Significance: this exhibition is based on research into the Hidden Histories of Community-Led Planning in the UK. While previous research has focused on participation in the formal planning system, or separate case studies of community activity this is the first research project to focus specifically on community-led planning and to bring together examples across time and space from throughout the UK. The project is interdisciplinary involving historians, artists, planners and social scientists, reflecting the diverse practices of CLP itself. The exhibition reflects the styles of CLP in its use of imagery and formats and it is available for download on the project website to enable it to be used by groups and educators as they want to. Rigour: the exhibition uses information gathered through a 3 year research project which combined archival and oral history research. Scoping interviews were carried out with key actors ( reflected in the opening boards) supported by research in the National Archives and the TCPA archives. These were used to establish a timeline and typology of CLP activity from which case studies were chosen. Further archival research in local areas, plus interviews with those involved in the localities and case studies was carried out. Full ethics approval was gained. A participatory approach was used involving those involved in the case studies in the production of the exhibition boards. Originality: The exhibition is original in three ways. Given this is the first research project of its kind there is no other similar exhibition covering the history of Community-Led Planning in the four nations of the UK. Secondly, the exhibition is designed to be flexible enabling the information to be tailored to specific circumstances including national events and local workshops. Thirdly the exhibition reflects the ethos of CLP by using material from and imagery similar to community arts projects of the time , being freely available for download and by being participatory by design. Finally, it continues a tradition of the ‘planning exhibition’ but places communities at the centre.
This output consists of an exhibition which summaries the work of a two and half year AHRC funded project called Spaces of Hope. The project aimed to reveal the hidden historiies of community-led planning in the UK. The exhibition consists of A1 foam printed boards which use text and images from material gathered and generated throughout the project to showcase these histories and to make links with their relevance to the present day. It has been shown in physical form in a variety of venues as part of dissemination events for the project. It is also available as downloadable PDFs on the project website for use by community and other groups. There are in total 36 boards. These comprise one summary exhibition consisting of introductory boards at the start and reflective boards at the end, interspersed with one summary board for each of the seven case studies (total eighteen). These have been shown at national conferences and planning events. There are also additional boards for particular case studies which tell the story of those case studies in more depth and which can be shown ‘sandwiched’ between the same introductory and reflective boards for showing at local events (eighteen boards).
AH/T00729X/1
Brownill, S Ellis, GInch, AO'Hara, G Leeson, L Sartorio, FHowcroft, MSlade, JHumphrey, DIles, H (Zooh Designs)
School of Built EnvironmentSchool of Education, Humanities and Languages
Year of publication: 2023-Date of RADAR deposit: 2025-03-14
Arts and Humanities Research Council (Other: https://ror.org/0505m1554) : Spaces of HOPE. The Hidden History of Community Led Planning in the UK (AH/T00729X/1)
Published by Oxford Brookes University