Adaptable Neighbourhoods

A fresh way of thinking about our cities is needed that harnesses the potential of our existing buildings, communities and businesses. We can build upon these assets to create resilient, vibrant towns and cities.

Big change does not always require large investment. Thinking creatively and working with what you have can be transformative.

Finding, facilitating and harnessing the grass-roots energy of these 'adaptable neighbourhoods' provides an efficient means to rapidly initiate regeneration without large, singular capital injections.

We are testing these concepts at three scales, that of the street, the market and the city. These projects are live, ongoing and all completely dependant on working directly with communities.

  

The Neighbourhood

Patches of City

The Street

Industrial Chic

The Idea:Our cities can adapt to change as an alternative to comprehensive redevlopment.
The pilot: Working with the grain, the people and the commerce of a dwindling waterside business quarter in lecture to bring real change.

The Idea: Raise the profile of places in limbo between dereliction and development with innovative meanwhile programmes.
The Pilot: Caravanserai Canning Town becomes a community hub, a workyard for the city where notions of play are explored.


The Idea: People are the driving force behind regeneration. Markets are the kernels of a strong local economy and bring culture and life to our streets.
The Pilot: Campaigning with the traders of Leather Lane to revitalise and strengthen this failing ancient street market.


The Idea: to exploit the embodied energy and siting of two redundant buildings, prevent demolition, save their reflections in the River Trent, and make a new neighbourhood.
The Pilot: An animation demonstrating how these warehouse frames can easily host a mix of living and commercial spaces creating a new identity for this part of the city... Sometimes its  the very thing you think is in the way that's the best starting point.