University Challenge: A Sense of Place

“The strong sense of identity created by well-designed places instils a human connection, adding commercial, civic and social value to all the functions of a place, be those shopping, dwelling, working, learning or relaxing.” 

Matt Brook of ‘Places Matter’

The art of place-making is all about connection. The best places stem from a clear local identity which connects its people. In the last ten years the Columbian city of Medellin has transformed from the murder capital of the world to being dubbed the world’s most innovative city, and it hasn’t happened by accident. Medellin is now being used as a case study to highlight the impact of place-making on a city’s prosperity and culture. By taking a new approach to public transport, using cable-cars to connect the poorest neighbourhoods of the city to its rejuvenated multi-use public places, Medellin has created a feeling of community and identity.

Universities have a crucial role to play in the transformation of cities and can form the heart of new communities, which either emphasise or redefine unique city strengths and cultures. The way people are living their lives is rapidly changing and town developments are responding. The previously siloed worlds of education, work, home and leisure are continuing to merge, and it is becoming crucial to develop flexible places and spaces that enable this new design for 21st century life. Now, more than ever, universities have the potential to increase collaboration and partner with local community projects, businesses and entrepreneurs.

Mutually beneficial collaborations not only enhance the city but provide rich opportunities to develop clear and compelling university brands. At a time when the broader community experience on offer is playing an increasingly large role in influencing student application decisions, strong local collaboration becomes essential. By forming partnerships with local communities and taking advantage of new developments in town planning, universities can align themselves more closely with their surrounding area, its unique energy and identity. Ultimately this will help university cities become more appealing places for graduates to stay after finishing their degrees, providing a high quality of life and promising career prospects to students, who are increasingly expectant that their university deliver long-term value for money.

Two recent exciting city-university developments leading the way on this front are outlined below:

Bristol University – The Temple Quarter

The ambition of Bristol’s new quarter in the heart of Temple Meads is to create a “place to live, work, study, enjoy leisure time, building on Bristol’s strengths as a world class city.” It aims to create 22,000 jobs, over 10,000 homes, and a new world-class £300 million campus.

Alongside an Enterprise Zone offering a range of incentives to businesses, the campus will offer a range of teaching facilities and accommodation for 1,500 students.

Bristol has the largest digital tech cluster outside of London and combined with Bath has an industry turnover of £8.1 billion. Accordingly, the campus’ teaching and research will focus on digital technologies. This is a perfect example of a city-university collaboration to leverage a unique strength and they have found just the place to do it… ‘The Engine Shed’ is an enterprise hub formed out of a partnership between the Bristol University and Bristol City Council. Taking advantage of Bristol’s historical real estate, the hub is located in the original Grade 1 listed Great Western Railway station and offers a space for students, businesses, entrepreneurs, corporates, social innovators and academics to collaborate. The project has been so successful that the planning for a second shed is already underway. Bristol is on the right track to redefining itself as the UK’s chic tech capital.

UCL – East Bank (Stratford)

As the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan recently stated, London’s centre of gravity is moving East, and so is UCL’s new campus. The ‘East Bank’ in Stratford is being designed as a new powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning. Accompanying UCL’s campus will be a new Victoria and Albert Museum, BBC Music Studios, Sadler Wells East (a 550-seat theatre) and a new campus for the London College of Fashion.

Paola Lettieri, Academic Director for ‘UCL East,’ said that the vision is to “break down barriers between faculties and disciplines, bringing researchers and students together with industry and local communities in buildings designed for experimentation and collaboration.” This collaboration is most clearly seen in the shared aims of the East Bank’s and UCL’s academic vision. Matching the development’s aspirations to specialise in the cultural, creative and fashion sectors, UCL East will facilitate a ‘Culture Lab’ which draws together research, learning and public engagement to generate new skills and practices related to social science, humanities and the arts.

A stone’s throw away from Hackney Wick, a Berlinesque, warehouse-packed, graffiti-covered magnet for London’s aspiring creatives, UCL now has a unique opportunity to draw on the positive associations connected to East London’s most vibrant and creative emerging community.

The times are changing fast and so are cities. There needs to be a new design for life and universities now have a huge opportunity to position themselves at the heart of this change and instigate mutually beneficial collaborations which improve their reputation and the lives of their students. Town planning and place-making will be key to success, the winners will need to start their blueprints early.