Bringing together citizens, consultants, educators and built environment professionals, the network strives to advance the role that communities play in shaping the city.

 

Our aim is to define the actions required to transform the challenges in nurturing social, economic and ecological sustainability and value with effective community involvement. These actions must learn from, benefit and inform the communities themselves, the professions and professionals that collaborate with communities, and those involved in the built environment sector who are yet to forge a positive relationship with communities.

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In our discussions with citizen groups, architects, housing associations, campaigners, local regeneration consultants, developers and all those involved in shaping the city, we have been clear from the outset that our conversations must lead to action, and that the challenges that are voiced from the diversity of the group must also permit the sharing of ideas and proposals for how to transform them.

 

We have focused on two particular transformations that we seek to bring about and further through collaboration with others - advocacy and education.

 

Advocacy in these areas is critical in order to position its value and to champion the process of change. For this reason we are calling for a Mayoral Statement of Community Involvement (MSCI) that will set a strategic expectation for standards of effective and meaningful community involvement across London’s planning system and in connection with public services, in clear, measurable terms. In doing so, it would also act as a vehicle to focus the actions of public sector bodies on the consultative and social value policies promoted by the Mayor, particularly those set out in the (ITP) London Plan1.

 

Such a bold Statement will ensure that the powers and actions of the Mayor are focused on ensuring that change in the urban environment bene ts all, with the involvement of all.

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The changes that are required won’t happen quickly. In response
to this, we are promoting the establishment of education and training programmes to facilitate the exponential learning curve
that is required for the public and professionals to help shape their city.