people-powered high streets

(or how to make an omelette)

part 1the dark night of

the soul

‘The first and principal benefit caused by the arid and dark night

of contemplation: the knowledge of oneself and of one’s misery’

St John of the Cross

1 ‘Retail-led

regeneration’ has failed

0

3.75

7.5

11.25

15

2000 20062008

2010

ExperianOxford EconomicsColliers Internationalshop

vacancies were

growing even before

the recession

Understanding High Street Performance, 2011

figures are percentage of shops vacant

2 Ordinary people

are under pressure

39%

11%

39%

12%

Capital shareEmployer social contributionsTop half of earnersBottom half of earners

society is becoming

more unequal, with less

going to the bottom half

figures show breakdown of total value generated by UK

economy in 2010

Missing Out, Resolution Foundation, 2011

3 ‘Portas pilots’ are

not a strategy

part 2something must

be done

1 rethink the whole, not just the retail

‘High streets and town centres that are fit for the 21st century need to be multifunctional social centres,

not simply competitors for stretched consumers.’

From The 21st Century Agora: A new and better vision for town centres

2 get ideas from the

people, not just the planners

‘Each place needs to be collectively animated by the people who live

there or visit it, not just planned or managed.’

Twenty-first Century Town Centres, Action for Market Towns

3 invest to add value, not to

extract it

Re-imagining the high street 36

positive experiences. Of these key fi ve drivers of personal well-being identifi ed, both the strength of our social relationships and the extent to which we engage in reciprocal behaviour with others are directly related to the well-being of our communities.77 There is growing evidence that the homogenisation of our towns and cities has undermined both of these critical aspects of our well-being.

Removing nature from our towns and cities undermines well-being and resilience. Contact with the natural world has benefi ts for mental health.78 Green spaces have been shown to have positive benefi ts on social ties, mental health, physical health, economic resilience, play activity, and crime.79 Research has found that green spaces (such as allotments, parks and gardens) and spaces near water are highly valued by people because they are relaxing and offer an escape from domestic pressures,80 which supports the hypothesis that green space reduces mental fatigue, ensuring that we are more able to assess and deal with the issues we face in life.81

A landmark paper by behavioural Scientist Roger Ulrich published in Science in 198482 provided empirical evidence to support what we have long known instinctively. Ulrich found that patients recovered more quickly if their windows overlooked trees rather than a brick wall. Ulrich has since gathered considerable evidence that the restorative effects of nature scenes are felt within three to fi ve minutes. Views of vegetation or garden-like features increase levels of positive feelings such as pleasantness and calm and reduce negatively toned emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness. In a series of experiments, people exposed to settings with plants and other nature had lower levels of fear and anger, and reported far higher levels of positive feelings than those with a view of the built environment.

Given the increasing understanding of the role that nature has in improving health

Figure 6: Embedding the fi ve ways to well-being in design

ConnectInclude physical and social infrastructure Include physical and social infrastructure Include physical and social infrastructure to encourage connections between people. to encourage connections between people. to encourage connections between people. Entice different groups of people together.Entice different groups of people together.Entice different groups of people together.

ConnectInclude physical and social infrastructure to encourage connections between people. Entice different groups of people together.

GiveStimulate opportunitiesfor people to share,exchange and help one another.

GiveStimulate opportunitiesfor people to share,exchange and help one another.

Keep learningKeep learningKeep learningPromote local history. Put a place Promote local history. Put a place Promote local history. Put a place Promote local history. Put a place Promote local history. Put a place in context. Promote a shared in context. Promote a shared in context. Promote a shared understanding of place and its understanding of place and its understanding of place and its interdependence with other communities.interdependence with other communities.interdependence with other communities.interdependence with other communities.

Keep learningPromote local history. Put a place in context. Promote a shared understanding of place and its interdependence with other communities.

Take noticeTake noticeFavour the beautifuland the unusual.Factor in space forrelaxation andreflection.

Take noticeFavour the beautifuland the unusual.Factor in space forrelaxation andreflection.

Be activeStructure indoor and outdoor spaces and outdoor spaces to increase activity to increase activity levels in people’s levels in people’s levels in people’s levels in people’s day-to-day lives.day-to-day lives.

Be activeStructure indoor and outdoor spaces to increase activity levels in people’s day-to-day lives.

Designing ‘in’personal and

social well-beingsocial well-beingsocial well-being

Designing ‘in’personal and

social well-being

designing for

wellbeingFrom Re-imagining the High

Street, new economics foundation

4 plan for a fairer

future, not a pastiche of the

past

‘In communities where a particularly valued shop or market

was designated for closure, the community themselves should have the first opportunity to take it over.’

The Right to Retail, Res Publica, 2011

part 3‘go out and play

like Zola’Harry Redknapp, to Joe Cole on his West Ham debut

1 we all need inspiration

‘The highlight of the day was knowing that Mary Portas supports

our work.’Participant in High Street Camp, May 2012

2 connections are visceral, not just

bureaucratic

‘Community connections, reaching across place, interests and identity,

are largely untapped assets that can promote wellbeing and address

social exclusion.’Communities Connected, David Morris and Alison Gilchrist, 2012

3 the first rule of

networks: people will only connect where they want

to

‘Social tools don’t create new motivations so much as amplify

existing ones.’Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody

part 4the omelette

theory of change

‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs.’

V. I. Lenin (attrib)

but...

you can’t make an omelette just by breaking eggs

1 what does ‘tasty’

feel like?(what kind of high

street do you want to create, and for whose

benefit?)

2 find yourself a

cooker(what process will

bring your vision to life?)

3 what ingredients

do you need?(what people, skills, and resources are

required?)

4 now create your

recipe(which is plausible,

doable, testable and meaningful)

bon appetit!

Find out more Download our 21st Century Agora

paperSee other presentations on

Slideshare Check out the Revive Our Town

Centres forum Read ‘seven steps from ghost town

to host town’

thank you

more from me...www.urbanpollinators.co.uk

my blog: Living with Rats

Twitter: @juliandobson