Change by Design report launch: Euston's contested sites

London is undergoing a rapid transformation. Where is the space for communities in these visions?

In September 2014, Architecture Sans Frontières-UK in partnership with Citizens-UK, UCL, and the University of Sheffield undertook a workshop that focussed on the impact of the regeneration of the Euston area through the HS2 proposals. The aim of this engagement was to inform a Citizens Charter that captured local needs and aspirations for the foreseen large scale development around the station. ASF-UK utilised participatory design tools to engage with local residents, and this series of consultations uncovered a very different vision of the future than the one proposed by HS2.

Join ASF-UK, activists, and leading practitioners for the launch of the Change by Design: London report and a debate about consultation and community involvement in developments. During the evening we will be asking a series of questions:

1. In a context where consultations are carried out with very little scope for substantial re-orientation of urban development initiatives, where are the opportunities for meaningful engagement that goes beyond consultative tick-box exercises?

2. In a context of increasing instrumentalisation of participatory processes, how can participatory practices capture the diverse set of needs and aspirations of localities, offering potentials for people-centered, rather than market driven, urban change?

3. In a context of increasing professionalisation of participatory practices, how do the financial and institutional conditions affect the possibility for meaningful participatory engagement?

The closing discussion will focus on the current situation in Euston and reflects on the ways within which Citizens-UK are producing and using its charter and visualising a process of more equitable urban development in this context.

The launch is a collaboration between Architecture Sans Frontières-UK, Citizens UK, UCL Urban Laboratory, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit UCL and the Sheffield School of Architecture.

Speakers

• Alexandre Apsan Frediani (ASF-UK and DPU, UCL)
• Cllr Sally Gimson (Camden Council)
• Robert Latham (HS2 Euston Action Group)
• Stephanie Leonard (CitizensUK)
• Geraldine Dening (Architects for Social Housing)
• Catherine Greig (Make Good)
• Lianne Hartley (Mend London)
• Beatrice De Carli (ASF-UK and University of Sheffield)
• Sophie Morley (ASF-UK)
• Kat Wong (ASF-UK)

Audio

Links

• Read Change by Design: Collective imaginations for contested sites in Euston on isssuu
• Architecture Sans Frontières UK
• 'Change by Design' Euston workshop - September 2014