Wednesday, 2 January 2013

RUDI on Harlesden

An independent unbiased service, the 'Resource for Urban Design Information' (RUDI) is the largest web resource dedicated to urban design and placemaking. RUDI commissions, researches and creates materials for professionals in the public and private sector.


Link to web site
"In creating PLACEmaking, we aimed to put together a publication offering food for future thought: the creation of social cities, the use of Big Data for civic benefit, the articulation of economic and social value, and the development of tools and processes that enable everyone to participate in the design and shaping of place."


"The town team experience: two case studies, Harlesden in London, and Neilston in Scotland"

"Mary Portas calls for a series of pilot projects led by town teams. To illustrate the sorts of projects she has in mind, she suggests places for town teams to operate from; public contributions to a ‘community chest’; online presences for high streets; high street loyalty cards; a national market day; high street places to collect goods ordered online; high street shops offering other services; and using vacant high street premises for start-ups and as hubs for people working from home.

"These are all good ideas. Probably all of them have been tried, and they should be tried again. But it would also be good to experiment with different models of the town team so that we can find out what works. The town teams that Urban Design Skills, working with Professor Alan Simpson, has helped to set up in
  • Neilston (East Renfrewshire), 
  • Harlesden (London Borough of Brent) (both of these focused on a high street) and 
  • York (introducing citywide concepts of streets and spaces) 
may provide one useful model. (See Urban Design Skills)." 

Harlesden Town Team
"The efforts of the town team in Harlesden, north London, have led to Transport for London allocating nearly £4 million to improve the traffic-dominated town centre, based on Harlesden High Street. Working with Brent Council, the community has published a charter setting out how they want to see the area improved.

"One of London’s liveliest town centres and home to a rich mix of communities, Harlesden suffers badly from traffic. The Harlesden Charter presents a vision of how the place could be humanised through a series of achievable projects. This is neighbourhood planning at its best, though not on quite the lines as set out in the Localism Act 2011.
"Leroy Simpson, chair of the Harlesden Town Team, which drew up the charter, said:
"This is brilliant news from Transport for London. Decision after decision over the years have led to increases in high street traffic and an unhealthy environment. No one would design a town centre this way. The charter sets out our priorities, and the people of Harlesden are working together to achieve them."
"Louis Theroux, the broadcaster, has been chosen as Harlesden’s town champion, and said:
"I’ve lived in Harlesden nearly 10 years, In so many ways it is a wonderful place, full of energy and life. But it isn’t living up to its potential. The roads are decaying, the buildings are dilapidated; some of the finest buildings are derelict. We have five or six communities existing side by side, which don’t really speak to each other. We are besieged by a constant flow of traffic.

Working together we can tame the traffic, create new public spaces, care better for our buildings and streets, and promote a sense of community. The town charter and the town team are a chance to do all that."
"The process of drawing up the Harlesden Charter has been supported by the London Borough of Brent and Transport for London. This is a new approach, facilitated by the urban designers Urban Design Skills. The Harlesden Town Team, a group of committed and widely representative local people and stakeholders, was formed to create the vision and drive it forward with Brent Council.

The charter’s 5–10 year action plan was developed through a series of community meetings and workshop events. The team will remain open to all who have an interest in the future of Harlesden.

"The Harlesden project was runner up (to the Boris bikes scheme) in the Transport London Awards of the best transport-related initiative."
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