As energy costs continue to be a source of financial pain for many and worries about climate change grow, energy efficiency has become an important selling point for new homes. Recent years have seen many home builders taking steps to…
Recent data from the Urban Road Safety Index has revealed a significant shift in Londoners’ attitudes towards road safety initiatives, marking a positive turning point for the city’s approach to urban transport. While only 50% of residents felt confident about…
This past weekend, ECF spent two vibrant afternoons in Peterborough, engaging with the community about the Peterborough Station Quarter project. Our aim is to reimagine the area around the station, enhancing it to better serve the needs of residents, visitors,…
Earlier this year, NLA launched the ‘Reimagine London’ competition, which was aimed at generating innovative and aspirational ideas to help shape the future of the capital. Partnering with the Involve Foundation, we entered with our idea to reimagine democracy in…
As the UK grapples with a modern housing crisis, the concept of new towns is being revisited as a potential solution. The Labour Party’s manifesto promises a “new generation of new towns,” reminiscent of the settlements constructed by the Attlee…
Back in late June, we held our London Festival of Architecture event on the use of artificial intelligence within the community engagement process. The video we have produced captures the event and the conversation that we had. Oliver Deed opened…
If the cliché of “the first step is the hardest” applies anywhere, it certainly applies to the housing market. The Building Societies Association says that first-time buyers are facing the toughest conditions in 70 years, with the average age of…
Last night, our London Festival of Architecture event on the role of AI in community engagement took place, and fair to say it was a success! Following an introduction from Oliver Deed who chaired the event, the panellists each gave…
Reflecting on Michael Gove’s tenure as Levelling Up Secretary, his announcement to resign from politics at the next General Election has sent ripples through the built environment sector. First elected as MP for Surrey Heath in 2005, Gove has served…
One of the main challenges in the planning process is having truly inclusive community engagement. There are some groups who are more likely to participate in engagement, and some who are seldom heard during the engagement process. One can aim…
It is easy to look at the current housing market in this country and see a rather daunting challenge. Especially in cities, the sort of one bedroom apartment which would once have seemed a reasonably humble aspiration for an ambitious…
Deriving Social Value from Mixed-Use Schemes In the ongoing discourse about urban development, mixed-use schemes stand out for their potential to integrate various aspects of daily life into a cohesive environment. These developments, which blend residential, commercial, and recreational facilities,…
Examining the challenges of affordable housing creation and possible solutions. There is an exceedingly broad consensus that we in this country need more affordable homes. A £21bn government programme to build more affordable housing by 2026 in England is missing its target…
As we look towards 2050, a startling statistic emerges: four out of five households will reside in homes that have already been built today. The current state of our housing stock reveals a troubling inability to support the health and…
Earlier this year, ECF was invited by House of Two, a multidisciplinary design studio in Mumbai, India, to give a collaborative talk on ‘Placemaking for Children in Spaces’. It was a pleasure to share thoughts with a team who, like…
When it comes to community projects, the timing of engagement can make all the difference. As emphasised in a recent ECF blog post, initiating community engagement at the project’s inception is not just beneficial—it’s crucial. A great example of this…
A crucial aspect often overlooked in the planning sector is the impact of urban design on children. Enrique Peñalosa, the former Mayor of Bogotá, once insightfully remarked, “Children are an indicator species—if it works for children, it works for everyone”.…
March has been an exciting month of engagement for ECF in Cambridge for the Hartree project! Over the last month, ECF along with the Hartree project team have met and engaged with a great many people and received a lot…
Timing is a critical factor in community engagement. Initiating involvement at the project’s inception, preferably during the conceptual phase, is essential. Such early involvement not only empowers community members by giving them a sense of control and participation in decisions…
Following today’s BBC News article that public satisfaction has dropped with the NHS, to a new low, Louise Bradley, healthcare lead at ECF, explores how deliberative techniques may help to foster the constructive conversations needed to address some of the…
Two projects that ECF are proud to have worked on, Hartree in North East Cambridge and the Investing in Woolwich programme, have been shortlisted in this year’s Pineapple Awards. The Hartree project has been nominated in the community engagement category,…
The concept of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has garnered significant attention in recent years, with aspirations and impacts evolving rapidly. ECF has analysed several of its LTN case studies where support was given from 2021 through to just recently in…
In honour of International Women’s Day 2024, ECF Practice Director Louise Bradley, summarises the crucial role women play in UK planning and architecture. Introduction In the realm of urban development, planning, and architecture, a transformative shift is underway – one…
This year we saw a particularly rowdy House of Commons for the budget statement. Noise is somewhat customary, but it does traditionally wait for the Chancellor to announce something. Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing had her work cut out, but…
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