2020 AUGUST
Watson Community Association invited Paul Barnett to share his ideas on a sustainable village design for section 76 in Watson. He brought together some design principles such as regenerative design and the village community to talk about the drawings that he contributed. Both young and old residents were inspired by his vision and were stimulated to work towards a development that meets everyone’s needs.
Simon Clarke, Chair of the Planning Group WCA, summarises the consultation as follows:
“24 keen Watson residents met on Sunday with award-winning architect Paul Barnett -“sustainability starts with you” – to explore ideas/ possibilities for 74 & 76.
I think “quirky”, “passionate” and “innovative” would be 3 words that describe Paul well. He was very open that his concepts of “the connection between nature and the built environment healing and enhancing social wellbeing” would need a mindset shift from Govt and planners. He was also very clear that such a change is slowly gaining traction around the world and that such momentum is always slow to begin.
Having said that, he was positive that change is possible and it doesn’t need to be expensive or huge in scale. His concept that we should be planning for all stages of life was one that resonated with his audience. I was reminded of Margaret Mead’s comment – “never believe that change cannot be affected by a small group of committed people – throughout history, it’s the only thing that has.”
Read Living Street’s Association’s Instagram posts about the presentation here.