Civic Spaces, Social Ecosystems

This piece of research was led by Andreas Lang, alongside research assistants Rhianon Morgan-Hatch, Mara Weiss & Carlotta Novella from public works. 

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) commissioned public works to undertake the research study ‘Civic Spaces, Social Ecosystems’ as a piece of research into existing, contemporary models of varying types of community spaces in London. The study acts as guidance for the delivery of successful civic spaces in future developments within and around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

With the changing economic landscape and increasing trend to privatise public spaces and facilities, the understanding of what constitutes a civic space is shifting. At a time where other public institutions are stretched to support its citizens, civic spaces can take over multiple roles to add to the wellbeing and life of the citizens. To better understand these roles and current trends, the study analysed six London-based case studies, all with differing civic focus and program. The term civic describes the multiple relationships between the citizen and the city. We were specifically interested in relationships which did not rely primarily on passive, consumption based models but instead enabled citizens to take a more active role in the city and in the communities they belong to; spaces which mediate the city and create closeness between the many different groups that occupy it. In this context, we defined social ecosystem as the multilayered, dynamic relationship among and between the tenants, users, civic space and the surrounding area.

The full book can be accessed online here as a pdf.