Joint RIBA competition announced for local authorities
The RIBA has announced an open call for expressions of interest from local authorities working on “exemplary placemaking visions”.
The institute has teamed up with other professional bodies to launch Future Place, a two-phase initiative to recognise, reward and encourage high-quality placemaking in England.
In the second phase, selected local authorities will be able to nominate two people from their team to participate in a Future Place-Makers leadership training programme.
The initiative is a preoccupation of RIBA president Ben Derbyshire but has been set up as a collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), Local Government Association (LGA) and Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
The open call is aimed at local authorities which are working with public, private or voluntary sector partners to deliver exemplary placemaking visions regardless of size or budget.
The selection panel will be assessing how the schemes based on how they propose to improve and enhance people’s lives, community wellbeing and sustainable environments.
The winners of the first phase will be announced and showcased on the UK government stand at Mipim in March.
The second phase involves training for two staff per local authority. A digital resource will then be created to share best practice and processes.
Derbyshire said Future Place would demonstrate the potential and necessary conditions for successful placemaking in England.
“It is vital that we encourage the development of desirable and sustainable places to live and work,” he said.
“There is much good practice already happening in the UK and this project has been designed to celebrate innovative approaches and share intelligence.”
Councillor Martin Tett, chair of the environment, economy, housing and transport board at the LGA, said: “Councils play a critical role in setting the vision and shaping the delivery of high-quality places where people want to live, work and enjoy their time.”
The open call for expressions of interest is open until January 22. For more information visit www.architecture.com/campaign/futureplace
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