‘There goes the Neighbourhood’ will take place on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 November. It is being organised by Dundee-based members of the Academy of Urbanism, an organisation that seeks to celebrate great places across the world and the people and organisations that create and sustain them.

The first day takes the form of a study trip to Broughty Ferry, a finalist in the Academy of Urbanism’s Great Neighbourhood Award, while the second will feature talks, workshops and discussion at the West Park Conference Centre.

The keynote speech will see Rob St. Mary, director of outreach at Patronicity in Detroit, Michigan, talk about his experience of engaging communities. In just over three years, Patronicity has helped large and small Michigan, Massachusetts and Indiana communities to create over 200 projects, crowdfunding over $7 million with an extended economic impact of over $25m.

Organiser Dr Husam AlWaer, senior lecturer in sustainable urban design and evaluation at the University, said: “Drawing from national and international examples, the aim is to explore the physical, social and economic attributes that make for successful neighbourhoods.

“Using lessons from ‘established’ exemplars, we aim to identify factors that can help regenerate existing neighbourhoods and making new neighbourhoods and estates more ‘liveable’.

“We are delighted that Rob St. Mary will join us to give his perspective on this subject having achieved great success with regeneration and other neighbourhood projects in the United States. We will also be celebrating local successes and hearing from representatives of the AoU’s Great Neighbourhoods.”

The symposium takes place as part of Scotland’s Towns Week, a programme devised to enable architects, planners, developers and community stakeholders to collaborate, share best practice, ultimately to bring life, vitality and vibrancy back into town centres.

More information is available here.