You can find out more here about CFO’s placemaking commissions and research.
Best Practice in Community Development and Placemaking
In 2016, Cherwell District Council commissioned CFO to research a community development approach which could help ‘create self-sustaining socially active communities, where residents participate in a range of social and recreational activities at neighbourhood facilities, but also have a positive sense of belonging to the wider community’.
Subsequently, CFO was commissioned by South and Vale District Councils and Sovereign Housing Association to set out best practice recommendations for building vibrant, sustainable communities on major new housing developments. ‘Community Development and Placemaking’ summarises these research studies.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLACEMAKING - A BEST PRACTICE MODEL
Woodstock Community and Infrastructure Delivery Plan
Several new housing sites will be developed in Woodstock in coming years, with hundreds of new homes. In 2019, Woodstock Town Council and Blenheim Estate asked CFO to identify resident priorities for new or improved physical infrastructure and community infrastructure and recommend how they could be achieved.
Hundreds of people were consulted and huge range of issues, concerns and opportunities were discussed. As well as improved physical infrastructure, community needs were also prominent, such as improving peer to peer support, developing volunteering strategies, and new activities for different demographic groups.
WOODSTOCK COMMUNITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY PLAN
Rural Services Study – 2020
Oxfordshire is a rural county. It is the second least densely populated county in the South East. Despite this, our knowledge of rural life and services is limited. As a response, in 2020, CFO undertook the first Oxfordshire Rural Services Survey with rural parishes, towns and peripheral urban communities.
A special thank you must be given to the 115 parish representatives who took the time to fill out the survey – many thanks to you!
RURAL SERVICES SURVEY 2020