Urban Pollinators aims to create better places through sharing knowledge and ideas. They do this through writing, research, speaking, and facilitation on topics like regeneration, town centers, the natural environment, and placemaking. Their work challenges conventional wisdom and puts people and community at the center. They have inspired new thinking on issues like the future of the high street and how communities can care for local assets.

1. urban pollinators
inspiration and knowledge
to create better places
a short introduction

2. WHY THE NAME? WE CHOSE URBAN POLLINATORS BECAUSE WE WANT
TO SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS THAT BRING PLACES TO LIFE

3. REGENERATION | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
New Start
NewStart
WWW.NEWSTARTMAG.CO.UK
APRIL 2010
April 2010
Issue No 477
OUR BACKGROUND IS IN WRITING, RESEARCH, EDITING AND ANALYSIS.
WE WERE CO-FOUNDERS OF THE REGENERATION MAGAZINE ‘NEW START’

4. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CREATING BETTER PLACES?
A VISION OF A BETTER FUTURE, UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTEXT AND INSPIRATION FOR ACTION

5. PLACES FOR PEOPLE
OUR WORK ON THE FUTURE OF TOWN CENTRES PUTS THE PEOPLE WHO USE THEM FIRST

6. PLACES TO SHARE
WE EXPLORE AND PROMOTE COMMUNITY USE AND OWNERSHIP

7. PLACES FOR THE FUTURE
WE SEARCH OUT THE QUALITIES AND ACTIONS THAT MAKE PLACES RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE

8. WHAT ROLE DO WE PLAY?
WE INSPIRE, FACILITATE, TEACH AND HELP TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

9. COMMUNICATING AND INSPIRING
WE SHARE STORIES AND LEARNING, FROM WRITING BLOGS TO WRITING BOOKS

10. SPEAKING, LECTURING AND FACILITATING
WE WORK TO FEED THE MINDS AND AMBITIONS OF PRACTITIONERS, LEARNERS AND CITIZENS

11. RESEARCHING AND CONNECTING
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, INTERVIEWS, POLICY ANALYSIS AND LITERATURE REVIEWS

12. A FEW RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK AND ACTIVITY

13. RETHINKING THE HIGH STREET
STIMULATING CHANGE AND CHALLENGING RECEIVED WISDOM

14. We have galvanised new thinking on better
futures for the high street, spoken at national
and international events, encouraged citizenbased activism and helped to reframe the debate
about the purpose of town centres.

15. LAND, FOOD AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
PUBLISHING THE #INCREDIBLEBOOK, RESEARCHING GREENSPACE FUTURES & COMMUNITY FORESTS

16. We’re publishing the inspiring story of Incredible
Edible Todmorden, we’re pushing forward the
debate on 21st century commons and we’ve
examined how communities can play a stronger
role in caring for natural assets such as forests.

17. IN THE
PUBLIC
INTEREST?
REGENERATION AND PLACEMAKING
PEOPLE-CENTRED REGENERATION AND NEW FUTURES FOR MILITARY LAND AND PROPERTY

18. We have developed the case for ‘regeneration
with a human face’, produced original research
on how redundant military assets can be used
for community benefit, and trained council
officers in how to create better places.

19. WHAT DO OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US?
A FEW COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE WE’VE WORKED WITH

20. “Julian has a
deep and detailed knowledge of urban
regeneration and local economic development... he
produces exceptionally high quality work which challenges
conventional wisdom” (Professor Colin Williams,
Sheffield University)
“Julian was our opening keynote for
our National Mainstreet Australia conference... his
presentation was brilliant, very relevant, inspiring and
stimulating.” (Nicole Maslin, executive committee
member, Mainstreet Australia)

21. “I would like to recognise the particular efforts
of Julian Dobson and his team at Urban Pollinators, whose
insights I have found both inspirational and
invaluable.” (Mary Portas, the Portas Review)
“Your contributions... were
thoughtful, creative and accurate. It is a pleasure for
us all to have material that needs so little reviewing/
editing.” (Josh Stott, policy and research programme
manager, Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

22. CAN WE GIVE YOU A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE?
EDITING, WRITING, SPEAKING, TEACHING, EVENTS AND FACILITATION: JUST ASK US

23. ‘It is through the performance of creative acts, in
art, in thought, in personal relationships, that the
city can be identified as something more than a
purely functional organisation of factories and
warehouses, barracks, courts, prisons and
control centres.’
Lewis Mumford, The City in History, 1961
[a quote that sums up our philosophy]

24. find out more
(or follow the links in this presentation)
www.urbanpollinators.co.uk
send us a message
Twitter: @urbanpollinator