







In its latest report, ‘Smart Solar at Scale: Meeting the UK’s net-zero emissions and clean growth targets’, ResPublica argues that the energy sector can play a central role in powering the UK’s economic recovery, post-Covid-19....
The Government’s focus on metro-regions has meant that mid-sized cities, towns, districts, and counties have been locked-out of the devolution process....
Listen to Shelagh Fogart from LBC, interviewing ResPublica’s Director, Phillip Blond, on the need to reform NHS Services....
A new report launched today by the independent think tank ResPublica, set out how we can properly refigure our public health system in the light of its successes and failings in the Covid-19 epidemic....
The next Government must unleash the potential of the UK’s workforce to compete in the 21st century economy. ...
Our Society would welcome this report.
It is vitally important subject.
With slackening planning conditions, Heritage England’s loss of influence on planning and low thresholds of standards by Councils and other official bodies on the impact of blighted neighbourhoods and incongruous new developments on neighbouring communities urgently calls for the need for ‘Beauty’ to gain its place in the vocabulary of all those who have influence over changes to our urban and countryside landscape.
It is a sad commentary that it takes such a report to highlight concerns that should be instinctive to those who serve the common good. Communities have been and still are clammering for so many years to have the right to beauty as we adapt to the demands for change.
Thank you.
This report raises the importance of techniques for engaging the public to be able to go beyond generalisations in describing or judging what they would like to see in their existing or proposed neighbourhood. I know of three that I believe are particularly good in that they do rely on art to define beauty in in a local environment:
1. Planning for Real (Neighbourhood Foundation)
2. Place Game (PPS, New York)
3. Spaceshaper (CABE, now Design Southeast)
I regard the last as the best because through its questionnaire it asks the public to define not only what they want to see, but also what they want to keep.
John Minett, Placemaker Associates