Project Name: Southwark Circle
Project Type: (Choose one of the following)
1) urban planning design strategy
7) other.
Please note: if you choose other, we will look closely to ensure it meets our criteria of honoring innovation in design. Please briefly explain why you feel it should be considered within the project description.
Project Mission/Goal: (Choose one of the following)
1) improve the human spirit
Please note: If you choose other, we will look closely to ensure it meets our mission. Please briefly explain why you feel it should be considered within the project description.)
Project Description: (Please enter about 3 paragraphs or 500 words, whichever is less)
Britain’s population is ageing. There is a sense of crisis in that our existing public services are reaching breaking point, but ageing also presents enormous opportunity. Working with elders in Southwark we have developed a new service that harnesses the skills and resources of older people. Southwark Circle combines public, private and voluntary contributions to meet older people’s needs and desires for practical help, stronger social networks and a renewed sense of purpose.
Participle is innovating new approaches to ageing. Since September 2007 we have been working in a unique public-private partnership with Southwark Council, Sky and the Department for Work & Pensions, to design new services that will improve the quality of life and well-being of older people. Working with over 250 older people, we have developed Southwark Circle, a membership organisation that helps people take care of household tasks, forge social connections and find new directions in life. Open to all, regardless of levels of need or income, Southwark Circle is a model of how future services might look across Britain.
Southwark Circle’s approach to care and ageing, firstly, expands the definition of ‘resources’ to combine public, private and voluntary resources and, secondly, creates a radical change in the way services and systems are configured, so that they focus on all the different aspects of quality of life and well-being that are important to older people, particularly participation and relationships.
This is a social reform challenge, not just a public service reform challenge. The question is not just “What can public services do to improve quality of life and well-being for older people?” but rather “How can a locality mobilise public, private, voluntary and community resources to help all older people define and create quality of life and well-being for themselves?”. This requires radical change in the way resources are defined (beyond the formal social care system) and the way services and systems are configured (away from a near exclusive focus on care and towards building relationships and participation).
text from: http://www.participle.net/projects/view/5/101/
Links and Captions: (Links to background information and Image Captions/Photo Credits)
http://www.participle.net/about/our_mission/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/arts/27iht-design27.1.17228735.html?_r...
http://www.southwarkcircle.org.uk/about.htm
http://www.participle.net/projects/view/5/101/
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Project Details: (Please complete as applicable)
Location: London, UK
Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): Participle
Project Architect(s): Hilary Cottam, Hugo Manassei, Charles Leadbeater, Colin Burns.
Year (s): 2007 to present
Client: aging population
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