A. Making and remaking 20 minute neighbourhoods
Workshop facilitators: Alex Bottrill, Sustrans; Claire Daly, Sustrans; Husam AlWaer, UoD; Kevin Murray, KMA
There is a lot of talk of 20 Minute Neighbourhoods in Scotland and elsewhere right now. It features in government policy and was even referenced in the party manifestos of the recent Scottish Parliament election.
The 20 minute neighbourhood might appear a simple concept of human scale liveability that we all intuitively understand. But research into its application in different settlement types confirms that it is complex, multi-faceted and often challenging to fulfil.
Please join Claire Daly and Alex Bottrill from Sustrans, together with Kevin Murray of Kevin Murray Associates and Dr Husam AlWaer of Dundee University, as we explore the challenges of making and remaking 20 minute neighbourhoods.
How do we deliver new or retrofit elements that contribute to this concept? What are the easy wins and the most transformational projects? How can walking, cycling and public transport play a part? Are challenges harder to fix in older or newer neighbourhoods? Does digital mapping help or hinder us?
We will explore these questions together using different Scottish locations and provide a sneak preview of the prototype mapping tool being developed by Sustrans.
B. Transforming the city centre in a post CV-19 world
Workshop facilitators: Stuart Turnbull, Jacobs; Javier Iñigo, Jacobs
In 2019, the City of Edinburgh Council launched its ambitious plans for transforming the city centre. Two years on, whilst the strategy is just as relevant, does the Covid-19 pandemic present additional challenges, or does it present new opportunities for an even bolder vision. This workshop will explore aspects of the City Centre Transformation, but with a focus on businesses and economic recovery, how can better placemaking help with that.
C. Queering the public space
Workshop facilitators:
Dr Ammar Azzouz, Arup; Mei-Yee Man Oram, Arup; Prof Pippa Catterall, University of Westminster
Public space is not always, well, public. In the past forty years or so queer, feminist and racial geographies have drawn attention to marked inequalities in access to and safety in public space. In this workshop we will use the findings of our recently published report ‘Queering Public Space’ to explore: what are the key characteristics that contribute to queering public space? How do we protect what remains of queer memory in our cities? And how do we move beyond the gayborhood towards creating public spaces for all? We then hold a expert panel discussion on what this mean in an Edinburgh context and how the city’s public space could be made more inclusive and welcoming for all.
D. Transport resilience for cities – what do the statistics tell us through the pandemic, and how do we need to react
Workshop facilitators: Elliot Page, Stantec; Francesca Prestinoni, Stantec; Jenny Ritchie, Stantec; Keir Ramsay, Stantec; Michal Parkinson, Stantec; Milena Martinez, Stanmtec; Sohaib Alhashimi, Stantec
This workshop will cover:
- Travel trends pre-pandemic
- Travel trends during the pandemic
- Where are we now?
- What are the barriers in increasing non-car journeys
- What do cities need to do (and how does this relate to Edinburgh)
- Benefits – social, environmental, economic?
Our team analysed traffic data for Transport Scotland during the pandemic to inform the First Ministers briefings. We will use this data to inform the workshop.
E. Place as a Framework for Investment
The purpose of Scotland’s approach is to better orchestrate what happens in each place to collectively improve the circumstance of peoples’ lives – improving the rights, equalities, and wellbeing of all communities. Translating what has already been achieved in some locations into a new normal.
It is designed to make sure that all place based investments understand the place in which they are made, how their contribution will help deliver the changes needed, and how local communities shape their future. At a local level, it says to communities: Here is the totality of what we are trying to do in terms of strategic priorities. How is this relevant to you in this place? How could we do it better with you?
This workshop explores the fundamental questions we should be asking, and the practical steps we can take, to help change people’s lives in places across Scotland.