THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACT
We have written, contributed and collaborated with PRD and others on a number of articles and reports on the topic of affordable space, its importance to cities and the opportunity for action. This started in 2020 with our original series of articles on the Opportunity to Act with PRD.
We have continued to add to this page to provide a resource on affordable workspace, including:
REDO and PRD, A Better Approach to Affordable Workspace : The Opportunity to Act. A collaboration between PRD and REDO;
Future of London, Creating Public Value: How Buildings Can Better Serve Our Communities;
Savills and BCO, Affordable Workspace: A Solution Not a Problem;
LGiU briefings, Providing of Affordable Workspaces: How Councils Can Utilise Property Assets and Moving Councils to Net Zero: A Re-Use First Approach;
Placemaking Resource, Advice: Promoting affordable workspace to regenerate urban areas.
Copies of the reports are available to download below.
1. A Better Approach to Affordable Workspace : The Opportunity to Act. A collaboration between PRD and REDO - 2020
One of the best things to come out of 2020 for us was the chance to work closely with our friends at PRD. Part of this was writing a series of articles on affordable workspace that examined how current policies could be improved. These articles build on the work we are doing together with local authorities, as well as our operations at 3Space, and other innovative examples we’ve seen from around the world.
Out of those articles, a manifesto emerged that outlines the opportunity to act. The ‘Opportunity to Act’ can also be downloaded as a PDF here
2. Future of London: Creating Public Value: How Buildings Can Better Serve Our Communities - July 2021
Future of London has published a new guide for borough council regeneration and asset management teams providing practical steps and case studies for how vacant or under-used buildings can help communities and local economies recover in London and across the UK.
The guide, ‘creating public value: how buildings can better serve our communities,’ recognises that local authorities are under extreme pressure to balance the books and generate maximum revenue from their assets – the buildings and spaces they own or manage. However, there is a growing number of councils taking a different view, weighing longer-term gains in social – or public – value against shorter-term financial wins.
In London - Hackney, Lambeth, Southwark and Sutton are just some of the boroughs working with social enterprises and communities to renovate, redesign and take over management of vacant or under-used spaces that can help local people and businesses recover – critical to arresting decline on the high street, and repairing neighbourhood vibrancy and character in the wake of Covid.
These local authorities are fast becoming ‘market makers.’ Their long-term, active role breeds private- and civil-sector confidence and further investment in the wider area. They are also facilitators, building the capacity and ambition of residents to take on building management.
The guide can be downloaded here and the link to Future of London here.
A webinar was held on the topic in February 2021 and a recording can be viewed here.
3. Savills and BCO - Affordable Workspace: A Solution, not a Problem
Savills and BCO released a report in July 2021 on Affordable Workspace which provides a useful summary of the issues with delivering affordable space. Andrew from REDO contributed to the report and with Dan Partridge from PRD participated in the launch webinar on 1st July 2021.
The report can be viewed at Savills or as a pdf
A webinar was also hosted on 1st July 2021 by BCO and Savills on the topic. The panel included Claire Bailey (Savills), Daniel Partridge (PRD), Angela Brennan (Lendlease), David Crichton-Miller (Oxford Innovation) and Andrew Cribb (REDO). A recording of the webinar can be viewed here
4. LGiU Briefings
Andrew has written two articles for the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) think tank. Including one on the topic of affordable workspace and use of Council assets, and another about how reusing existing buildings is an important shift in strategy that Councils need to consider if they are to meet net zero commitments.
These can be viewed via the links below
Providing of affordable workspaces : How councils can utilise property assets
Moving councils to net zero : Adopting a re-use first approach
