1 March 2012

'Designing Cities for Post-Riot Britain' - Dundee Arts Café event on Tuesday, 6th March

The lessons that designers can learn from last summer's riots will be explored by one of the UK's foremost experts in the use of design in crime prevention at the next Dundee Arts Café event.

Professor Mike Press, Design & Craft Programme Director at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), will discuss the topic at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum on Tuesday, 6th March.

His talk, 'Designing Cities for Post-Riot Britain' will ask how design should respond to the challenges facing our urban centres today. Should we be designing against rioting, or designing more inclusive communities?

Professor Press has written and researched widely on design as a method of preventing crime, speaking at conferences worldwide, authoring three books, and commenting on the subject on television, radio and in newspapers.

He was joint director of the Home Office-funded 'Design Against Crime' research project, and his talk will draw directly on research for government departments that examines design's contribution to crime reduction and counter terrorism, and presents a new vision for design and the city.

"Design is a very powerful tool for imagining and creating the places we want to live," he said. "But we must use it wisely and inclusively. The priority must be to use design as a means of enabling social inclusion and security."

"I will present an alternative to security-centred design by which creative thinking is used to help all people design and craft their futures in cities. I will argue that this should be a priority for us here in Dundee."

Dundee Arts Café is a programme of talks showcasing arts research and developments taking place locally. The series is organised by the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, and Dundee City Council's Leisure & Culture department.

The events enable members of the public to relax and discuss the arts, from English to History, Philosophy to Architecture, and Fine Art to Product Design, with some of the leading names carrying out work in these areas in Dundee.

The events last one hour, and speakers talk passionately about their work for 30 minutes before the floor is opened up to an informal discussion with the audience. All talks take place in The McManus Café, Albert Square, Dundee.

'Designing Cities for Post-Riot Britain'' takes place at 6pm on Tuesday, 6th March. The event is free, and open to all. Limited seating means visitors are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

For more information about the event and Dundee Arts Cafe please visit www.DundeeArtsCafe.co.uk

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277