A is for Architecture Podcast Frances Northrop and Amica Dall: Commons and cooperative practice.
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Feb 12, 2026 Amica Dall, co-founder of Assemble and writer/researcher on design, climate and community adaptation; Frances Northrop, community economic power lead at NEF and Totnes development director. They discuss Common Treasures and practical rural responses to housing, land, food systems and livelihoods. Conversations cover grassroots design, local governance, planning barriers, and how small-scale projects scale for social and ecological resilience.
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Totnes Dairy Redevelopment Story
- Frances describes redeveloping a 3.2 hectare derelict dairy into a community-led mixed-use development.
- She says it was extraordinarily hard but also one of her most joyful projects because of the people involved.
Rural Action As Hopeful Confrontation
- Common Treasures frames rural places as active sites of hopeful confrontation, not escape from crises.
- It connects small-scale, hands-on projects that address housing, land, food and livelihoods into a visible constellation of practice.
The Funding Gap Limits Collaboration
- Community-led efforts are chronically under-resourced compared with commercial development.
- That funding gap forces grassroots groups to 'build the railway while driving the train' and limits broader collaboration.
