the academy congress provocation 1 housing and health

8/3/2019 The Academy Congress Provocation 1 Housing and Health

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Form ollows fnance?

Governments, local and national, are required to think why, where and how

they will regulate, manage and invest to change place outcomes or the

better.

At the scale o the neighbourhood, these points o intervention concentrate

on housing, health and wellbeing o citizens. For some, this tends towards

an idea o the neighbourhood as a living space, as locally constituted, as

sel contained. In act, everything about the neighbourhood is to do with

its relations: the relation o individuals and their choices, the relation o the

neighbourhood to other neighbourhoods, the city, the region, the nation.

In this context, the key to successul neighbourhoods is a more dynamic

idea o place, which invites ows o ideas, people and fnance in dierent

orms. The more a neighbourhood can enable participation by the citizen

and inorm collaboration by the decisionmakers, the more useul it can be

as a place.

The neighbourhood is or most people the sphere o daily lie. It is largely

inwardly ocussed, an area o amiliarity, providing convenience, comort

and continuity; characterised by pedestrian movement, personal interaction

and spatial repetition. Despite this vital role, many o our residentialneighbourhoods maniestly ail to deliver some o the basic conditions or

individual and community sustainability. Whether they comprise suburban

streets or twentieth century housing estates, they are characterised by

sprawl, aceless homogeneity, limited opportunity, and personal alienation.

Lynsey Hanley encapsulates this when she writes o the housing estate

she grew up in: I look back at the domino contest Ive just passed through,

and realize exactly what ascinates me about the estate I grew up on: its all

houses. Thats what it is: houses everywhere, without a break. Thats what

its there or. Thats the only reason its there.

Amartya Sens notion o capabilities argues that spatial concentrations obad outcomes (poverty, worklessness) now shape worse outcomes or the

uture. Mobilising social capital in poorer areas is challenging. Institutional

collaboration is equally challenging. Poor outcomes persist. In this context,

place policy is about the capabilities o local institutions and individuals to

beneft rom opportunities. At the heart o place then are the processes o

participation and collaboration.

Good places, better health?

Despite these improvements, major challenges still exist. While the

quality o the air that we breathe and the water that we drink may beuniormly high, the dierence in health and in lie expectancy amongst

dierent communities is stark. It is vital, thereore that we achieve a better

understanding o the subtle and complex contribution o environment to

health and wellbeing.

ACADEMY OF URBANISM CONGRESS VI, Glasgow 2011

Provocation Paper 1: Housing and Health

The more aneighbourhoodcan enable

participation by the

citizen and inorm

collaboration by thedecisionmakers, the

more useul it can be

as a place


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We know that the physical environment that surrounds us is key to our

health and wellbeing. Historically we have ocused (very successully) on

creating environments ree rom signifcant hazards. Whilst this continues

to be important we now recognise an additional need to create positive

physical environments which nurture better health and wellbeing. The

relationship between environment and health is complicated and creating

sae and positive environments or health requires us to think, plan and

deliver in new and more eective ways.

Todays issues are less about toxic or inectious threats but rather

the capacity o ugly scarred and threatening environments to osterhopelessness and stress, discourage active healthy lives and healthy

behaviours. When it comes to health and wellbeing, it is oten said that

everything matters. Our challenge is to translate this understanding

into eective policy and action. Central to this issue is the dierence

between neighbourhood the physical and locational aspect o place, and

community the organisational and social aspect o place. The citizen sits

at the heart. In this context, good places better health is not just an issue o

physical regeneration. In the words o the Chie Medical Ofcer in Scotland,

it is about constructing the architecture o hope, where social capital and

opportunity are as important as the built quality o the physical environment.

Institutional collaboration

Concentrations o poor health, poverty and benefts dependency are oten

ound in areas where high levels o housing is provided by the social rented

sector. Despite intensive intervention, over several decades, these levels

persist. Previous eorts have tended towards the short term, grant-aided,

area specifc, project level approach which have been difcult to sustain.

Whilst many o these have been successul and have helped improve local

practice, the strategic long-term potential o greater collaboration across

social housing and health, at the structural level, appears as relatively

untested.

All providers o statutory and voluntary public services expect challenges in

maintaining current service models. Given this, it may be timely to reassess

how common interests in community development, health and wellbeing

can be combined in new methods o service delivery under the key areas

o:

PhysicalEnvironment

SocialEnvironment,and

EnablingServices

Appreciating the limitations o the individual, specifc, project level approachin inuencing institutional level decision making, a sectoral level ramework

or the social rented sector could be built. This would take the orm o

a series o inter-related demonstration projects, a learning and doing

inrastructure. The outcomes would inorm decision making at the strategic

todaysenvironmentalhealth threats

are less about

toxic or inectious

threats but ratherthe capacity o

ugly scarred

and threatening

environments to

oster hopelessness

and stress




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We need to understand

the dierence between

neighbourhood the

physical and locationalaspect o place, and

community the

organisational aspect o

place


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level. No single organisation could take ownership o the ramework. It

would be a collaborative initiative, working to achieve economies o scope

by working together. Such an approach would:

Beparticipativeanddesignedaroundthecitizen,theuser

Begroundedinrealexperience

Addressbroadhealthdeterminants

Deliverlocalservicesolutionswhilstinformingstrategicleveldecision

making.

