Melissa Mean
Head of the Self Build Cities Programme
Melissa runs the Cities Programme at Demos.
- K-9 looking at 2 ducks Is how Metro decribed London's spanking new logo launched with much fanfare on Monday. LOCOG have taken a lot of flak over the £400,000 Wolf Olins design, and seem genuinely surprised by just how much people dont like it. So far over 25,000 people have signed up to a petition on the BBC sport website demanding that it's changed. Based on a straw poll of people in Demos, we quite like the logo, but then we've been accused before of having a touch of the Nathan Barleys about... continue reading on 5th June 2007
- Everyday Everything Since we launched Everyday Democracy, we seem to have started a bit of a trend. There's Twinning's Everyday Tea (those adverts that show that even Stephen Fry can be annoying instead of just charming), Sport England's Everyday Sport, and now... Everyday Archeology. You can read this new report from Probascis here. It promises feral robots, urban tapestries, sound scavenging and story cubes. Now if that isnt going to reconnect people and institutions I don't know what will. continue reading on 12th October 2006
- Alright my hubber? Last week I went along to the official opening of the Hub in Bristol. You may know the Islington original, home to lots of social entrepreneurs and achingly creative types. Demos talks a lot about user-led design. The Bristol Hub feels a bit like user-led design as an extreme sport. Spread across three floors the hub is growing, molding and adapting round around people as they move in and start working there. You need a table? OK, Simon the on-site designer/carpenter will design and... continue reading on 29th September 2006
- And they aren't even trying Last week we went to Amsterdam to talk to all the people who have set up urban beaches in the city, and just next door to Strand West beach we found this temporary student accommodation. The area it is in is a not-quite-post industrial landscape set for major redevelopment, but they aren’t quite sure what they are going to do with it yet. So in the meantime, they are using the space to help address the student housing shortage in city. But just look at the quality. The desultory... continue reading on 12th September 2006
- What shall I read on my summer holiday? So it's just started to chuck it down. Lucky I'm off on my summer holidays in a couple of weeks (New Orleans and then on to Miami as it happens). I'm just beginning to compile my holiday reading and thought the Greenhouse might be able to help me out. On the short list so far are: Non-fictionA Whole New Mind- Daniel PinkThe Architecture of Happiness- Alain de BottonThe New East End- Geoff DenchGood and Bad Power- Geoff MulganFictionThis Book Will Save Your Life- A.M. HomesAlentejo Blue- Monica... continue reading on 13th June 2006
- TELLY IS DEAD LONG LIVE STREET PARTIES Bristol has been declared the Street Party capital of the UK- 25 in one neighbourhood in one summer alone. If you are inspired to do your own, then this ace new website created by Streets Alive!tells you how to do it- everything from sourcing bunting (yes a whole section just on bunting) to how to close your road. I?m thinking of hosting a street party on my estate in Waterloo. Neighbourliness has rocketed since Southwark Council began renovating it last September. We?ve all had plenty to... continue reading on 12th April 2006