About

Community Design Exchange was a social network site and visual gallery created to collect and disseminate achievements of community-led design. The site had been developed by the Open University in collaboration with The Glass-House Community Led Design as part of the Valuing Community Led Design research project, which was funded by AHRC under the Connected Communities Programme.

More specifically, the aim of the site was: a) to collect individual stories from people who had taken part in and benefited from community projects, and b) to provide a space for sharing and learning, enabling groups and individuals to network and build on each other’s experiences. The site also served as a research tool, helping to collect data that was used to understand and provide evidence of the value of community projects and the impact they were making on their local environment.

Contributions were welcomed from individuals and communities around the country, no matter how small or at what stage they were in their journey.

A busy playground with various wooden climbing structures and slides. Children are playing, climbing, and socializing while adults supervise. Buildings and a clear sky are in the background
Colourful wooden blocks and a drawn map on paper, representing a planning or design activity
People reviewing a detailed, color-coded city planning map on a table. One persons hand is pointing with a pen, while another uses a marker to highlight areas. The map shows streets, buildings, and various marked zones
A person in a purple shirt holds a wooden box labeled Seedlings, filled with young green plants. They are wearing red and white gardening gloves. Purple flowers and a wooden fence are visible in the blurred background
Two young children in blue hoodies crouch on the ground, engaged in a hands-on activity with screwdrivers on blue boards. They are surrounded by adults and kids, participating in a creative outdoor event on a sunny day

Related Projects

Logo of London Community Neighbourhood Co-operative

LCNC (London Community Neighbourhood Co-operative) was a women-led, community-initiated sustainable urban development. At that time, LCNC included 6 projects that fostered a dynamic people-centred community. These were fair rent and intergenerational housing, the Mutual Fund, Lifelong Learning Café, healthy eating, Urban Agriculture, and Multi-use work and community spaces.
Project achievements so far: The education charity was well established and had expanded into other areas of LCNC. The mutual fund was incorporated in September 2012. Growing Otherwise, one of the urban agriculture projects, planted a community garden. Urban food education was created through a community kitchen. LCNC had built a straw bale office

A street scene with houses on both sides, a few parked cars, and a yellow sign on the left. The sky is partly cloudy

Project Mission:
The project aimed to establish a 21st-century community centre that respected the history and emotional connection held by local people to the original centre.

Project Achievements:

  • Conducted feasibility studies.
  • Developed an overall vision.
  • Progressed to RIBA Stage D.

Sources of Funding:

  • Received funding from Lewisham Council local assembly funding, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the Communitybuilders development fund.
  • Secured potential future funding, including section 106 funding from the redevelopment of the Excalibur prefab estate, the Big Lottery Reaching Communities (Building), and Biffaward.
  • Obtained smaller funding contributions, including support from the Goldsmiths Company, which endowed the original centre in 1937.

Sources of Support:

  • Benefited from the involvement of organizations such as Global Action Plan, The Glass-House Community Led Design, and Community Matters.
  • Received expert advice and support from Jean Hewitt (NRAC, Access Auditor), Chris Harrowell (RIBA, NRAC), and Arcadis Vectra.
  • Engaged with the local community and voluntary groups in Lewisham.
A sunny park scene with people walking, sitting on benches, and relaxing on the grass, surrounded by green trees and plants

Project mission:
Our mission was to improve Fortune Green, our local open space, which had become dilapidated. Or in the words of our constitution, it was to preserve and protect Fortune Green for the benefit of local residents and businesses.

Project achievements:
We completed phase one: resurfaced all the paths, removed an unsightly area of tarmac, expanded the dog-free area, improved the bus stop entrance, and created a new double border with bee-friendly planting. We completed most of phase two: excavated the remains of a WW2 air raid shelter, re-turfed the area, bought two new noticeboards, and created a children’s landscaped area. The final phase, completed last autumn, involved additional re-turfing and establishing a running route.

Sources of funding:
Funding was secured from Section 106, The Lottery (Changing Spaces), Landfill Trust funding (e.g., Veolia, Biffa), QEII Fields in Trust, and our own funds.

Sources of support:
Support was provided by Camden’s parks department, local councillors, The Glasshouse!, Veolia Environmental Fund, Biffaward, QEII Fields Trust, as well as local residents and members of FoFG.

A muddy field with a small pond and scattered rocks, with a building and graffiti-covered wall in the background

Project mission:

The project aimed to create a safe and diverse environment for the local community to use and enjoy.

Project achievements:

  • The park was landscaped, and ponds, swales, wildflowers, and an orchard were created.
  • New sports and play facilities were established.
  • A wind turbine for renewable energy was installed.
  • Usage improved, and biodiversity became more widespread.

Sources of funding:

Funding was provided by the Borough Council, Friends of Springbank, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, CSEP, LCBP Phase 2, and Hesters Way Partnership.

Sources of Support:

Support came from Cheltenham Borough Council, Friends of Springbank, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Hesters Way Partnership, Hesters Way Neighbourhood Project, local schools, Vision 21, Gloucestershire Police, Cheltenham Town FC, local football clubs, and Play Gloucestershire.

Black and white illustration of a building labelled Wards Corner with text below reading Plan for the Community

Project mission:
The Wards Corner Community Coalition (WCC) was a grassroots organisation that worked to stop the demolition of the homes, businesses, and indoor market above Seven Sisters tube station, and fought against Grainger PLC’s attempts to force out the local community. Active since 2007, the WCC worked to empower the community in Seven Sisters to take control of its future and determine how Wards Corner should be developed.

Project achievements:
The WCC campaign grew after forming in late 2007 but always kept its focus on inclusivity, seeking out the quietest and least powerful, yet equally relevant, voices in this story of potential urban change. Although delays and changes to the original plans were achieved, not least through interventions by the Greater London Authority and the Mayor directly, Grainger had their plans approved by Haringey Council in November 2008. However, this only served to galvanise the WCC further.

