Ed Mitchell: Platform neutral

This sign is on the street down the road from where I live. It was put there by the amazingly admirable People’s Republic of Stoke’s Croft‘.

The street is called Stoke’s Croft and is in the middle of a tug of war between a range of ‘redevelopment’ forces – council, property developers, bottom up community folk, house owners, renters, anonymous private equity property holders, winos, homeless people, squatters, shop keepers, artists and more.

The sign makes me think about communities and our perspective on them every time I pass it.

I have worked with communities ‘being developed’, communities that ‘develop themselves’, and communities that do a bit of both. Each is very different, and require different approaches and activities. On the whole, it’s probably best to have a bit of both.

That’s it.