Welcome to the Autumn edition of the MAG NewsletterMAG have been involved in a wide range of activities in the last few months. We would especially like to draw your attention to the article below regarding the Public Appointments Competition for MAG Members & MAG Expert Advisors which is open for applications until Noon on 9 October 2023. MAG CompetitionLast week, a public competition was opened to anyone interested in becoming a MAG Member or Expert Advisor. Applications are welcome from a wide range of people who have an interest in public service, including those who are looking for an opportunity to use their skills and experience and anyone interested in applying is most welcome to view the application pack by clicking the link below. Applications will close at Noon on Monday 9 October. Downpatrick Living High Streets Framework - LaunchOn Tuesday 12th September, over 80 people gathered in the Down Arts Centre when the Downpatrick Regeneration Working Group (DRWG) launched its Downpatrick Living High Streets Framework. Downpatrick is the first town in the province to pilot the MAG Living High Street initiative. MAG have mentored DRWG through the process and facilitated workshops and the co-design of the Framework. MAG are grateful to DfC Regeneration for the opportunity to facilitate the Downpatrick Pilot to use the Living High Streets Craft Kit in collaboration with the Department for Communities and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The co-designed Framework focuses on incremental actions to deliver the vision. It provides the DRWG with a clear set of instructions on next steps that they and their stakeholders will take responsibility to deliver. Since the actions in the Framework are co-designed through the process there is commitment and buy-in on the way forward. The Framework with the help of businesses, residents and stakeholders, has a clear vision for Downpatrick and puts it in the best possible position for funding opportunities. The Framework includes valuable inputs from the workshops including community insights and facts as well as the ideas for actions and projects. The five key objectives are: Sustainability, Town Centre First Approach, Valuing Heritage, Improving Connectivity, and being a Welcoming Place for Everyone. In the Action Plan section there are five strategies: Communications and Marketing, Making the Most of Existing Assets, Activating and Connecting Streets and Spaces, Improving Image – Tackle Vacancy, Frontages and Gateways, and Community Needs and Wants, as well as a series of Projects. The final section sets out Next Steps for DRWG and there are links to additional information and Case Studies in the Appendices. The Downpatrick Living High Streets Framework can be viewed on the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council website. The Framework is more akin to a Place Based Business Plan than a Masterplan. The Craft Kit guides the process and is not a design guide. The Living High Streets approach is participatory, building skills, knowledge, experience and confidence (social capacity) by bringing people together to tackle common issues. The DRWG members have built capacity through this process and their commitment and enthusiasm is captured in the Framework and their Call to Action. The most recent of a series of articles about the Framework can be found on the Down Recorder website.
Photo taken by Jim Masson for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council British-Irish Council – Collaborative Spatial PlanningThe British-Irish Council was established 25 years ago, as part of the Good Friday Agreement. Its membership comprises representatives from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, and Jersey & Guernsey. It’s purpose is to promote positive, practical relationships and to provide a forum for consultation and co-operation across eleven work sectors. One of those sectors is ‘Collaborative Spatial Planning’ and it was with that intention that a variety of delegates including a cohort from Northern Ireland gathered in Cardiff on 8 September. Hosted by the Design Commission for Wales, in a wonderfully restored and repurposed former church building, called Cornerstone, it was great to meet, hear presentations and share thoughts on Placemaking (or, subject to debate, Place Keeping). We heard from a wide range of speakers, whose insights and case studies were incredibly varied. For example, the Bathing Pools at La Vallette in Guernsey provided an uplifting insight into the restoration of much-loved, but neglected sea pools and how the community became a central part of the project, making furniture, taking responsibility for the landscape and crowdfunding an accessible ramp. This strength of ownership is now reflected in the passion with which it is used. The visiting speaker was Michael Schwarze-Rodrian, a Landscape Planner, who whilst he is now a Visiting Professor at the University of Birmingham, was responsible for developing the Emscher Landscape Park in the Ruhr region of Germany. Initiated in the 1980s this has seen a collaborative effort across eleven cities to transform the former industrial heartlands of steel making and coal extraction. Iconic projects such as Duisburg Nord are part of a network of interventions covering 450 square kilometres, including pioneering sustainable industry, housing, active travel, and nature connections. In marking the 25th anniversary of the British-Irish Council, it was particularly appropriate that Graham Marshall, one of MAG’s Expert Advisors, gave an overview of the Living High Streets Craft Kit, from its co-created origins to its co-design application in Downpatrick and in Longtown on the border of England and Scotland. TEO - Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women & GirlsThe Executive Office is leading on the development of a Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG). This draft seven-year framework, due to run from 2023-2030, has been co-designed with over 50 stakeholders from across government, community and voluntary sectors, and wider society, including those with lived experience. It sets the agenda for all of government and society to end violence against women and girls. It is ambitious, long term, and wide reaching. This document is intended to be a living document, which means it will be adapted along the journey according to emerging needs. The Executive Office are consulting to take views on:
Further detail and supporting documents can be viewed on the Executive Office's Consultation page. The consultation closes on 3 October 2023. In response to this MAG has recently discussed the role of design reviews in addressing how the design of the built environment might contribute to their strategic aim of ending violence against women and girls. Following discussions, the aim is that design review panels might include this aspect of safety and security within their comments on the adequacy of proposals specifically related to the public realm. Have you received this Newsletter from a friend? Subscribe to our stakeholder list and receive updates directly from MAG. |