The idea
Natural Resources Wales were conducting a series of trial projects in river catchments across Wales, one of which was the Tawe in Swansea. The trials took an ecosystems approach, which means taking into account a full range of inter-relating factors, including human activity and the urban environment. NRW wanted to connect the stunning natural assets of the city’s eastside (the river Tawe, Kilvey Hill and Crymlyn Bog as well as the Tennant Canal) with the city and sought our help to develop a strategy to help make it happen.
What we did
We began with a workshop with NRW officers to develop a clear outcomes framework for the work, placed within the wider context of the Tawe Trial. We then proceeded an urban design study, including a range of key stakeholder discussions involving local government Councillors and officers, NRW officers and local interest groups. The work culminated in a report and accompanying 3d visualisation in the form of a fly through, which we augmented with an action planning workshop for NRW officers to progress the ideas.
Results of our work
Our work was extremely very well received by NRW and partners and they are seeking to progress the initiatives outlined in the report as part of a long term strategy for the area. Notably, the cable car proposals – aided by our follow up work bringing them to the attention of private sector providers with the video below – are proceeding along the lines we proposed, driven by Swansea Council in partnership with NRW and facilitated by Tourism expert Terry Stevens of Stevens Associates.