CIVIC SQUARE is demonstrating neighbourhood-scale civic infrastructure for social and ecological transition, together with many people and partners in Ladywood, Birmingham UK.
Principally, we are working to share practically and openly how the climate transition and retrofit of our homes and streets can be designed, owned and governed by the people who live there now in systemic, tangible and participatory ways.
This is through organising around three interconnected neighbourhood system demonstrators: Neighbourhood Doughnut (a 21st century compass for ecologically safe and socially just neighbourhoods), Neighbourhood Transitions (street-based systemic demonstration of carbon, energy and ecological built environment transitions) and Neighbourhood Public Square (co-building and democratising access to the spaces, tools and resources for a distributed and regenerative transition, held in the common for the neighbourhood).
In this phase, we are deepening our focus on the capital project and the retrofit of the CIVIC SQUARE site in Ladywood, Birmingham UK — the Neighbourhood Public Square. This transformation of a 20th century industrial site into 21st century regenerative infrastructure will be a demonstrator for many layers of the deep redesign required, including finance, refurbishment, ecological building design and avoidance of demolition and retrofit, with the ownership and stewardship designed to be held in the common for the neighbourhood, with a covenant that brings social and ecological benefit into the legal steward, in perpetuity.
Across all four commissions, Civic Square is seeking a variety of approaches and forms of visualization, such as diagrammatic and illustrative styles. The goal is to find 2-3 approaches from different individuals or collectives that complement each other. Potential applicants are encouraged to carefully read the overall brief and nuanced needs of each commission and specify their chosen commission(s) on the application form. It’s noted that applicants can apply for one or multiple commissions.
While there’s no fixed style or limited color palette provided initially, the design system reflects the essence of their work by drawing inspiration from the local social and ecological context. This includes colors, design motifs, materials, formats, and means of distribution. They are specifically looking for practitioners who can bring an illustrative form that embodies regenerative design approaches and has a deep connection to learning from how natural systems operate.
The assets created through this commission will be used across multiple streams of work, adaptable to various communication methods while maintaining creative integrity. Collaboration is key, and applicants should be comfortable with the idea that illustrations may be applied and modified by other designers and practitioners. Although the initial commission completion period is between now and the end of February 2024, they express interest in establishing ongoing working relationships with the illustrators involved.
