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How a free toolkit can help social landlords work with tenants on placemaking during the lockdown

Now is the time to work with tenants on placemaking, writes James Oliver Firkins, and his organisation’s free toolkit has some tips on how

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“I decided to create a toolkit so organisations could involve communities in placemaking without worrying about commissioning expensive facilitators,” says James Oliver Firkins from @NewUnion_orgs #ukhousing

“Now is the time for housing associations and residents to connect and discuss what can be done to alleviate self-isolation’s stresses,” says James Oliver Firkins from @NewUnion_orgs #ukhousing

I’ve been a freelancer for nearly two years now while also developing a men’s mental health magazine, so I’m equipped for long stretches spent alone and communicating mainly through technology while working from home.

What’s oddly comforting is that the same anxieties I had experienced about an unsure future and lack of in-person communication was normal – my friends began asking me for hints and tips, or simply calling me to express their feelings.

They were bored, felt trapped, and some were worried about rent. And yet the vast majority of us are by no means the worst off in society.

I looked into facts surrounding isolation and found that one in three people who live in social housing has mental health concerns. With the COVID-19 lockdown in effect for the foreseeable, questions regarding what we consider acceptable living conditions will inevitably arise.

Mainly, how do inequalities create repercussions for physical and mental health?


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Put simply, larger homes have spaces to separate work and home life, possibly with office space or even simply access to green spaces such as gardens. For the more well-off, remote working for stable income might seem like a holiday, but for others who live in small flats with no garden, lockdown tastes bitter. Those without green spaces at home are at greater risk of exposing themselves.

So what can be done?

COVID-19 will have a huge economic impact on the public sector and housing providers. When the lockdown is lifted, local governments and housing associations are going to feel the financial impact of the pandemic, so I began to think about how tenants’ lives could be improved through improving their spaces, but crucially for little or no cost.

With my activism role at New Union, I decided to create a toolkit so that organisations could involve communities in placemaking without worrying about commissioning expensive facilitators.

One thing that inspired us was seeing people engage in tactical urbanism, even if they didn’t know they were. From children brightening streets with rainbows in their windows for NHS workers, to communities finding inventive ways to deliver groceries to vulnerable neighbours, people have found ways to improve and inform their spaces – and, importantly, sometimes for free.

“Now is the time for housing associations and residents to connect and discuss what can be done to alleviate the stresses of self-isolation”

For context, tactical urbanism is shaping spaces through activism-minded placemaking, often done for little or no cost. It’s almost always a grassroots initiative, with citizens essentially doing something exciting to renovate unused spaces.

Even though people are stuck inside for the foreseeable under government advice, it’s important residents maintain connected to their neighbourhoods. However, even though this pandemic has instilled a great sense of community and togetherness, they may not know how to improve their spaces or may expect everything to be stymied behind red tape.

They would benefit from beginning dialogues with community engagement managers and their teams.

Now is the time for housing associations and residents to connect and discuss what can be done to alleviate the stresses of self-isolation and continue those positive changes long after lockdown.

We want to empower citizens to take responsibility for their spaces.

One of the leading contributors to circumstantial anxiety and depression is a compounding sense of helplessness, and those who have overcome these concerns often do so by finding purpose. Speaking personally, creating this toolkit has given me a sense of purpose while other work is postponed.

The toolkit is free to download and makes placemaking user-friendly by offering training opportunities and upskilling techniques. The first in the suite is the ‘Community Focused Tactical Urbanism Toolkit’, which is a great way for social housing staff to connect with their tenants and improve their spaces by engaging in grassroots projects that can have huge effects for little effort or cost.

The best bit? We’ve made it completely free! We sincerely hope it kick-starts important conversations, provides inspiration and motivates local citizens to take control of their spaces.

We want to offer new skills and instil a sense of purpose in people, giving them command over their environment, and ultimately tackle the nation’s mental health crisis. A recent national campaign says “Britain Get Talking” and while we wholeheartedly agree, we say “Britain Get Active”.

James Oliver Firkins, managing director of MAN_AGE; trustee of the Black Country Arts Council; and people and places lead for New Union

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