Bristol has undergone so much change over the last century as far as the built environment is concerned. 

Today, leaders within the industry, from architects to developers, are faced with the challenge of integrating spaces within a city that is home to a melting pot of communities, from a wide range of backgrounds and demographics. 

As the city’s landscape continues to change (with no signs of slowing down), it’s going to become increasingly vital that the communities impacted by new developments, both in the short and long-term, are being engaged in a meaningful and empowering way so that all voices are heard.

We held a workshop at M-Shed, Bristol this week, aimed at exploring ways to ensure engagement is meaningful, empowering and representative of communities. 

The workshop kicked off with an introduction from Nikki Davies, Managing Director at Meeting Place and Cllr Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness at Bristol City Council, who set the scene for the morning’s activities. The session then took delegates on a journey through three distinctive approaches led by Meeting Place, JTP and Place Up, including: 

• How to engage digitally
• How to engage a youthful audience
• How to engage through co-design

A resounding theme was the reminder that we, as leaders in the built environment industry, have so many tools at our disposal that can be used to get people interested and excited in shaping their city, and ultimately it’s their voices that will impact the spaces of their future the most, so let’s empower them to speak about the proposals being put forward.