Cumbernauld Living Landscapes
Transformation programme for Cumbernauld creating connections and improving access between communities and their green spaces
Although famously known for its brutalist urban landscape, an amazing 50% of Cumbernauld is made up of green spaces, making it one of the greenest towns in Scotland. This project included three key strands: Green Routes Feasibility, Living Windows artworks and directly supporting community outcomes around access to green space and the creation of new allotments and community gardens.
Green Routes
Part of the wider Cumbernauld Living Landscape programme, Green Routes looked to transform the centre of Cumbernauld and its links to surrounding communities by improving the accessibility of three key pathways, connections and blue-green infrastructure.
A key part of the project was gathering the views and ideas of local residents about how existing aspects of the routes could be improved to encourage people to safely use them more regularly.
In collaboration with Collective Architecture and Aecom we identified which routes could benefit from improvement and produced a costed feasibility study.
Our independent engagement, brought communities into the decision making of the Green Routes. We used our expertise to capture the ideas, visions and values of the people of Cumbernauld, developing a strategic consultation process designed to create numerous opportunities to engage the population of Cumbernauld with the project.
A number of different platforms were used, from open public events and organised walking tours to direct contact creative workshops with schools and young people, to support a wide range of participants to provide their knowledge and ideas to the study.
Cumbernauld Community Park
As the Friends of Cumbernauld Community Park looked to gain funding to create a community allotment site within the park, they commissioned our team to run a public consultation and feasibility study to gauge community demand and interest. We actively listened to collect a wide range of opinions, ideas and stories from participants keen to take on an allotment in the future. This data was then used to ensure that future development would meet the needs of as many individuals as possible, as well as creating a significant community asset.
Collaborating with Pioneer Landscape Architects we prepared detailed design drawings informed by the consultation process.
Living Windows
‘Living Windows’ celebrates the network of community parks, gardens and woodlands in Cumbernauld by transforming empty units in the local shopping centre into works of art to inspire and connect the residents of Cumbernauld with the town’s natural environment.
Working with the local community groups, we commissioned contemporary visual artists - David Galletly, Emily Shepherd and Gabriella DiTano.
Each artist was tasked with the development of a bespoke ‘Living Window’ which reflected their experience of conversations with one of the identified local community greenspaces and the outcomes of participatory arts workshops.
To celebrate the ‘Living Windows’ and the network of community parks, gardens and woodlands the residents of Cumbernauld were invited to a weekend launch event where they would be inspired to learn more about the living landscape of Cumbernauld by discovering the Living Windows across the shopping centre.
Client: Friends of Cumbernauld Community Park; Scottish Wildlife Trust; Friends of Cumbernauld Community Park
Collaborators: Collective Architecture; Aecom; Pioneer Landscape Architects
Location: Cumbernauld, Scotland
Completion: 2017