In 2007 the Harvard political scientist, Robert Putnam published a paper stating that ethnic diversity in a community is associated with more mistrust. His paper was influential with governments, both in the UK and the US. In Radio 4's All in the Mind (Chapter 2), Professor Miles Hewstone from Oxford University, talks about his new research which finds Putnam's bleak conclusions about society are wrong......…



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Empty shops are a symptom of the recession – but they are also the key to a community-focused high street. More here........
http://www.guardian.co.uk/local-government-network/2012/may/29/high-street-empty-shops-community-hubs

How is a sense of place defined? How public is public space? What role is there for texture, memory and the imperfect in our interactions with the streets, buildings and landscapes that we encounter in our daily lives?

 

All questions posed and explored during the course of this week's Start the Week. Follow the link to find out more.

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Peter Wilson, of Bolles + Wilson, recounts the practice's exploration of brick's expressive potential in a series of notable buildings in this interesting article for the Brick Bulletin.

http://www.brick.org.uk/2012/05/summer-2012/

At a time of budget cuts, in a speech titled “Next Steps – England’s Heritage” Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, yesterday set out the organisation’s plans for the year ahead. You can read about it

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/news/next-steps-englands-heritage/

 

 

This is a great project...

 

'Young people crave somewhere to do the things they love - whether

that’s sport or the arts, or both. But finding and accessing the

space in which to do is not always easy. Inspired by the London 2012

Olympic and Paralympic Games somewhere to_.....'

 

http://somewhereto.com/

...and our 400th contribution to the Community Layer.

Image provided by the Kings Weston Action Group. http://maps.bristol.gov.uk/knowyourplace/?service=HER&maptype=js&layer=Community+layer&x=353776.4035213708&y=177296.70810442936&extent=891.3830327660544…

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Since Richard Mabey first published his, at the time, groundbreaking The Unofficial Countryside in 1973 many of the scruffy, neglected and wild enclaves of the natural and semi-natural in urban areas and edgelands have been transformed. This has sometimes been in the name of…

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The idea of urban agriculture has spread so widely, you might expect to see tomato plants bursting from every empty city lot.

But in neighborhoods across the country, imagining is about as close as those tomatoes are going to get. Despite its growing cachet, urban agriculture hasn't materialized in many parts of the country. But a growing number of designers are trying to integrate these spaces into new and existing projects to increase access to fresh food in the urban population…

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Dear Colleague

Welcome to the May 2012 edition of our e-newsletter. It marks a new era for us as we have just moved into new offices in Dennett House, Taunton, as tenants of South West Councils.  Our Website has been simplified, aligning the various aspects of our work under the headings…

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Very timely new contributions to Know Your Place.

Two VE day street parties. The first from Marshfield Road, Hillfields that was added following our Know Your Hillfields event. Notice the giant teapot.…

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Know Your Place is currently a partner for the City Strata Heritage Sandbox project that was covered in a featured in Wired today http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/03/heritage-sandbox?page=1

and do car parks always have to take maximum footprint or minimum environmental consideration? Why do they  look so grim?

Find out here>>>>> Is there a worldwide parking problem?