To new UCL students 2014

Effective engagement with community groups

In conjunction with the JustSpace.org.uk network of community groups in London we offer this year:

 1  A specialised optional module urbnG007 Citizen participation in metropolitan planning

• Wednesdays 1100-1400h Term 2
• Work in groups to support local organisation engaging on London planning problems at all scales
• 15 Credits (UCL standard module)
• Assignment designed to be of use to the group you work with. hand-in after easter break
• Students from BSP, Geography, DPU, Enginering and any other UCL Masters programmes
• For more, search urbng007 on Moodle or read the module outline

 urbnG007 recent topics –  scroll down

2  Opportunities for individual students to volunteer to work with community groups

• Neighbourhood Forums and other local community planning
• Borough-level plans
• Greater London: London Plan and transport / infrastructure / housing debates

Research / mapping / surveys / design workshops / explaining documents / finding international examples / transcription

Next: Come to one or other of these meetings: Thursday 2 October 1700h in Central House room G01 on the ground floor or  Wednesday 8 October 1400h in Chadwick 2.18 which is just beside the front lodge of UCL, at the entrance to the front Quad from Gower Street.  This is a change of venue for the 8 October meeting.

Reports from student collaborations in 2014

UCL students working with community and environmental groups in 2013-14 are now being completed and some are being posted here to make them widely available.

Two people have been working with the Regent’s Network and with local groups in the Old Oak Common Opportunity Area and have written reports designed to support the case for the use of the canal – which runs right through the Opportunity Area – to carry freight, particularly spoil and debris from demolition and excavation and construction materials, thus reducing the very heavy road traffic which the development threatens to impose. The work is in two parts:
Part A by Rebecca Payne Part A – Canal freight RP examines the waterborne freight issues in terms of the policies of various bodies and the scope for action.
Part B by Kate Beeching Part B – Barging In KB exploring the complex responsibilities for canal freight development in relation to the proposed HS2.

DCLG meet UCL on NP

James Dadge and Mick Duggan from the DCLG team which runs Neighbourhood Planning addressed a meeting of students and staff at UCL Bartlett Planning (and Urban Studies), with an update on NP progress.  Eleanor Lowenthal spoke about work being done to support Our Tottenham by various students, while Thomas Zhong described work over the last two years supporting a Neighbourhood Forum in Brent.  Presentations here to download:

DCLG: 140512_UCL DCLG Presentation_JD MD (has useful onward links)

Tottenham: Eleanor Lowenthal TottenhamPresentation

Brent: Thomas Zhong CHURCH ROAD, ROUNDWOOD Brent

also useful: new crowd-sourced bibliography on NP: http://bit.ly/1liqaIs

There was a strong discussion and it is clear that student groups can really contribute valuably to the work of Neighbourhood groups and Forums. UCL seems to be pioneering on this.

Students support community conference on opportunity area planning: report now out

A number of UCL student volunteers helped to organise, run and record an important conference held by the London Tenants Federation and Just Space for community groups seeking to influence the planning of the 33 large “Opportunity Areas” in which much of London’s major construction is under way or planned. This event was part of a project funded by the Trust for London to support community engagement in six fast-changing parts of the city and it drew heavily on the 25-year experience of campaigning at King’s Cross. The conference report is linked from the JustSpace web site and a PDF is on the LTF site.

The conference also saw the launch of a web-based map linking community activity in London which is part of the same project.

Elephant Walworth NF video

Fabien Cante, UCL student, helped the Elephant and Walworth Neighbourhood Forum by shooting a video with them in March/April 2014. Here its is:  http://vimeo.com/90663058 

Students signing up for busy year 2013/14

14 November 2013 Nearly 40 UCL students (mainly from the Bartlett School of Planning) have signed up to do volunteer work this year with community organisations in London planning, in collaboration with the Just Space network. Issues include neighbourhood planning in various localities from Church Road Brent to Canning Town Newham / work on borough local plans at Greenwich and Hillingdon / to London-wide issues preparing for the build-up to the GLA’s next London Plan, expected to be out for consultation in January 2014, supporting the London Gypsy and Traveller Unit and developing the use of waterways for freight.

