For the Kerrier District Council in Pool, Cornwall we conducted an inclusive design review. They had recently completed the masterplan stage of a large-scale and complex urban regeneration project, and wished to evaluate this process from the perspective of inclusive design principles before they embarked on the detailed design stages. For this review we worked closely together with the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art in London.
Heartlands is an area near the center of Pool village, between Redruth and Camborne. It encompasses the world’s first tin mine (now closed) and a large open space. Kerrier district council has received funding from the Big Lottery Fund to create a large park with a museum, a community centre, artists studios, playgrounds and spaces for small-scale retail. As one of the core aims of the project is to “include the wider community in the design development phase, to ensure Heartlands is a positive and enjoyable experience for all visitors”, a series of community involvement activities was initiated. We were asked to advise on how to optimally connect these activities to the design process.
We are currently working with the district council and the various design agencies they appointed to the project, by facilitating various inclusive design and co-creation activities. (UK, 2008)
