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blocks of flats, which to an adult might be the most obvious features. But they were just as interested in a butterfly, an encounter with a friendly dog, a flowering buddleia and an ivy-covered wall. A child’s-eye view tends to focus on the small details. The workshop concluded with children designing benches and bird boxes, which will be incorporated in the completed scheme through the public art programme. Cambridge Civic Quarter Cambridge City Council’s ambitious plan to redevelop the Market Square, Corn Exchange, and Guildhall is another excellent example of public participation in action. This project aims to modernise these historic city centre sites while ensuring that community input shapes the final outcomes. The consultation process for the Civic
Quarter redevelopment has been as extensive and inclusive as possible. A particular focus has been reaching neighbourhoods where residents are less likely to visit the city centre. Pop ups were held around the city, including in the football stadium and various community centres, as well as a designated engagement stall in the market. Focus groups have been held with various interest groups including young people, those in heritage and cultural industries, and market traders. In the first stage of the consultation, in the summer 2024, a dedicated website, email, and phone number were set up to gather feedback. This period saw the
highest ever number of survey responses in Cambridge’s online consultation history. Such widespread consultation inevitably raises contradictions and tensions between different groups: those who want to preserve the historic character of the city centre, others wanting more greenery and accessible surfaces, or those who want space for pedestrians, or those who are concerned about access for traders. It is now up to the project team, local planning authority and Council members to build consensus around the proposals and balance the needs of these groups. The Cambridge Room Away from individual development projects and new planning policy documents, The Cambridge Room, funded by the University of Cambridge, was established in 2024 as a new way to think about urban change. The Room is a neutral and trustworthy space where members of the public can learn about local environmental changes, influence decision-making, and see their input translated into action. It is currently hosted in a temporary pop-up store in a shopping centre. On a day-to-day basis, the Cambridge Room hosts talks and workshops covering a wide range of topics, from local history to mindfulness and urban health. The “Living Atlas of Community Activism” meanwhile aims to document the history of engagement and activism in Cambridge’s built environment from 1927 to the present. Another project is a design competition called “Futures of the Estate”, inviting people to reimagine a space
owned by the University. Projects such as these can get people thinking differently and more holistically about urban change; it can also help situate current debates within a broader historic context. Conclusion New technologies, partnership working and a bit of concerted effort can enable planners and developers to reach beyond the demographic which most frequently engages in consultation, ultimately resulting in more voices, more varied opinion, and a higher standard of engagement. The examples above show how it is possible to tailor the approach to consultation by seeking out the views of younger people and harder-to-reach groups, and find a different way of framing questions that enables people to think about where they live in a different way. To meet the challenges of today with solutions that are more representative of the communities we serve, planners need to gather more diverse perspectives and build more inclusive and sustainable places.
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