Testcurrentcollaborativelimitationsandadvisesectorallevel

solutions

Buildovertimeasapracticeledframework

Informandsupportanevidencebasedpolicyapproach

Supportnew,longterm,formsofservicepartnership

Fast Finance versus Participation and Collaboration

Smithfeld in Dublin is in the heart o the Markets area o the city. Mucho the traditional housing is municipal, with a mix o social rented and

aordable housing. It still has a horse market once a month, although all

other signs o the market past in the centre o Smithfeld are reduced.

Smithfeld used to be a place where citizens, oten poor, could participate

in the economy o the city through simple sales, negotiation, barter and

cunning. It was rough and ready. It was not always nice. It just was what it

was.

Today, Smithfeld is a regeneration area. New housing takes the orm o

apartments, private tenure. The transormation o Smithfeld, and the open-

ness o Ireland to international participation is represented by the massive

Europeaninspiredlightcolumnssoldieringupthesquare.Itwasabigidea,a municipal idea, policy driven, iconic. The market used to sell small things,

andlotsofthem.Backthen,bigmoneywasabouttradinghorses,ridden

bareback through the city streets. The neighbourhood got bigger on market

days. It was less about the buildings and more about deals.

ThemoneyoftheCelticeconomytookshapehereinaEuropean

urbanism; high density, public lie, vitality. However, today over 50% o the

entire ground oor o Smithfeld is empty. Most retail units have ailed, and

there are varying amounts o residential occupation. The arts cinema closed

recently. The landlord has increased the rent by almost 100% to cover the

cost o servicing his debts. Today, the place is empty. This seems to be

the orm that ollows ast fnance. In the coherence o the urban orm, it is

hard to understand the neighbourhood. You can see the buildings but cant

sense the drama o a place that did deals as part o its basic identity. Is it

healthier?

Smithfeld inDublin......the neighbourhood

got bigger on market

days. It was less

about the buildingsand more about the

deals




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References

Good places better health - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/11090318/0

Employers in Voluntary Housing - http://www.evh.org.uk/content/

A vision of Health - http://www.ads.org.uk/healthierplaces/features/a-ds-a-vision-of-health

Investing in better places - http://www.smith-institute.org.uk/le/Investing%20in%20Better%20Places.pdf

Delivering Better Places - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/336587/0110158.pdf

AOU 10x10x10 Folkestone - http://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/projects/10x/provocation_folkestone.pdf

Historic Area Regeneration Programme, Dublin - http://www.dublincity.ie/YOURCOUNCIL/LOCALAREASERVICES/CENTRALAREA/REGEN-

ERATIONPROJECTS/Pages/SmitheldandHistoricAreaProjectHARP.aspx

Participation

How would a ramework or health and housing look i we organised it

aroundthecitizen?Exploringnewideasoftenmeansweneedtodealwith

new people and new institutions and orge new conversations and new

relationships. Participation seems like a good idea to most people but

general support is almost always tempered by specifc reservations. These

reservations usually fnd expression in two requently asked questions.

Isnt there a danger o raising unrealistic expectations? Yes there is, i you

ask people what specifc solutions they want built rather than what needsand hopes they want satisfed. It is not unrealistic to have an expectation

that people will be listened to about the aspirations they have or the places

they want to live in. We want our communities to have high aspirations and

we expect the places we create to help turn them into reality..

Why should experienced proessionals listen to inexperienced amateurs?

Becauseitstheirplace.Becausetheywillhavetolivetheirlivesinwhat

theprofessionalscreate.Becausetheyaretheworldclassexpertsabout

their own lives. And, because the alternative dont try to understand

or engage with the people who will use your design is not a credible,

responsible way to make great places.

I the architecture o hope is about building better conditions or better

lives, then it can not be an idea done to people. It has to be a process

o design together. Housing is a key element o the health opportunity

ofpeople.Betterintegratedthinkinginplaces,designedwithpeople,

with citizens through continuous participation and engagement with the

environment, and the services supporting our lives could help make these

opportunities real.

I thearchitectureo hope is about

building better

conditions or better

lives, then it can notbe an idea done to

people




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Architecture + Design Scotland (A+DS)is Scotlands champion for excellence inplacemaking, architecture & planning.

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Edinburgh EH8 8DD

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The Academy brings together a diversegroup of thinkers, decision-makersand practitioners involved in the social,cultural, economic, political and physicaldevelopment of our villages, towns andcities, and is an active membershiporganisation.

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the academy congress provocation 1 housing and health

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