RMJM Art Commissioning
Cultural
RMJM Art Commissioning: Six CIties Festival 2007
Edinburgh Waterfront
September 07
The Six Cities Festival 07 provided the platform for an exhibition and launch of a new publication, funded by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council Design Initiative. The aim of the publication was to look at the issues around art and placemaking in...
“What is happening now is that the City of Edinburgh is finding an edge right up against the waterfront. It will be like skin on custard when it crumples up against the edge and goes dense. It will become a very different kind of place from the sprawl that happens around the rest of our suburbs. It is how that happens which is going to be of such great importance.”
Trevor Davis
Ex-Convenor of Planning for The City of Edinburgh Council
Cultural
RMJM Art Commissioning: Six CIties Festival 2007
Edinburgh Waterfront
September 07
The Six Cities Festival 07 provided the platform for an exhibition and launch of a new publication, funded by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council Design Initiative. The aim of the publication was to look at the issues around art and placemaking in connection with the evolving re-development of Edinburgh's ten mile waterfront. The publication includes key points of action that, if adopted, will form the starting point in enabling a co-creative masterplanning approach for the city. This approach will enable artists to legitimately play an active part of the team involved in the masterplanning process.
The exhibition and publication launch included a newly commissioned soundscape by artist alexandra p. spaulding, entitled 'night time module'; created specifically for Edinburgh Waterfront and its regeneration.
This publication is the result of a one-day charrette, delivered by the Edinburgh Design Initiative. The Design Initiative is the City of Edinburgh Council's response to the Scottish Government policy document on architecture and urban design. Its main function is to raise awareness of design and urbanism issues.
The charrette focused on how we redevelop Edinburgh's waterfront to transform derelict, contaminated land into exceptional living and working environments, to create new places where communities can grow and prosper.
The new and regenerated communities will be mixed and balanced and must exemplify the principles of sustainability. The mix of uses will include residential developments designed to be clustered around community neighbourhood areas (some 28,000 new homes are planned over 15 years), commercial, industrial and office developments, local shopping, healthcare, schools, cultural and leisure facilities.
The northern edge of Edinburgh is a vast area and is the location of the most significant planned urban expansion in the city's history. This development should create new opportunities for us to define what placemaking is about. For too long we have been unable to create real places which have a life of their own or which grow to be cherished by their inhabitants and visitors. We cannot afford to let this continue and involving artists in broad and creative roles will be one means, amongst others, of our exploring how to improve people's sense of ownership and involvement in urban renewal and placemaking.
The Edinburgh Design Initiative has placed Edinburgh's waterfront high on its priorities to ensure that we create a real place which adds to the character and vibrancy already characteristic of the Old and New Towns.
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