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Mark Davy

Founder Futurecity Placemaking agency, Exec Member Land Economic Association), RPO Advisory Panel, RSA Fellow, Member of Expert Panel for Culture (NLA), Advisor National Trust Midlands-East of England

Mark Davy: Founder and CEO of Futurecity

Mark Davy is the Founder and CEO of Futurecity, a multi-disciplinary agency focused on culture-driven placemaking.123 He founded the company in 2007 with offices in London and Cambridge.3

Futurecity creates cultural strategies, brokers cultural partnerships, and delivers major arts projects for clients across the public and private sectors.3 Under Davy's leadership, the company has produced over 125 cultural strategies, brokered over 20 cultural partnerships, and worked on over 100 artist commissions for clients across four continents.3

Davy believes that integrating art and culture at the beginning of any development project is key to unlocking the power and potential of city spaces.3 He encourages architects, engineers, landscape designers, developers, and city planners to collaborate with artists to provide a contemporary narrative for towns, cities, and urban centers.3

Some of Futurecity's prominent projects include:

  • A cultural placemaking strategy for Wembley Park
  • The BasildON cultural placemaking strategy that informed a successful £1.2m Arts Council People & Places grant application
  • Turner Prize nominee Mark Titchner's Me. How. Now. at London Bridge Station
  • Studio Swine's Infinity Blue at the Eden Project in Cornwall
  • Conrad Shawcross RA's Optic Cloak at Greenwich Peninsula3

Futurecity is also the long-standing curator of the Gallery at Foyles, bringing a program of public exhibitions to the fifth floor of central London's foremost independent bookseller.3

Highlights

Aug 19 · linkedin

Its 10 years since Futurecity completed the curation of #Slipstream by the brilliant British artist #RichardWilsonRA. It was commissioned for Heathrow by former CEO John Holland-Kaye and was installed in the #CoveredCourt, Terminal2: TheQueensTerminal. Designed by architect Luiz Fernando Vidal for #HeathrowAirport the public art work was seen as a gateway to London #CityofCulture Watch this short film by Marcus Foley founder of #Tommy that explains the work and look out for more news on one of Richard's most powerful permanent artworks. Slipstream is 70 metres long, the longest permanent #sculpture in Europe, its sinuous form twisting and turning through the atrium's columns leaving a trail or 'slipstream' of aluminium, visually a mass of abstracted form until you reach the highest point of the sculpture and see the profile of the #Edge540 stunt plane. The project was delivered by a cast of 1000's and more on them soon but a massive thank you to our client-lead at the time and all-round amazing person Victoria Green GAICD #publicart #ArtandArchitecture

Jul 27 · linkedin

Glad to have been part of the project team supporting John Lewis & Partners’s planning application in the London Borough of Bromley, which has received the green light to build homes in a ground-breaking first for the department store chain. Assael Architecture have proposed a 24-storey building (above the existing Waitrose & Partners store) with 353 energy-efficient, high-quality homes, which will be developed, owned and managed by John Lewis, and which will prioritise people living and working in #Bromley.

Futurecity developed a #PlacemakingStrategy for the scheme which will will feature new public green spaces, cafe and amenity space for local #community groups and schools, cycle and pedestrian links, and #PublicArt. The investment will see the local economy boosted by an estimated £70m in extra council tax and local spend over the first 10 years, once homes are occupied.

Katherine Russell, John Lewis Partnership’s Director of BTR, said:  “We’re delighted that the elected members have agreed with the recommendations of their planning officials and after receiving significant support from the residents of Bromley. This now gives us the opportunity to enhance the local area, create vital new housing for the local people of Bromley and deliver a state-of-the-art Waitrose, which sits at the heart of the community

Mark Davy CEO Futurecity, said "#BTR (Build to Rent) is radically different to building ‘homes to sell’. This is a chance to take a long-term view and a place-driven approach, examining the purpose of the #architecture and #landscapedesign, to offer facilities for events and activity, nurture a place that provides amenities, #culturalpartnerships, the comprehensive use of #artsandcrafts and support the social and work-lives of tenants andcontribute to #community and location"

Investment firm abrdn which is working with John Lewis on their BTR developments, said the housing would be "an anchor for town centre regeneration and wider community investment".

Related Questions

What are some of Mark Davy's most notable projects at Futurecity?
How did Mark Davy transition from art consultancy to global culture-led placemaking?
What inspired Mark Davy to establish Futurecity in 2007?
Can you provide examples of Futurecity's impact on urban regeneration in Australia?
How does Futurecity integrate art and culture into urban development projects?
Mark Davy
Mark Davy, photo 1
Mark Davy, photo 2
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Location

Greater London, England, United Kingdom