After nearly three years of relentless, focused, and highly creative campaigning, the WCC won a landmark judgement in the High Court, and the developers had their planning permission for the Wards Corner site repealed in July 2010. The Council’s planning processes for this application were found not to have followed duties under Equalities legislation. They had failed to assess the impact of the proposed development on relations between different racial and ethnic groups and on equality of opportunity in this area of Haringey.

The people of Tottenham frequently felt their voices were ignored, while the voices of people in more affluent areas of Haringey – Highgate, Crouch End, Muswell Hill, for instance – were taken into account. The WCC became a lens for bringing this inequality into focus and saying, “No More.”

Sources of funding:
As a grassroots community organisation, our funding came from voluntary financial and other contributions from members and supporters. We also received generous in-kind technical support from architects’ groups, press outlets, filmmakers, and others.

Sources of support:
The campaign centred on a strong coalition of local businesses and residents, drawing support from architects, design organisations, and numerous other community groups.

A rural scene with a white two-story house, surrounded by stone walls and trees in the background under a clear blue sky

Project mission:
Bridgend Inspiring Growth (BIG) was a local community organisation that worked towards the renovation of the derelict and run-down Bridgend Farmhouse in Edinburgh. The intention was for the facility to become a community-owned and community-led multi-purpose centre promoting sustainable living practices and outdoor learning for the positive development of the people and place of Bridgend and the surrounding communities of Inch, Moredun, Liberton, and Craigmillar.

Project achievements:

  • Held two large public meetings and consultations since 2010, with over 40 and 80 people attending.
  • Maintained an active presence at local community events in Bridgend for two years (Potato Day, Winter Festival, Apple Days, Summer Events, Volunteer Fairs, School Health Weeks, etc.).
  • Distributed and received back over 60 questionnaires.
  • Established itself as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (No. SCO42769).
  • Maintained a consistent online presence and contact through a blog and email (bridgendfarmhse.blogspot.com).
  • Held regular committee meetings open to all for two and a half years, met with councillors, MPs, and MSPs who offered their support, and engaged with other charities and organisations in the area.
  • Met and discussed conditions of ownership and purchase with the current owners, the city council, and the managers of the land, Fields in Trust.
  • Organised various training events for the committee and other members of the public, including:
    • Structure and Governance (Greenspace Scotland)
    • SWOT analysis and group work (Sus-it-out)
    • Place-based learning (Open Ground)
    • Community-led design (The Glass-House Community Led Design)
    • Study Visit to Moffat CAN
  • Delivered workshops at a local nursery (Liberton) and the local volunteering fair (Gilmerton).
  • Created a design and information for a Bridgend wildlife garden on the farmhouse land.
  • Commissioned an environmental survey report on the building and developed basic structural plans.
  • Compiled a booklet of similar case studies to study and learn from.
  • Successfully applied for, received, and administered five grants from Forward Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Just Enterprise Scotland, the Royal Institute of Architects, and the Big Lottery.
  • Raised £500 in donations.
  • Conducted a Living Memory Project and Farmhouse consultation event with Inchview Residential Care Home and pupils from Liberton Primary School, producing a 40-page A4 book with stories and experiences distributed to all participants and local residents.
  • Began a Social Return on Investment study on the potential uses of the farmhouse.
  • Secured £11,000 to begin an options appraisal, feasibility study, and business plan for the future use of the farmhouse.
  • Engaged widely with the local community and established a strong committee of seven people, mostly from the local neighbourhood.

Sources of funding:
Forward Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Just Enterprise Scotland, Royal Institute of Architects, the Big Lottery, and personal and crowdfunded donations.

Visual concept of synergy in Camden Rye Lane featuring illustrated maps, cultural landmarks, buildings, and urban scenes with annotations

Project mission:
To have stimulated an integrated sustainable approach to Town Centre developments.

Project achievements:

  • Saved a 5-acre site and buildings from demolition and developed an alternative plan.
  • Had the rail station listed, adopted a plan, and achieved funding for restoration.
  • Rescued and restored the derelict large Old Waiting Room in the rail station.
  • Initiated the THI project.
  • Influenced the Area Action Plan.

Sources of funding:
Pockets.

A group of people seated in a classroom-style setting, attentively listening. Posters and papers are visible on the walls in the background

Project achievements:

  1. Recognition was achieved in September 2012 as a designated Neighbourhood Forum with a designated boundary area of Hackbridge. Approval was given in accordance with the Localism Act and Planning Regulations.
  2. Worked with developers to influence new buildings in Hackbridge, including Corbett Close, Nightingale Close, and Wandle Valley Trading Estate.

Sources of funding:
Funding was limited at the time but a bank account was set up, which raised hopes of garnering support in terms of funding in the future.

Sources of support:
Support came from local residents and businesses based in Hackbridge, Sutton Council Planning Department, a local councillor, and the local MP.

Conditions of Use and Copyright

The rights in material uploaded by users of the site were owned by those users. The content could not be used for any purpose unless the owner of the material granted permission. For all other material, including the content and design of the site, all rights were owned or controlled by The Open University. This material could be used on the site, but only for personal, non-commercial purposes. Users were advised to read the Open University Web Privacy, Copyright, and Conditions of Use for more information.

Acknowledgements

Grateful acknowledgment for the home page images was made to the following sources:

Gardener Holding Wooden Seedling Tray. © iStockphoto.com/ Chris Price
Paignton Geoplay Park Launch, Community Spaces Fund, reproduced under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/uk/
Community Art Project, Tania Liu, reproduced under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/uk/
Village Area Community Design Team meeting, photo by Robin Cordiner. Reproduced under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/