1. 6+6 #asped2017 Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
Sarah Howard
Sam Paul
Virtual managers
James Dixon
Sarah May
#asped2017

2. #asped2017 An ethos of shared responsibility
Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
#asped2017
An ethos of shared responsibility
All sectors of archaeology have the same goal – the preservation of the past for the future. We talked about:
The archive storage crisis is not just a problem for curatorial and museum archaeologists.
The skills shortage is not just a problem for the commercial sector.
The potential devaluing of the discipline and profession is a problem for us all.

3. 1
Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
#asped2017
What is the relationship between archaeology & spatial planning?
© Barlett School of Planning, UCL
We felt that archaeology was
disconnected from: - The past
- The present
Not part of the future of a place…

4. 2 #asped2017 Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
Place-making
People centred approaches to spatial planning and economic development
How archaeology relates to this concept…
The WG were starting discussions – hard, but plenty to be working on to improve understanding
We need to engage with this concept!

5. 3 #asped2017 Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
When deciding what layers of history to reveal and which ones to remove, you need to get all potential stakeholders involved and engage with their ideas of what is important to them.
We heard an example where a Roman villa was excavated on the site of a former school that had been closed and then demolished. The residents did not favour the archaeological project because it was seen as destroying part of their heritage – the school. It took over 10 years to restore the relationship with the community.

6. 4 #asped2017 Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
The next few years will see massive infrastructure projects requiring 1000s of archaeologists.
But we have a shortage of skilled archaeologists, and indeed a shortage of archaeologists in general!
We voiced concerns regarding the mass training/recruitment of archaeologists proposed in the UK.
We questioned where would these archaeologists be in 15/20 years?
In the event of another period of recession they could find themselves without work.
#unsustainable

7. 5 #asped2017 Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
We have a skilled European workforce…
A better connected up Europe in terms of understanding skills gaps and shortages could help to supply skilled/ experienced archaeologists as well as graduates instead of mass recruitment and training of new archaeologists.
E.g. In Poland there is a surplus of archaeology graduates – as has happened in the UK, they are now reducing graduate numbers reflecting reduced job prospects. Instead of reducing graduate numbers in Poland which could lead to a similar shortage as seen now in the UK – could these archaeologists be encouraged to work on major UK infrastructure projects?

8. 6
Archaeology, Spatial Planning and Economic Development
#asped2017
But what about Brexit? Uncertainty regarding movement of archaeologists across the EU…
There still will be freedom of movement, esp for sectors where skills need to be brought in from other countries.
If archaeology is a genuine skills gap within the UK, what is stopping us from utilising a surplus of skilled/ experienced archaeologists and graduates from other EU countries?
Could archaeology help to re-establish ties to the rest of Europe post-Brexit?