CLIENT: Liverpool City Council
PROJECT: City Centre “DesigN out Crime” Masterplan
What were MAKE asked to do?
Crime in Liverpool city centre had been falling for a number of years due to an effective police strategy and partnership working, but had started to level out. MAKE were asked to lead a project to provide new ideas about how the city could further reduce crime, improve feelings of safety and provide a vision for the future of the city’s night-time economy (NTE) for decades to come.
How did MAKE do it?
MAKE brought together the widest range of interests, from planners to club owners, retailers to police, residents to visitors in the UK’s most in-depth NTE community engagement process. We asked what was working about the city’s night-time economy, what wasn’t and what might be the magic ingredients needed to create an inspiring vision for change.
A comprehensive geographical crime analysis was undertaken, mapping incidents over a year against clusters of licensed premises to uncover the relationship between venues and problems in the night-time economy.
MAKE brought in niche practitioners such as urban designers to offer physical solutions to key problem public spaces that were simply not designed for the volumes of people now using them at night.
A consensus behind MAKE’s 65 point action plan was developed though a series of high profile events where the recommendations were presented to political decision makers and budget holders who could turn the study into reality.
What happened next?
Most of the 65-point action plan has already been delivered and violent crime has seen further decreases even in an era of reduced resources where other core English cities have struggled to maintain momentum. Licensee-regulator relationships have improved and the city has been awarded and retained the coveted Purple Flag accreditation for a vibrant and safe night-time economy.
What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?
This is certainly the UK’s and probably the world’s most comprehensive masterplan for a city at night.
What did the client think?
“MAKE’s work has been one of the most important strategic interventions in the renaissance of Liverpool city centre. Without MAKE’s action plan we would not have been able to continue bringing down crime in the night-time economy. Crucially, the vision it articulated for a more diverse and inclusive ‘after dark offer’ has moved us beyond simply reducing crime, but made the city more confident in achieving the kind of night-time economy the community wants, rather than simply taking what the market offers.”
Mike Cockburn, City Centre Manager, Liverpool City Council