Residents of Ruthin decide the future of their town

Small towns are an essential part of the nature and character of Wales. But what is their future in a world dominated by large cities? In Wales over 40% of people live in what may be defined as Market Towns, and although they may appear to be stable and resistant to change, they currently face a number of critical challenges from the onset of modern problems like climate change. One market town in particular, Ruthin was the focus of a Beacon for Wales project which brought together the local community, architects, planners and specialists to discuss and propose ways of breathing new life into our market towns, without losing what is unique and special about them.

Ruthin is an attractive historic market town situated in Denbighshire. With a population of about 5000 people, it is full of Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian architecture. With the current economic problems of the UK, it is likely that the closure of small shops will be at the forefront of local minds, there was therefore no better time for residents to come together and discuss the future of the town. The leader of the project Dr Wayne Forster, is the deputy head of the Welsh school of Architecture at Cardiff University, he said:

‘This project came about at a critical time both environmentally and economically and aimed to offer new and original ideas – it aimed to inform and inspire. We asked people what makes Ruthin unique? What are our priorities? What worries us? What will take us forward? Can we build and develop our town sustainably without destroying its unique character? This project put the people of Ruthin at the heart of the debate.’

Members of Ruthin community evaluated the town using techniques such as drawing, photography and storytelling. They thought about the way that agents of change such as climate change will effect their community, and then they submitted proposals for future scenarios for the town through the use of design workshops, design charettes, exhibitions and public consultations. Participants then used physical and digital models, and drawings to design a version of Ruthin for 2020, and submitted a final report for a public exhibition.

Dr Forster said:

‘The challenge was to fully involve inhabitants at all levels in a process which is often exclusive. Young designers rarely get experience of how to listen and effectively communicate with the public and the inhabitants of rural towns feel that they are disenfranchised from designing their future.’

‘In this study, different methods of engagement that attempted to remedy this were employed and evaluated to provide data that was used in a series of inclusive design workshops to envision the Market Town of the Future.’

The project was founded on a partnership between the Design Research Unit of the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, the Low Carbon Research Institute and the community of Ruthin. The Low Carbon Research Institute has recently been charged by the Welsh Assembly Government to drive the nation toward a low carbon economy.

Interesting Links

Photos of project

Design Research Unit, Cardiff University

The Low Carbon Research Institute

Click On Wales article about the project

Ruthin in the news

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