Philippa, I'm beginning to think you're inner architect is crying to be let out.It would be interesting to see how the competition method can be applied locally. There was a brief flash with the TGT workshop, but it didn't adhere to how a competition works. In broad strokes, you'd have a set of goals to be addressed. That said, if a great idea comes from outside the programmed goals, that should always be welcomed. In part, competitions are meant to be eye-opening. Anyone from any walk of life could submit a proposal no matter how crude or how sophisticated. Proposals could be done by individuals or groups such as a neighborhood association. Perhaps there are four categories, more or less. One for each area currently being debated. A panel of locals could be chosen to assess the entries all of which would be debated openly and publicly - in architecture school we used to call this the "crit" which would be done periodically with a final session at the end of the exercise. That panel must be made up of representatives from each of the areas under consideration - let's call it ward representation which usually goes by the moniker of democracy which is near extinction so maybe people don't recognize what it is anymore. Maybe there are several design professionals who would step in and lead the teams, though that would be more the educational model versus the competition model which is usually done solo by anyone - think back to the Learning from Las Vegas thread - you never know where a great idea will come from.My guess is it would yield better results than what we see now as they would all be generated from more site-specific perspectives which yield the best design solutions. Not to mention the more social component which seems to be sorely lacking: it could get us all working together toward a common goal as a community rather than the pettiness currently passing for engagement we see now. Plus the very nature of competition kicks in so the Grove Park team might get upset that the Turnham Green team had a better idea so that would mean the GP team would have to up the game type thing. Otherwise we're stuck with the crap a complacent TfL hoists upon everyone regardless of where they may be.
David Lesniak ● 1946d