Dear Claire.
Thank you for the information about this public space seminar. I am presently
carrying out a PhD which is focused on examining urban public space in London,
Amsterdam and Dublin. I spent 9 Months in LSE on an Urban Europe Research and
Training Network Fellowship in 2005. During this time I carried out work on
three public spaces. These were Peckham Square, Paternoster Square and
Trafalgar Square. My aim was to examine the everyday nature of these spaces,
and how issues of design, social control and usage came together in each space.
I purposely chose squares in very different contexts, so as to get a mix of the
so-called 'everyday spaces' and 'iconic' spaces.
Unfortunately due to the fact that I will be beginning my fieldwork in Amsterdam
on the 1st of March I will not be able to attend the seminar in February. I am
obviously very disappointed about this as the talks all seem very much related
to the work I am doing. I would greatly appreciate it if you could keep me
informed as to any written papers which might be written for this seminar or
which might come out after it is finished.
Best of luck with it. I am sure it will be a very interesting event.
Best Wishes,
Philip Lawton
Quoting No Name <[log in to unmask]>:
> London Women and Planning Forum
> www.lwpf.org
>
> PUBLIC SPACE IN THE CITY
>
> Wednesday 22 February 2006
>
> 2 – 6 pm
>
> The City Centre Seminar Room
> Francis Bancroft Building
>
> Queen Mary, University of London
> Mile End Road
> London E1 4NS
>
>
> Public spaces are essential to the quality of urban life, and are a central
> focus of the government’s ‘cleaner, safer and greener’ agenda for urban
> regeneration. Parks, squares, markets and other public spaces should be open
> and accessible to, and enjoyed by, everyone. But many public spaces in the
> city
> are poorly designed and badly managed, and exclude many urban residents,
> particularly women, because of concerns about access and safety.
>
> In a 2005 Demos report, Melissa Mean and Charlie Tims concluded that public
> spaces are ‘co-produced’ and that key principles for their development
> include:
> leaving room for self-organization; diversifying activities to encourage
> diverse
> people to participate; and maximizing access and availability
> (www.demos.co.uk).
> This report is part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation research programme on
> ‘Social value of public spaces,’ which aims to improve the understanding of
> how
> people use public spaces, the extent to which public spaces are shared
> places,
> and implications for neighbourhoods and for the planning, design and
> management
> of public spaces (www.jrf.org.uk).
>
> As part of the ESRC-funded seminar series on ‘Capital Designs: Women and
> Planning in Contemporary London,’ this seminar addresses public spaces as
> gendered spaces, and considers the ways in which London’s public spaces can
> be
> made safer, more accessible and sociable for women. Key questions include:
>
>  How and why do women and men use public spaces differently?
>  How is the social value of public spaces, and the ability to share
> public spaces, shaped by gender?
>  To what extent is gender mainstreamed in the planning and management
> of
> urban public spaces?
>
> Three talks will focus on current work in this area by the Commission for
> Architecture and the Built Environment, the Women’s Design Service, and the
> Greater London Authority.
>
>
>
>
> Speakers
> Helen Bowes Greater London Authority
> Public space in London is a key part of the GLA’s strategy on planning and
> development. Speaking about the second phase of the Mayor’s 100 Public Spaces
> Programme, Ken Livingstone said: ‘The work recently completed on Trafalgar
> Square shows what an enormous difference well-planned public spaces can make
> to
> our appreciation of the city, but good design shouldn’t be reserved for
> London’s
> iconic attractions.’ The Architecture and Urbanism Unit has identified
> fourteen
> projects for the second phase of the Programme, which are largely located in
> outer London: ‘the kind of spaces we all use every day.’ Through this
> Programme, the London Plan, and the plans for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
> Games, the GLA is working to revitalize and develop everyday and iconic
> public
> spaces in the city. Working with the investment programmes of Transport for
> London and the London Development Agency, the GLA seeks ‘to ensure that
> public
> space improvement is integrated with other projects to improve the quality of
> life for Londoners’ (www.london.gov.uk).
>
> Wendy Davis Director of the Women’s Design Service
> The Women’s Design Service ‘works to ensure that the design and use of the
> built
> environment reflects the needs and aspirations of women’ and ‘looks forward
> to a
> future where all our buildings, transport systems, streets, parks and open
> spaces are designed to incorporate the needs of women.’ As a key part of this
> work, the Making Safer Places project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund
> (formerly
> the Community Fund England), has addressed the safety of women in public
> spaces,
> focusing on ‘the experience of black and minority ethnic women, older women
> and
> disabled women, whose social and physical vulnerability – both real and
> perceived – makes an impact on their quality of life.’ Developing from this
> work, WDS was commissioned by the GLA in 2004 to produce a toolkit around
> Women’s Safety in Parks and Open Spaces, and is working in partnership with
> Anne Thorne Architects to deliver the toolkit in 2006. This work focuses on
> four very different parks: Spa Fields, Islington; Ruislip Woods, Hillingdon;
> Burgess Park, Southwark; and Greenwich Park (www.wds.org.uk).
>
> Julia Thrift Director of CABE Space
> CABE Space, established in 2003, is part of the Commission for Architecture
> and
> the Built Environment and is publicly funded by the Office of the Deputy
> Prime
> Minister. CABE Space ‘aims to bring excellence to the design, management and
> maintenance of parks and public space in our towns and cities. Parks and
> other
> public spaces are for everyone, places to live and breathe, walk and run,
> rest
> or play. They are where we meet together, where we stop to reflect, where we
> revive our spirits. But many of these spaces are poorly designed and badly
> managed.’ Through its work with local authorities and other bodies
> responsible
> for public space, CABE Space encourages ‘local councils to think holistically
> about their green space, and what it means for residents’ health and well
> being, routes to school and work, and recreation through play and sport. Our
> goal is to ensure that every person in England has easy access to well
> designed
> and well looked after public space’ (www.cabespace.org.uk).
>
> Discussant
> Vicky Cattell Queen Mary, University of London
> Vicky Cattell is a sociologist and a Senior Research Fellow in the Wolfson
> Institute for Preventive Medicine, QMUL. Her research has centred on the role
> of co-operative social ties in poor neighbourhoods. Her current research
> includes a study on ‘Public spaces and social relations in East London’ with
> Sarah Curtis, Nicholas Dines, and Wil Gesler
> (www.wolfson.qmul.ac.uk/psychiatry/staff/cattell.htm). This research is
> funded
> by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as part of its ‘Social value of public
> spaces’ research programme. It focuses on the potential of public spaces for
> social integration and cohesion, as well as health and well-being. A
> particular
> feature of the research is its focus on social interaction in urban public
> spaces, including casual interaction.
>
> EMAIL: CLAIRE FREW, [log in to unmask] FOR REGISTRATION.
>
> _______________________________________________________
>
> [log in to unmask]
> An urban geography discussion and announcement forum
> List Archives: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/URB-GEOG-FORUM
>
> Maintained by: RGS-IBG Urban Geography Research Group
> UGRG Home Page: http://www.urban-geography.org.uk
>
Philip Lawton
Department of Geography
Museum Building
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2
_______________________________________________________
[log in to unmask]
An urban geography discussion and announcement forum
List Archives: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/URB-GEOG-FORUM
Maintained by: RGS-IBG Urban Geography Research Group
UGRG Home Page: http://www.urban-geography.org.uk
|
