Our co-founder Andrew Coward had a blast presenting at Placemaking Week Europe last week in Rotterdam with our friends The Street Society, Trans Europe Halles and Matthew Gollan!
Our topic, reclaiming space for arts and culture in cities, showcased a practitioners guide on how to create and sustain large scale creative spaces, as well as tips and tricks on implementing micro creative interventions in the public realm.
Since artists started claiming space for creative use in the 70s and 80s, in vacant or abandoned post-industrial buildings, many of these unique spaces are drying up. Many cities around the world, are at a key junction point; the never ending cycle of gentrification means there’s less and less creative space in dense cities like London, Paris and Sydney and rarely is there ever purpose-built creative space!
Mieke Renders Trans Europe Halles showcased projects of the organisation’s members and their history over the last 40 years representing creative spaces right around Europe.
We also discussed benchmarks like Friche La Belle de La Mai Marseille, Peckham Levels London, Grand Voisins Paris, Refhshaloven Cooenhagen and our own project, the Mungo Scott Flour Mill that have set benchmarks around the world.
The talk’s key takes outs where:
Creating governance models that work for owners, government, and creative practitioners.
Consider approvals - if there aren’t any rules work with your local authorities to make them!
Infrastructure - successful creative spaces need a host of basic infrastructure.
Working with building owners to help them understand the value of creative communities.
New governances models like Creative Lands Trusts and including creative space as mandatory in new developments.
Transitioning from temporary to permanent models of space use.
Creating mixed funding models to underpin long term operational success.
The importance of defining and measuring success.
Engage, engage, engage - the power of conversation with community can build a creative movement.
If you want to hear more about building creative precincts, and spaces reach out to us!
#creativespace #placemakingweek
#placemakingeurope #placemaking
