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
ACADEMY OF URBANISM CONGRESS VI, Glasgow 2011
Provocation Paper 1: Housing and Health
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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
ACADEMY OF URBANISM CONGRESS VI, Glasgow 2011
Provocation Paper 1: Housing and Health
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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
ACADEMY OF URBANISM CONGRESS VI, Glasgow 2011
Provocation Paper 1: Housing and Health
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Architecture + Design Scotland (A+DS)is Scotlands champion for excellence inplacemaking, architecture & planning.
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