The scholars from left to right: Sara Milburn, Michael Rowland, Sarah Gaventa, Zoe Partington-Sollinger, Julia Humphreys and Sam Parry
A police constable, a parks officer and a town planner are among the awardees of the CABE Space travel scholarships.
They will travel to countries all over the world to visit examples of well-designed spaces, gain an understanding of their delivery and management, and learn how similar ideas can be developed in the UK.
Amongst them, Vic Smith, a police constable with the Surrey Police, will travel to France, Holland and Belgium to learn how better designed parks and public squares and, in particular, the idea of ‘shared space’ - where pedestrians and traffic have equal priority - can help minimise crime.
Sam Parry, a parks officer for Oxford City Council will travel across Europe to gain a better understanding of how parks can be designed to help integrate young people into the community.
Zoe Partington-Sollinger, a creative director who delivers disability arts in the public realm, will visit Japan to investigate how new technology can help designers, architects and town planners create lively public spaces that meet the needs of the disabled population.
Other scholars will travel to the USA, Canada, Denmark and Sweden to study subjects ranging from design quality in historic towns to the creative use of school grounds for wider community benefit.
The scholars were chosen by a panel of judges and had to propose their own study programme which was then developed with help from a CABE mentor. Scholarships will be made in the form of grants designed to cover travel and living expenses for the period of study and trips will be for approximately six weeks. The trips are scheduled to take place in Summer 2008.
CABE Space 2008 design skills scholars:
Vic Smith A police constable with Surrey Police. Travelling to France, Holland and Belgium to assess the impact of the design and maintenance of parks and public squares on levels of crime, antisocial behaviour and ‘fear of crime’ experienced within local communities.
Sam Parry Parks officer with Oxford City Council. Travelling across Europe to Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland and France to study the design of urban parks and green spaces in relation to young people.
Zoe Partington Sollinger Creative director dealing with disability arts in the public realm. Travelling to Austria, Germany and Japan to see how well-thought-out design concepts can benefit the public realm and disabled people.
Michael Rowland Parks policy officer for Bournemouth Borough Council. Travelling to Europe, the USA and Canada to learn how best to develop parks that meet the social needs and aspirations of Bournemouth’s population for the future.
Julia Humpreys Development manager for the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Travelling to New York to gain a better understanding of how to deliver a high quality, vibrant park within an urban environment.
Sara Milburn Extended schools coordinator for CEA@Islington. Travelling to America to learn how schools can think more creatively about how to use outdoor spaces for wider community use.
Ian Poole Town planner for St Edmundsbury Borough Council. Travelling to Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden to explore the design philosophy and choice of materials and street furniture in streets and squares in historic towns.
Paul Quinn A regeneration manager working for the West Northampton Development Corporation (WNDC). Travelling to The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Denmark to gain a better understanding of how to create high quality parks and public squares within a town centre.
