Clara Bagenal George appointed by Mayor of London as a ‘Mayor’s Design Advocate’, to shape a better city by promoting quality and inclusion in the built environment

To support the refreshed Good Growth by Design programme, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has appointed 42 new Mayor’s Design Advocates (MDAs) including Elementa Consulting’s Associate Clara Bagenal George – to support the Mayor’s Good Growth by Design programme and help shape London into a better city by promoting quality and inclusion on the built environment.

MDAs are independent experts who will support the Mayor’s vision of “good growth” and will ensure that new buildings and public spaces will benefit Londoners and are at the heart of the capital’s recovery from the pandemic.

In addition to high profile names, the new cohort also includes fresh, emerging talent in the built environment space and those who have relevant expertise in key areas such as zero-carbon and sustainability, the safety of women and girls and housing quality.

The group of 42 MDAs have experience in both the public and private sector, include practitioners, academics, policymakers and those from community-led initiatives. 55 per cent are women and 45 per cent come from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

The new cohort will support the updated Good Growth by Design programme which has a new forward programme responding to four years of change. The newly updated programme reflects the importance of an inclusive recovery from a pandemic that has highlighted inequalities in the capital and need to counter racism and other forms of prejudice in the built environment. The pandemic has also accelerated a change in the way Londoners use the city. The reconfiguration of high streets and other workspaces, as well as the urgent need to meet net zero by 2030 is also reflected in the updated Good Growth programme.

The new cohort will work on three main objectives:
Quality
Utilising expertise spanning the range of specialisms needed across the Greater London Authority Group to support quality, sustainability and inclusion in the built environment, in line with the Mayor’s Good Growth by Design programme.
Recovery
Shaping and supporting activities delivered as part of the London Recovery Programme. This could include work undertaken as part of the recovery missions, led by the London Recovery Board, or more general work towards its aims.
Representation
Being reflective of London’s diverse population and equipped to support the delivery of an inclusive built environment in which a spectrum of experiences and communities are valued and able to play a role in shaping the capital’s future.

Find out more about the Good Growth by Design programme by following this link: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/regeneration/advice-and-guidance/about-good-growth-design

Background

To date, MDAs have shaped the Mayoral position on key issues within the built environment informing policy and investment positions. They have reviewed over 150 projects and schemes, shaping them for the benefit of Londoners. They have advocated for Good Growth placing new emphasis on inclusion, sustainability, accessibility and quality in the built environment. And they have helped to re-establish priorities in the wake of the pandemic.

Good Growth by Design is the Mayor’s programme to promote quality and inclusion in the built environment. It is a plan and a call to action to deliver good growth. It recognises the role of design in improving development and delivering quality of life in an ever-denser city. It draws on existing design and place-shaping expertise by engaging with the built environment profession.

The programme calls on all involved in London’s growing architectural, design and built environment professions to help realise the Mayor’s vision. Good Growth by Design uses the skills of the Mayor’s Design Advocates and the wider sector, including teams at City Hall and across the GLA Group, the London boroughs and other public bodies.