The Recap: A weekly update from Architecture and Design Scotland

Welcome to the Recap - a short weekly update blog from Architecture and Design Scotland. This is based on our internal blog that is shared with staff and board members on Fridays. This blog is for the week ending 4 October.

Our Board Member Alistair Scott and Principal Architect's Steve Malone and Johnny Cadell, were in attendance on Wednesday evening as Scotland's Towns Partnership hosted a parliamentary reception to celebrate Scotland's towns under the banner of 'Living Well Locally'. Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Employment and Investment, addressed the gathering with a strong message around place-based collaboration, including a nod to our work at A&DS.

On Thursday 3 October, Principal Landscape Architect Danny McKendry attended a roundtable discussion on nature-based infrastructure solutions hosted by Green Action Trust (GAT) and Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Themes coming from the discussion included: ambition for place, long-term thinking, the need for prioritised geographies, preventative approaches, risk liability, the need for more maintenance data, and the need to declutter the funding landscape.

Danny took the opportunity to share examples of our work where nature-based solutions have played a significant part of designing better places.

On Thursday, our Chief Executive Jim MacDonald, Director of Design Heather Claridge, and Head of Innovation and Digital Place Ian Gilzean all attended the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Scotland Annual Conference 2024 in Clydebank. The theme, The Art of Placemaking: Past, Present, and Future, was well-chosen and explored in depth through sessions and site visits to Queens Quay.

Keynote speaker Lord Richard Best delivered a thought-provoking address, reinforcing his long-standing support for planners and planning and the need for a long-term, public interest approach supported by patient investors.

Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee MSP, highlighted the positive contributions of planning and demonstrated his commitment to the profession and some of the emerging initiatives such as the Planning Hub and Master Plan Consent Areas.

Scottish Government Chief Planner Fiona Simpson discussed recent reforms and future directions in policy and practice. Heather, alongside Professor James White of University of Glasgow and Alan Anthony from 360 Architecture, made up the panel responding to Fiona’s presentation. Heather highlighted the benefits of a multi-faceted approach to transforming places and the need for good quality design to be valued.

Ian and Tom Sharples led one of two afternoon workshops on 'digital placemaking' to showcase developments on the Place-Tech Innovation programme. They covered how Place-Tech is providing hands-on support for projects such as the next phase of work in Stewarton, as well as promoting digital access to tools such as the 20 Minute Neighbourhood mapper. 

The Town Centre Forum on 8 October, and the Andy MacMillan Memorial Lecture and the A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards on 9 October.