MADE.

Excellent design makes good economic sense for the West Midlands and should not be compromised by the current climate. A recent MADE event demonstrated consensus from 100 of the region’s leading regeneration professionals, private developers and architects of the value of excellent design to people’s quality of life.

At Actions for Design Excellence there was strong recognition that funding doesn’t have to act as a barrier. Often lack of skills in the design team, a reluctance to experiment with new ideas or seek advice, or even the unintended consequences of the planning system itself can be the real problems.

MADE’s Expert Panel – a free service funded by regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands – can show developers how good design can save money. Panel members can help resolve design challenges early on, bring new approaches to procurement, get disparate teams to work better together, and speed up the planning process.

The 100 professionals – from regeneration companies, house-builders, local authorities and design practitioners – also felt that communities need to be meaningfully engaged in the design process. For real regeneration, residents need to work alongside design professionals as equal partners, not be merely consulted.