Futurecity has had the good fortune to work on some amazing projects despite recent global events. It is clear that creative and cultural placemaking can provide ideas and solutions through all times. Recently, we have developed a cultural placemaking strategy for East Village (the former 2012 Athletes Village) for client Get Living; a ground-breaking strategy encouraging collaboration between 600 businesses and the cultural sector in London’s West End for Heart of London Business Alliance and shared insight, ideas and opinions from the Futurecity team on public platforms across the globe. Some of the previous work has now manifested into successes: Great Kneighton, has won ‘Housing Project of The Year’ at this year’s Building Awards 2020; Quintain’s Wembley Park in London is now a new Cultural Neighbourhood for North London and we have brokered a new home for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, their first Cultural Director and the launch Brent London Borough of Culture on a revamped Olympic Way; in Australia, Beulah International has fast-tracked development of Australia’s tallest tower with our strategy embedding ‘culture at the centre’ as part of the Arts Precinct of Melbourne.
One thing we know Placemaking is not Architecture, Landscape-Design, Art, Advertising or Branding but a distinct cross disciplinary, stand-alone idea; a narrative and a story. Please read below and follow our website, blogs and social media platforms.
Brokering
Continuing a decade long relationship with Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Nov 2020 sees the launch of 3 year long artist residencies. Developed through consultation with colleagues from the cities leading contemporary arts organisations, Kettle’s Yard, Wysing Arts Centre and Cambridge Junction, musician Andrea Cockerton, poet Hannah Jane Walker and artist David Blandy will work across the campus with patients, staff and visitors in a programme created to bring campus users together through creativity and collaboration. Initial engagements will be virtual with the aspiration to hold on-sites events in Spring/Summer 2021.
Cultural Strategy
Helping to transform the 2012 Olympics athletes village into its next generational offer as an authentic neighbourhood at the heart of east London, Get Living and Futurecity have developed a cultural placemaking strategy, bringing together cultural and creative partnerships, new public realm commissions and community co-creation strategies. Spearheading consumer drive for purposeful, sustainable living, and the areas critical mass of creativity and innovation, the strategy sets east Village as the epicentre of opportunity for residents, Newham’s communities and local creative industries, leveraging its close relationship with east Bank and University of the Arts London.
Immediately following the launch of our Cultural Heart of London Strategy, HOLBA launched their Art of London site and @theartoflondon Instagram and Twitter channels. This digital cultural concierge helps one make the most of their time in the West End, combining the cultural with hospitality, retail and F&B options.
Awards
Another decade long relationship has been with Great Kneighton, a sustainable new community spread over 109 hectares in Cambridge, which has been named ‘Housing Project of The Year’ at this year’s Building Awards. Attributing its success to the all-encompassing nature of the development, Great Kneighton includes 2,550 new homes, 49 hectares of public open space including a new country park, 3,050 sqm of retail space, two new schools, a community building with integrated library and health centre, sports pitches and play areas offering community and recreational facilities for all ages. Futurecity provided an ambitious public art and placemaking programme for the development including sculpture, arts embedded in the architecture and public realm, play and fitness features, wildlife habitats, bridge designs, a community garden, and a 4-year community engagement programme leading up to the completion of the community centre.
Australia
Despite the travel restrictions, Futurecity continues its work in Melbourne on the Beulah development; one of the most ambitious ever undertaken in Australia. Following unanimous backing from the City of Melbourne’s Future Melbourne Committee in March, the Victorian State Government has officially given the green light to this $2 billion project — set to become Australia’s tallest tower and revitalise Southbank for present and future generations. This truly transformative project is realised with culture at the centre of the development. As a result of this work, Partner Sherry Dobbin has been asked to contribute to the “Nimble Neighbourhoods: The Place Edition” as well as blog about the cultural profile of Los Angeles.
Thought Leadership
With the global interests of making our cities inviting, engaging and enjoyable and the need to reconceive our offices, public realm and relationship to residential life, Futurecity has been making digital contributions around the world though keynotes, panels, ebooks, and articles. In addition, the whole Futurecity team has been blogging about Digital Placeshaping and having Digital Dialogues with cultural and property innovators to reveal the complexity of collaborators and client teams involved in digital place-shaping process. Cultural Placemaking has become the strategy to reclaim and redefine our cities for resiliency.
In October, Sherry Dobbin was announced as the Chair of the Urban Art Forum for Urban Land Institute UK for 2020-2022. The UAF membership is a diverse mix of professionals across arts, creative industries, architecture, design, planning and development and works together with UK and Global ULI objectives to guide new solutions and share best practice for including culture in development as central to a place’s wellbeing.
Please see below a list of thought leadership events and publications, Futurecity members have participated in:
Mark Davy, Founder & CEO has contributed to three recent talks:
ALL ABOUT ART – international conference in Trondheim, 15–16 October 2020
City | Body | Form | Dubai Design Week, Nov 9
ArtVerona “Perspectives”, Nov 3
Sherry Dobbin, Partner, Managing & Cultural Director has recently contributed to the following talks, webinars and publications:
ULI Beijing Webinar: Resiliency on living environment, July 23
ideasSPACE with Lily Bernheimer, Spaceworks and Sherry Dobbin, Future\City, November 5
The Cultural Heart of London Online Symposium, September 30
Los Angeles City Guide with Sherry Dobbin, Futurecity
#PARKPOWER – The Future of London’s Green Spaces, November 10
Global Cultural District Network talk in relation to their new publication, November 17
Ying Tan, Head of Public Art (Interim) has recently contributed to the following talks:
The Future of Spaces, AORA: October 7
