Part 6: Tools and Applications

Consultation and Engagement

There is a need to involve local citizens in the design and development process if Sheffield is to sustain its transformation in the long term. It is the local community who will be living and working in the regenerated city centre and to ensure that the changes are well received and maintained there is a need to develop a sense of common ownership. To encourage this, local people should be treated as a joint client to ensure that local perspectives and needs are considered in the design process and reflected in the design solutions. If consultations with local communities and other groups are led by experienced professionals they have the potential to increase public understanding and awareness of the impacts and benefits of development proposals, reduce the potential for objections and increase the chance of long term success.

Sheffield City Council should formalise this arrangement by introducing guidance for developers to include public consultation in the design and development process. The introduction of such a scheme will encourage a culture which recognises and understands the value of good design across the whole spectrum of urban issues and may encourage citizens of the city to be more receptive of innovative design solutions.

There are a variety of ways in which public participation can be engaged including:

• The organisation of road shows, events and/or local festivals to seek public feedback. The majority of local people will have an idea of what developments they would like to see in their area. Small road shows and festivals offer the local community the opportunity to have their say in the development of their city. Interactive exhibitions will enable the council and the client to gauge the community’s response and determine the feasibility of various design solutions. They will provide the target audience (the local community) with the opportunity to convey their ideas to the developer. In many instances the local community may offer a solution that the developer may not have considered, not having the benefit of local knowledge.
  
  
• Involvement of community activists in the design process will provide an instant link to the community. They should be encouraged to play a strong role in the organisation of public meetings and road show events to ensure that activities will appeal to the target audience.
  
  
• Involving local schools in the development process will generate local interest from all user groups. This can be achieved by establishing a small scheme where children use drawings and collages to create images of what they want in the city in which they live. These images could be used for leaflets and posters to encourage parents and families to read rather than disregard them.
  
  
• In addition to these participatory events the following methods of communication could also be used:
  • direct mail drops;
    
  • leaflet advertising;
    
  • promotion on site;
    
  • newspaper coverage.

When transforming ideas into a useable document they must be made inspirational through the use of direct images and clear text. One way of doing this would be to include some of the community’s contributions in the final document. This would not only foster a continuing interest in the development process but would encourage future involvement if the community see that their views are being considered.

Continued communication will create positive partnerships with local communities and provide the designer with a better understanding of the local context which may result in provocative and inspiring images of what Sheffield could feasibly become.

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