project review, london development agency, 071209

We love things that are epic….

….but our ideal lives are as much to do with social

relationships as objects …

We love platforms of social interaction…

And what increasingly matters are our connections,

woven networks and how civility is ‘mediated’

What we see out of the window is important…

We prefer this…

…to this…

But in an age of distrust of institutions, ‘analysis

paralysis’, PR masquerading as community relations and decreased bank lending,

how can we…

I am a former…

One of the essences of media narrative is to create epics…

But making that larger than life narrative demands clarity, humanity, entertainment,

talent management, choreography and sequencing

I have been creating design projects since 1991…

Today I do:

• Project design and delivery• Stakeholder management• Urban renewal/development consultancy• Communications design

This means I• design a process• find ways in which people can act collectively• aggregate, network and integrate small

projects in to larger initiatives• put together project teams• raise project funding• contract/commission creatives, project

managers, cost consultants etc.• deliver the project, programme or business

Principals

• We’re delivering a service

• Uncovering and leveraging maximum value from existing assets

• Mobilising people, not taking soundings

• Delivering actual new experiences

Projects• Design Council: 21st

Century Swingtag• British Council: Creative

Cities Moscow• igloo Regeneration:

BBC Drama Village, Cardiff

• Channel 4/Camden: People’s Supermarket

• Igloo Regeneration: Digital Butetown

• Fluid: High Street 2012 (Tender phase)

• Transform South Yorkshire: Zero Carbon

• BioRegional Quintain: One Planet Middlesbrough

• Middlesbrough Council: Dott07 Urban Farming

• Wakefield Council/Channel 4: The Castleford Project

The process started by creating a project office from a

derelict, vacant retail unit….

Local people were invited to nominate the ‘top ten’ places

that they wanted to see improve in the town to set the

brief for a design ideas competition…

Local people chose the ideas and designers they wanted to see happen in their town…

The capital programme was supported by a dispersed,

informal set of micro cultural, educational, social and

economic projects…

Lol Coxhill in a skip Concept Simon Thackray. Produced by The Shed. Photo: Tony Bartholomew

We facilitate commissions of new work by international

artists from Europe and Latin America…

Lol Coxhill in a skip Concept Simon Thackray. Produced by The Shed. Photo: Tony Bartholomew

Lol Coxhill in a skip Concept Simon Thackray. Produced by The Shed. Photo: Tony Bartholomew

2003-08: a town revitalization programme valued at £14.5m was implemented, with finance sourced

from over 20 different sources, supported by a partnership of over

11 public agencies, three new community groups formed and

investment of £250m+ leveraged

Outcomes• Active participation of 1000 new ‘urban farmers’ -

8000 attended Town Meal• 14 new school allotment sites• LA strategy to introduce pocket allotments• 3 new food coops in town• Social enterprise restaurant for 13-19yr olds

being set up to support careers in catering • Annual ‘Middlesbrough Meal’• LA has secured £4.1m from DH funding for

forward programme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d8NzAJRxm0

This is our project slogan…

Outcomes

• A mutual, local third space that “you can call your own”

• Taxpayers and communities frame and determine local social infrastructure and destination marketing

• 500 members on opening; 4500 within three years

• Third year surplus of £167,000 on t/o £1.79m• Street-level open innovation

Connected urban systems

Connected real estate

David BarrieDavid Barrie & Associates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Barrie

Blog: http://davidbarrie.typepad.com

Mail: david@davidbarrie.net