My City Too on the buses

5 July 2010

My City Too WandsworthOn Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 July Open-City’s My City Too young Londoners’ campaign took to the streets of London in a red Routemaster bus, which parked up on the bustling North End high street in Croydon; Northcote Rd, Wandsworth; and Church Street, Westminster. (Read the articles in West End Extra and Your Croydon magazine.)

The My City Too Young Ambassadors quizzed more than 500 local people they met on the street about what they wanted in their public spaces both in their local areas, and across London as a whole. Ideas, comments and pictures were gathered on postcards, which will now be sent to Mayor Boris Johnson and the Greater London Authority as well as being presented to local councils to help inform local planning policy.

The Young Ambassadors also held a street debate with Vincent Lacovara, David Carlisle and Finn Williams of Croydon Council Planning and Urban Design Team, and Peter Dawson, Councillor Northcote Ward. Kelvin Campbell, Director of Urban Initiatives (Master Planning and leading the Church Street Future Plan in Westminster), and Edwin Heathcote, architectural critic of The Financial Times, also took part.My City Too interviewing

Views on the event:

Vincent Lacovara, Interim Principal Urban Design Officer of Croydon Council, said:
'It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet the young people from ‘My City Too’. They asked some brilliantly difficult questions about public space and how young people should be involved in planning in Croydon, and did so with confidence, enthusiasm and remarkable technical knowledge. They reminded me how valuable young people are in bringing a passionate, creative and inquisitive voice to the table when it comes to making decisions about our public realm.'

Neelam, aged 18, a Young Ambassador and Croydon resident, said: ‘I am proud of being a My City Too ambassador and I really enjoyed bringing the campaign to the streets where I live.’

Finn Williams, Urban Designer for Croydon Council, said: ‘My City Too is proof that young people have a big role to play not only defining their own space in the city, but helping shape the city to be more inclusive for the rest of us. That’s good news for Croydon, where there are more young people than in any other borough in London.’

Victoria Thornton, Director of Open-City, said: ‘What a fantastic event this has been, My City Too is a vital part of the Open City organisation and its exciting to see the younger generation taking the lead in championing excellence in design and greater community involvement in issues that affect us all.'

For more information and images, contact Magda Novoa, My City Too Coordinator, via email or on 020 7383 5722.

 

 

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