Outcomes from the first Urban Design Champions’ workshops
The first urban design champions’ workshops were held in Wellington and Auckland on 22 and 23 August 2005. There was a good attendance - around 110 people attended the two workshops representing 70 of the 99 signatories to the Protocol.
The workshop
The format for the workshop was a series of presentations from existing ‘urban design champions’: Richard Simmons - Chief Executive of Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in the UK, Dick Hubbard - Mayor of Auckland City, Bob Harvey - Mayor of Waitakere City, Ernst Zollner - Planning and Strategy Manager for Wellington City and Stuart Niven - Director of Urban Design for Victoria State Government in Australia. This was followed by group discussions about (a) the role of urban design champions; and (b) options for a champions network.
Role of Champions
Champions were asked to think about the various roles an urban design champion could play, recognising differences between type and size of organisation. The key roles that emerged were:
- Facilitating change
- Collaboration within and with other organisations
- Having a vision and being passionate
- Celebrating successes
- Finding opportunities for partnerships and linkages
- Demonstrating through actions and key projects
- Knowing where and how to get good advice
Champions’ network
Champions were asked to think about how any network should be structured, in particular the following questions:
- One network or multiple networks?
- A regional or national focus?
- A virtual network or focused on face to face meetings?
- Focussed on sharing information or providing training?
- Limited to champions or open to all?
- Formal or informal?
- Sector based or cross-sectoral?
Champions generally supported the following:
- The creation of a cross-sector network based around urban design champions as a way of supporting practitioners to deliver better urban outcomes.
- A virtual network but with face to face meetings held regionally twice a year, to focus on case studies and sharing best practice.
- The network should support both the high level champions, and their support staff.
- A monthly email newsletter providing information, sharing best practice and links to upcoming events.
- A website resource providing links to urban research, best practice guidance and a discussion forum.
- Access to targeted CPD training on urban design and other skills, such as influencing skills for champions and other key decision makers.
- A champions’ institute along the lines of the Mayor’s Institute (Victoria University volunteered to coordinate this.)
- Better connections across all the design professional institutes and the Urban Design Forum.
- A programme of overseas speakers coordinated across signatories to the Protocol.
- A video or image gallery of good urban design examples to be used by champions for consultation and advocacy.
Other issues raised:
- Champions must attend future workshops for them to be valuable for all parties. Substitutions are not acceptable or fair on others.
- Develop an evaluative template for use by signatories to measure urban design outcomes of projects and case studies.
- Better linking urban design to sustainability.
Next steps
Given the range of suggestions, it will not be possible for MfE to resource all of these. We are proposing to focus our effort on the following tasks:
- Circulate a contact list for all appointed champions and supporting staff to all signatories.
- Facilitate the creation of a collaborative organisation focussed on urban design. Representatives from all the professional design institutes (NZIA, NZPI, IPENZ, NZIS and NZILA), the leaders of the existing Urban Design Forum and the Property Council have been invited to attend a meeting in October to begin this discussion.
- Work with other organisations to co-host future design champions’ workshops.
- Develop a monthly e-mail newsletter for urban design champions and supporting staff.
- Investigate the potential for a website resource for urban design.
- Investigate targeted CPD training courses for champions and other key stakeholders.
Other signatories may wish to consider how they could assist in delivering the remaining actions.
Last updated: 17 September 2007
