Reimagining neighbourhood development based on community-public partnership

She maintains that this partnership has enclosed the unbounded commons, rather than deliver public goods and services, and asks: can we instead reimagine a new system based on community-public partnership embedded in the power of localism and decentralised urban governance?

Dr Khonsari focuses her talk on the Creative Archway Commons project, a community-led initiative in partnership with local government in Islington. Embedded in a neighbourhood in Archway, its aim is to deliver a community-led creative enterprise zone (CEZ) in its town centre. CEZs are designated by the Mayor of London and aspire to be grassroots-led. The project tackled obstacles through a partnership between London Borough of Islington, London Metropolitan University and the Architectural Association. The new knowledge that emerged relates to both how architecture is taught and how the focus of the architectural practice as the creative project can allow architects to reinvent their role as experts in the built environment.

Drawing by Yuxiang Zheng - Diploma Unit 2 - Architectural Association

The key research findings included high land rental value making grassroots creative organisations homeless; culture of competition over resources between grassroots organisations; lack of knowledge about governmental procedures and power relationships that were constructive and destructive. Dr Khonsari will convey how each one of these obstacles were addressed. Each applied solution is mapped against an overall diagram presented to the local authority as a Commons-Public Partnership model for neighbourhood development. The theoretical backbone of her work stems from relational theories including relational leadership, power and ethics, and interpersonal conflict and sanctions.

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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Torange Khonsari is Co-Founder and Director of Public Works, the urbanism, public art and architecture practice (2004-), an interdisciplinary practice working on co-production methods in art, architecture, urbanism, systems thinking and citizenship.

Her work as Co-director of Centre for Applied Research in Empowering Society, London Metropolitan University, revolves around nurturing the intersection of design, public engagement, and commons governance, where she leverages over two decades of experience to foster new ways of framing neighbourhoods as nexus of political decision making through public-community collaborative governance.

As a chartered designer, and Design Council Expert adviser Dr Khonsari is deeply involved in shaping projects and curricula that empower socially engaged architects and designers to develop circular and care based solutions and strategies in urban development. Her work supports local and central government to innovate new systemic change that also influences public policy focusing on system and organisational design.

At the Architectural Association, her students shape future built environments with a strong ethos of community engagement, ensuring that the next generation of designers is equipped with the necessary skills to serve the climate and society using tech ethically. Her role as Unit Lead underscores a commitment to sustainable urban development and the co-production of systems, which magnifies the local voice in neighborhood transformation and policy making dialogue.

Dr Khonsari delivered Harnessing the Power of Civic Commons, a TEDx talk, in 2019. She completed a consultancy on the five year framework of the Mayor of London’s Specialist Assistant Team for community engagement in regeneration. She was invited to be one of the 9 experts on Design Council’s Design for Planet Fellowship, 2021/22.

RESOURCE LINKS

TEDX Tottenham : Harnessing The Power Of The Civic Commons
LinkedIn : Dr Torange Khonsari
Web : Public Works / Centre for Applied Research in Empowering Society (CARES)

The talk is chaired by Lucy Bullivant Hon FRIBA, Trustee, Temple Bar Trust.

We would be delighted if you would join us for a networking reception with the speaker and audience members after the main event .

Please note: Temple Bar will be open for ticket holders from 18:05, please arrive in good time to be checked in and seated by 18:20. Our public talks start at promptly at 18:25.