The value of Hanging Out ________________________________________________________________________________________
The concept of ‘Hanging Out’ is a way of thinking about the future of town centres and diversifying their functions to provide a more balanced mix of social, public and economic activities as they did in the past making them more resilient to change.
Hanging out can happen wherever and whenever it can be on a bench in the park or at the street corner...through hanging out people shape and appropriate places to their needs, this is placemaking. This is what makes places unique, a destination and creates both social and economic value.
I produced a toolkit that can be used assess a place for opportunities for hanging out to make them more resiient places. The concept was tested on an area of Brixton town centre which is undergoing significant change. Talking with local groups, CICs, the BID and Lambeth Council, a report was produced showing how a series of design led interventions could address loss of identity and create opportunities for additional social and economic activities needed to support a more resilient town centre.
This project also created a brief for public realm and building uses that has since been used to inform Lambeth’s regeneration strategy, and has been a consideration in the determination of recent development proposals. It is being used to facilitate discussions with other local authorities on the future of their town centres including Wakefield, Bletchley and Blandford Market Town.
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- Project Type Design Code, Placemaking Toolkit
- Location Brixton, Lambeth
- Typology Town Centre