Over the past 10 years, an increased focus on placemaking and regeneration across the UK led many public bodies and campaigning groups to engage in placemaking initiatives: the Urban Design Compendium, Manual for Streets, Link and Place, etc. Information on these initiatives is available via RUDI, along with strategy and guidance on most elements of the placemaking mix.

Fairytale and horror story: making art work

Collaborative practice between artists and urban designers has been promoted as a means of producing creative solutions for urban environments; enhancing the quality of urban design and creating imaginative environments that reflect local identity and meet communities’ needs

Recent funding and policy initiatives have encouraged collaborations, presenting greater opportunities for the professions to work together as part of a design team. But what is the real added value of these working partnerships and how do they work in practice?

RUDI and Public Art South West (PASW) organised a one-day conference with the aim of informing, challenging and
debating collaborative practice in the realm of contemporary art and urban design.  

The event will not only explore the process and experience of collaborations in terms of final outcome but, perhaps more importantly, will consider the integration of artists and their ideas into urban design teams and programmes.
Highlights include:

• Debate: opportunities + obstacles for successful working practices
• Experiences of leading edge collaborations
• The real added value of involving an artist in design teams
• The future for urban designer and artist collaborations