The review of RHS Britain in Bloom and the "It's Your Neighbourhood" campaign has surveyed over 230 community gardening group on the benefits of improving neglected areas of open space in their neighbourhoods.

The report highlights one neighbourhood in particular that saw improvements in community safety.  Individuals and volunteers felt healthier and safer.  Another project reported that it brought more footfall into their parks and streets.  Their sense of well being and an…

There is an ongoing discussion here in the City Design Group about how temporary projects might point the way to larger change in Bristol.

Given that a pretty hefty proportion of any city's public space is given over to vehicles, temporary projects could offer an opportunity to reimagine our relationship to public space and the car. In that vein here is a great example of the transformative impact of rethinking how 'car-space' can be used temporarily.

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 Welcome to the January 2012 edition of Bristol City Council's Development Services e-bulletin produced by the Development Management and Building Regulations & Standards services 

Contents :-

1. Updates -Accredited Agents/Planning Duty Rota/Planning Online/Enterprise Zone/Making applications through the Planning…

To mark HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to the promotion of UK design, the Design Council commissioned a one-off book of original artworks drawn by over forty of the Prizes’ previous winners, nominees and judges including Sir Terence Conran, Vivienne Westwood, Jeff Banks, Lord Norman Foster, Kenneth Grange and Sir Paul Smith. Here are some of the contributions.......…

Stoke Park on the eastern edge of the city is Bristol’s newest park following the official handover on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. The addition of Stoke Park to Bristol’s parks’ portfolio adds another 140 acres of natural, open space for residents to explore and enjoy......Stoke Park: A New Park for Bristol

Bristol City Council has just published draft guidance on temporary uses for one of the major sites in Temple Quarter.  Plot 3 is one of the first places people see when arriving in the city by train. Its a 2ha site to the north side of the station and is currently being used for car parking.

Temporary uses, some times referred to as 'meanwhile uses', have the potential to become a very exciting feature of the Bristol townscape. From urban beaches to ice…

Design Council CABE and the Home Office have recently completed this research to investigate the crime experience of contemporary housing schemes, particularly those that would be considered by CABE and the design community to represent good design. The research and case studies can be downloaded from:…

There's been quite a lot about the challenges the high street faces - but rarely is it articulated so well as here

http://www.lbc.co.uk/tycoon-predicts-death-of-the-high-street-49590 

'Supermarkets already have planning permission for around 20m sq ft of new space (that's the equivalent of a further Sainsbury's)' and 'many retailers are changing their strategies in favour of top 50 retail…

Kings Weston will feature in a new BBC4 programme to be broadcast at 7:30 on the 13th of Jan - this Friday.…

The streets beneath our feet are getting smart. Pavements are melting into the roads and traffic lights are disappearing. Inspired by the work of scientists and engineers in Holland and Japan, some see this as a revolution in urban design. Part of it is a movement known as 'Shared Space', which promises to dramatically change the way cities look and how we experience them.…