brokering
Profile:
ud+m are specialist mediators in the urban development process providing a neutral brokering service that can 'oil the wheels' between developers, planning authorities and local stakeholders. We are experts in urban design, architecture, planning and landscape issues who devise and deliver focused and controlled collaborative consultation programmes using techniques such as social networks, web-sites, on-line research surveys, drop-in events, community forums, design workshops and community panels etc.
Services:
Our brokering service is valuable when it is prudent to employ a conciliatory 'third party' approach where development issues are contentious to local stakeholders and is very relevant to the "Localism" agenda. We provide a bridge between planning and design teams, communications teams and local stakeholders. Our approach enhances traditional masterplanning design by providing design and planning teams with clear guidance for producing better masterplans, design codes, and design statements that have been informed by local stakeholder participation.
Benefits:
Our service delivers four key benefits that directly respond to the "Localism" approach. First, it provides an audit trail for decision-making that demonstrates how local participation has informed the development process. Second, it can bestow local legitimacy upon the development process as lay people and professionals can meet in non-adversarial forums to voice their different opinions. Third, the conciliatory 'third party' approach can lead to the mitigation of local stakeholders' concerns at an early stage of the development process. Finally, acting as impartial 'honest brokers' ud+m can help build trust between a broad range of development stakeholders and local people.
To obtain further details of our service, our approach and project profiles please click on the brokering graphic below to request a copy.
List of recent brokering events:
- Harlow, Essex: Informing development in North Harlow - identifying & addressing local issues, concerns and opinions. (Clients: Land Securities and Places for People)
- Northstowe, Cambridgeshire: New Settlement (Clients: Gallagher Estates Ltd and South Cambridgeshire District Council)
- Wymondham, Norfolk: Mixed-use Urban Extension (Clients: The Pelham Homes Group)
- Fareham, Hampshire: Visioning for a new community (Clients: Fareham Borough Council)
- Brooklands, Milton Keynes: Design Coding for a New Urban Centre (Clients: Hallam Land and William Davies Ltd)
- Bexleyheath, Kent: Identifying Community Development Issues (client: Tesco stores Ltd).
Testimonials
- "Their reports are excellent, clear and well presented. They provide one of the important stepping stones or foundations upon which many of our plans are built. They are an invaluable resource."
- "ud+m provide an almost unique service. The experience and skills brought to the table by ud+m is hugely valued - I have no hesitation in strongly recommending to others."
- "ud+m provided academic rigour to the stakeholder engagement process in Harlow. Their creative research methodologies and independent analysis associated with local spatial & behavioural trends provided us with a very useful tool to inform our emerging masterplan. In this respect they acted as a bridge between our communications and design teams, and importantly, between the client and the community."
- "The urban design/master planning skills was a key consideration in the choice of the team. It helped give legitimacy to the work and was more than just mediation."
