The rules of engagement

Community engagement is now widely recognised as a vital approach in building more relevant and successful town and city centres.

But how do you ensure all aspects of a community are engaged? We look at three ways in which this can be achieved.

Engagement with community groups
Community Boards involve a group of citizens or board of elected members within a town or city who gather ideas and opinions from the community around their wants and needs, then voice and act upon them.

An example is Midsteeple Quarter in Dumfries, which is a Community Benefit Society with over 400 members. They have formed a project to tackle the problems on the high street caused by vacant units. The project evolved from years of community discussion led by The Stove Network, a social enterprise which operates a public arts and community facility on Dumfries high street, with a turnover of over £500,000.

The project consists of 5 phases over 15 years aiming to create a mixed-use model centred around local needs rather than purely consumerism. On completion, the model will include community businesses, retail, leisure, and residential spaces and will be run for community benefit.

These types of groups enable local authorities and planners to engage with communities by providing an established body to address during planning and redevelopment processes, which is key to ensuring that community needs are acted upon in a strategic way.

Community consultations
Community consultations can be an effective method of gathering initial ideas from a wide group within a community. Methods include sending out surveys, hosting events, exhibitions, or interactive displays to spark conversation about a place, as well as public meetings, focus groups or workshops.

Harrow Council carried out an initial consultation survey with four of its district centres to seek residents' opinions on the proposed improvements for the high street that were to be carried out using the High Street Fund. The feedback highlighted the need for improvements in road safety, more creative features, and greener, environmentally friendly spaces on the high street. This informed the Council's decisions and ensured that the plans reflected community needs.

Meanwhile use of buildings
This is becoming a recognised method to occupy vacant units and holds potential for engaging communities by presenting an opportunity for community members to foster new, innovative uses. Box Park, The Camden Collective and Pop Brixton are examples of popular meanwhile schemes that have enabled small businesses to flourish and transformed areas into lively attractions, with Pop Brixton exceeding a total footfall of 1.6 million from 2015-2018.

Meanwhile uses can be a powerful tool for community consultation, engagement, and collaboration. Midsteeple Quarter in Dumfries uses vacant community-owned buildings as pop-up venues for local businesses, as well as for hosting events and displaying ideas and plans for the project to involve the community in the plans for the town. Using buildings as a physical space for discussion enables community members to become directly engaged with the plans and provides a focal point for local authorities and planners when looking to address community needs.

Local authorities and planners must dedicate time and resources to facilitate community discussion and engage with communities in order to truly understand their needs and create places that are relevant and sustainable going forward.

Emily Brown