It’s fair to say Walsall has suffered from de-industrialisation and lately from the move to out-of-town shopping leaving the once vibrant centre a shadow of its past. Urban Hax has emerged as a focus to re-energise and catalyse economic and social cohesion by re-locating to the city centre in 2026 to the repurposed distinctive19th Century Guild Hall building and acting as a focal point for regeneration in the city providing a resource for citizens, a place for maker based small firms and a skills resource for young people. This is significant, as this type of community maker space development is not at all common in the West Midlands or the U.K. We reach out to Geoff Henderson, the CEO and founding spirit.
What is the mission of Urban Hax?
Our development reinforces the mission to “help build a thriving creative community in the Black Country”. We are developing an accessible community space for the citizens of the town based on a pragmatic approach to incremental growth. A key effort is the role of “community” and how it supports the project now and for the wider aspirations of Urban Hax.
We ground our work on large amount of volunteering work. It is a key aspect. Confidence is built up through supporting volunteers who then give insights into the services Urban Hax provides. The Council and town traders are committed to this approach. For example, Urban Hax was asked recently to set up an enterprise centre in the shopping precinct in vacant premises for supporting young people, a visible symbol for change while the wider project comes into shape.
In the same spirit, a Maker Festival was held in the summer of 2024 which attracted 5,000 visitors – a significant number of local people participating in the potential to get engaged.
What makes the organization of Urban Hax special?
In governance terms Urban Hax has an Advisory Board – with volunteers from both the public and private sector who give both strategic and hands-on support. This provides a flexible and responsive structure with the operational decision makers in the team around Geoff taking control of decisions informed by the board
Trust is a key issue. Urban Hax has built up trust over many years in Walsall and this has been critical in its new role as place maker. It is acting as a catalyst for new functions such as linking with 3rd sector organisations to jointly plan for the growth of Walsall. In pragmatic terms, it offers bureau services to other local organisations and which all helps to build and sustain the eco system in the town.
What are the constraints for Urban Hax?
Urban Hax until now has had a small and nimble team and approach in how it can proactively meet demand. It now, given new expectations and responsibilities, has to function across a range of public/private organisations so the bureaucracies are numerous and the overhead costs to service them is growing. The Guild Hall refurbishment is taking longer than planned and dealing with new and unforeseen costs are a constant factor.
What could policy makers learn from the case?
From early days we have prioritized the development of the eco system in Walsall. This means engaging with HEIs, Colleges, the 3rd sector, the public sector and private enterprise.
We feel it’s important to “prepare to experiment and fail and to then move on.”
The Head of Regeneration in the Council feels the project is a pebble in the pond with many ripples for business, physical infrastructure, the night-time economy, hobbyists and providing skills for the community particularly young people.
Lessons learnt
Passion – a project like this needs a trusted community champion with energy and staying power. Geoff feels It’s essential to surround yourself with complimentary expertise, to share the burden and figure out “how to let go”.
