How the design and development of new places can create healthier and more connected communities
Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, NHS England, Arts Council England
In 2018, Laura was seconded to Ebbsfleet Garden City to embed creativity into the Healthy New Towns Programme, which was a national pilot funded by NHS England to better understand how to design health into new places. Working with architects, urban and landscape designers, artists and planners, we investigated new models of healthcare which offer more community and less clinical services; how to design health into new parks and open spaces which enable people to make healthier choices about how they travel, exercise and use outdoor spaces for a wider variety of things, including cultural events. We also looked at community activation through creative engagement projects, and food growing.
Culture became an embedded part of the placemaking approach. We created a Culture Strategy from which we developed a significant programme over multiple years working in partnership with arts organisations like Creative Estuary, Cement Fields and Blueprint Arts. The work focussed on community-led approaches, co-locating cultural facilities within planned infrastructure and developing life and work skills through culture, especially with young people.
See some of the projects and watch some of the films made here: Community in Ebbsfleet
