The Future Vision Workshop, held on the 28th of June 2025, at The Storey in Lancaster city centre, was a defining moment in our Placemaking with Young Adults initiative. This event acted as a confluence of diverse minds—young adults, planners, policymakers, and researchers—was gathered to co-create visionary strategies for sustainable and inclusive urban development in Lancaster District.
Setting the Scene
The workshop kicked off with an introduction to the placemaking framework, showcasing the collective insights gathered from prior walkshops. Participants were tasked with distilling these insights, crafted onto cards with participants’ quotations from the walks, into cohesive future visions for three distinct sites: emphasising environmental sustainability, community cohesion, and innovative design.
One participant summarised a central theme:
“We think one of the key principles of development in parks is to create spaces for everyone in the community, like spaces for festivals, markets, and food growing. So, creating those central places where people can get together and create a sense of community.”
Structure and Exploration
The session was orchestrated through collaborative group activities, inviting participants to delve into core themes like accessibility, housing diversity, and active travel, using quotes and ideas from earlier events. A group worked on cycling routes connecting different stations, formulating key values to shape their visions and manifestos, later sharing these with the wider group. A standout reflection highlighted the need for thoughtful planning:
“Unfortunately, developments have kind of thought of like there’s a field chalked out, but they need to connect out and they need to connect in, and that doesn’t often happen,” emphasising the need for seamless urban-rural integration.
Transportation insights
Transportation discussions focused on promoting active travel, with participants advocating for infrastructure that supports walking and cycling. The topic of car-free developments was keenly debated, reflecting a push towards alternative transport modes:
“We want to make sure that places are really sustainable in terms of accessibility. So, providing for all types of travel—cycling, walking, public transport. But not forgetting that some movements have to be done in private cars, whether that’s kind of bulky shopping or long-distance journey,” one participant noted, underscoring the necessity for human-centred transport planning.
Communal spaces
Communal spaces emerged as a pivotal topic, envisioning areas interweaving nature and community, fostering social interaction while supporting biodiversity. A participant aptly captured this sentiment:
“We really want to try and make sure we’ve got a real network of nature so it can all get around and be integrated into every part of our daily lives. It’s pretty good for mental health and wellbeing as well as biodiversity,” showcasing a shared commitment to ecological integration.
Reflective and Collaborative Learning
Participants engaged their creative sides, co-creating their future visions using collage techniques. Equipped with scissors, glue, magazines, photos, and colourful threads, they visually articulated concepts like co-housing and community gardening. This dynamic approach highlighted the workshop’s aspirational nature, with all groups articulating vivid visions, one captured in this participant’s quote:
“Our vision includes a pedestrianised communal area with schools, cafes, farming, and planting. It’s about nature connectivity ensuring spaces for both people and wildlife to interact, making the area vibrant with life.”
Conclusion and Forward Path
The Future Vision Workshop captured a broad array of ideas, paving the way for developing policy themes resonating with community aspirations. Participants were encouraged to continue engaging in the planning process, with plans for further activities and consultations in the coming months. The workshop concluded with an open invitation for attendees to annotate and expand upon the collages, ensuring every voice was captured and incorporated into the developing planning framework.
This event encapsulated the spirit of the Placemaking with Young Adults initiative, highlighting the transformative potential of inclusive and participatory planning in shaping resilient and vibrant urban communities. As one participant expressed in a follow-up informal interview:
“It’s essential that community initiatives are at the forefront, giving people the power to shape their environment and creating a thriving, interconnected community,” echoing a collective vision for creating welcoming, sustainable environments.
Mirian Calvo