Activity report for 2012-13

During the academic year 2012/13 the Bartlett School of Planning brought its experience of cooperation with community groups in London closer to the mainstream of teaching and research. About 40 students, ranging from undergraduates to PhD students, took on assignments in support of community, neighbourhood and London-wide organisations. The work related to all three levels of London planning: the London Plan covering the whole GLA area, Borough plans and the new Neighbourhood Planning activities recently extended through the Localism Act. A detailed report of the year’s work is available here.
UCLNeighbourhoodPlanningReport2013

We have prepared a document (“Protocol”) designed to help students, staff and action groups to get the most out of these collaborations and avoid the pitfalls. Do read this if you are thinking of taking part. http://justspace2010.wordpress.com/welcome-to-just-space/about-2/research-protocol

Student reports (prepared as part of Masters module urbng007)

Copyright lies with the author in each case. Do not quote without permission. Contact via m.edwards [at ] ucl.ac.uk or via the directory on the UCL homepage. PDF downloads.

• Skills and expertise needed by Neighbourhood Forums (interviews with
King’s Cross, Bankside, Somers Town) Caroline Stone
Caroline Stone Specialist support for NP
• Crossrail and local economic development (Ealing) Evangelos Pitidis
Evangelos Pitidis Crossrail Ealing
• Climate Change Strategies (London Friends of the Earth and Harrow) Katarine Despot Belmonte
Katarine Despot Belmonte Climate Change
• Social impact of mega transport projects (Spitalfields 1989, Whitechapel
2007) Alice Morterol
Alice Morterol Mega transport projects
The Antinomies of Neighbourhood Planning, Francesca Guarascio
Francesca Guarascio Neighbourhood Planning
Air quality neutral Kendyl Crawford
Kendyl Crawford Air Quality
Social infrastructure and CIL (Newham Tenants Union) Charlotte Rauchle
Charlotte Rauchle CIL
Allocation of housing sites through SHLAA (impact on gypsies and
travelers) Michael Westbrook
Michael Westbrook SHLAA
Pubs as Assets of Community Value (Grove Park, Lewisham and Ivy
House, Southwark) Fabien Cante
Fabien Cante Localism at the pub Sept

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,200 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 7 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Masters module revised plan

The UCL course Community participation in City strategies starts again in January 2013 and a revised plan is now available here.Community Participation in City Strategies 201213

If you wish to join the module please get in touch at the earliest opportunity.

Supporting neighbourhood planning 2012/13

Students of UCL – mainly from the School of Planning – continue to work with neighbourhood groups across London, supporting their activities with research, mapping, surveys and in making sense of the planning system – including the new “Neighbourhood Plans” introduced by the Localism Act 2011. 

A meeting for students interested in joining this initiative in 2012/13 is taking place at 1430h on Wednesday 7th November in Wates House 517b.  If you would have liked to take part but can’t manage that time—it’s reading week—please get in touch with Michael Edwards because another meting will take place in the following weeks.

A taught module for UCL Masters Students Community Participation in City Strategies, led by Michael Edwards, Jennifer Robinson and Richard Lee, starts in January 2013. This module stared in 2012 with a ‘dissemination’ grant from the UCL Public Engagement Unit which supported earlier work on the London Plan, and is now supported by UCL Geography and UCL Bartlett Planning. Students from all parts of UCL are welcome and members of external community groups can arrange to join the course too.

People interested in participation processes are urged to attend at least part of the forthcoming public hearings (“Examination in Public”) at City Hall which will debate the Mayor’s latest proposed changes to the London Plan – including a major reduction in emphasis on social housing. Hearings are Monday 19 November from 1000h; Thursday and Friday 22 and 23 November from 0930h. http://www.london.gov.uk/london-plan-eip