Community involvement and leadership in the design and planning process are playing an increasingly fundamental role. Now, more than ever before, architects must consider how they can work more collaboratively with communities. Local people, if involved effectively, can be a valuable resource and can make a real difference to the process, costs and outcomes of built environment projects.

This seminar will look at the value of community engagement in the design of the built environment and offer a how-to guide that professionals can use to work collaboratively in the design process.

The seminar will include:

• An introduction to participatory and community led design;
• Explore practice through a local case study, and a number of national examples;
• Tools and techniques for engaging and working with communities;
• A hands-on workshop to put tools and techniques into practice;
• A guide to resources available to support participatory design processes.

Speakers: Sophia de Sousa FRSA, AoU, Chief Executive, The Glass-House Community Led Design, works to ensure that community participation and leadership in development and regeneration is not a token gesture, but a valuable means of informing good, inclusive, sustainable design.

Maja Luna Jorgensen, Strategic Projects Manager, The Glass-House Community Led Design, champions community engagement and good design through developing and delivering independent advice, support and training to professionals and community groups across the UK, working to forge strong relations and enable real change.