. INTRODUCTION 8 5. SPATIAL DESIGN 8. CONCLUSIONS 90 CONTENTS 1.1 Context LEADERSHIP IN 8.1 The role of and instruments of State 1.2 Research questions Architect teams 1.3 Aims PRACTICE: FIVE 8.2 The impact of State Architect teams 1.4 Spatial design as a holistic concept 8.3 Spatial design leadership: CASE STUDIES 30 pursuing a design agenda 2. RESEARCH 5.1 The Irish case 5.2 The Scottish case 9. REFERENCES 94 APPROACH AND 5.3 The Flemish case 5.4 The Viennese case METHODOLOGY 12 5.5 The Danish case 10. AUTHORS 2.1 Research approach: a cross-national comparative inquiry 6. STATE BIBLIOGRAPHIC 2.2 Methodology 2.3 Scope ARCHITECTS AS NOTE 96 2.4 Limitations DESIGN 3. THEORETICAL CHAMPIONS 76 11. KOKKUVÕTE JA FRAMEWORK 16 6.1 The role of State Architects JÄRELDUSED 98 6.2 State Architects policy instruments 3.1 Design governance as a research agenda 6.3 Limitations and challenges of State 11.1. Riigiarhitekti meeskondade roll ja 3.2 Spatial design leadership Architects teams töövahendid 11.2. Riigiarhitekti meeskonna mõju 11.3. Ruumiloome eestvedamine: 4. THE RISE OF 7. SPATIAL DESIGN eesmärkide saavutamine STATE ARCHITECT LEADERSHIP IN TEAMS 24 A COMPARATIVE 4.1 The role of the State Architect PERSPECTIVE 84 4.2 The State Architects in Europe 4.3 State Architects elsewhere 7.1 Public policy on architecture 4.4 Other similar structures 7.2 State design champions 7.3 Other relevant actors 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 CONTEXT disseminating a message of quality and promoting the general public’s appreciation of architectural, urban Although the importance of design quality in achieving and landscape culture. a more sustainable urban development has been rec- ognized in several international and European conven- In this framework, the present study intends to explore tions and declarations1, in most metropolitan and urban the role of state leadership in processes of design gov- peripheries, places with good spatial quality continue ernance through the use of non-statutory design instru- to be the exception rather than the norm. Acknowl- ments, namely, by the appointment of a State Architect edging that this situation is socially and ecologically team, or similar institutional approaches. In fact, little unsustainable, one of the main challenges ahead is evidence is known on the potential value of governmen- how to change the current system of production and tal design leadership in enabling better places and fos- its embodied values so as to produce more sustain- tering a place-making culture. Even less is known on able, economical and socially equitable built outcomes. the specific competences of State Architect (or simi- Therefore, there is a need to better understand which lar) teams, which policy instruments they have at their levers need to be pulled and how to ensure that suc- disposal and its impact extent on the overall system cessful places are consistently created and maintained. of design governance, whose aim is to push for better development outcomes. As such, a comparative study In what has been described as a shift from govern- of current practices is relevant to help inform the design ment to governance, all around the world, national, of public policy as well as to find out what are the appro- regional and local administrations have established a priate policy instruments to intervene in the design pro- wide range of non-statutory instruments, where the cesses and encourage a desirable societal shift. use of negotiation and advocacy complements the tra- ditional set of regulatory and control mechanisms.