In his closing remarks, the Director of Environment Peter Bishop indicated that the Council had learned very useful things from the roadshow and could see an urban design strategy for the Borough emerging from it. If this was to become a reality it would validate all the efforts of the Architecture Foundation. Conclusions Public participation in design of the public realm is not easy to achieve, even with the best intentions. The Architecture Foundation Roadshow will move to Tower Hamlets in the autumn and undoubtedly the team has learned a lot from the Hammersmith experience. House to house leafleting and local press interest help but do not ensure people s involvement.
Questionnaires can serve similar purposes.
At the end, the success of the Roadshow will have to be measured in relation to achievements, which to a large extent depend on the actions taken by the Council. If Hammersmith and Fulham manage to implement at least part of the design proposals and these are seen to correspond to the community s wishes, the balance will be positive. It may not seem so, but even this modest objective is far from easy to achieve.