Historic England Images of England | 2004-2005

From 2004 to 2005 I participated in an ambitious project to ensure a photographic record of England's heritage sites and buildings: a visual 'Doomsday Book'.

"The List is the only official, up to date, register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England.

"The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is the only official, up to date, register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England - listed buildings, scheduled monuments, protected wrecks, registered parks and gardens, and battlefields.

"Images of England was a photographic record of every listed building in England, created as a snap shot of listed buildings at the turn of the millennium. These photographs of the exterior of listed buildings were taken by volunteers between 1999 and 2008. The project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund."

Victoria House and attached railings, 37-63 Southampton Row, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 05 September 2004.

1-7 Charrington Street (north east), Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 08 September 2004.

Indian Young Men's Christian Association, 41 Fitzroy Square, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 28 June 2005.

French's Dairy, 13 Rugby Street, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 05 September 2004. Mary Ward Centre and Attached Railings, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 05 September 2004.

Wall linking numbers 5 and 9 Tavistock Place, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 05 September 2004.

Numbers 11, 12 and 15-19 and attached railings, 11, 12 and 15-19 Fitzroy Square, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 04 August 2005.

The London Foot Hospital and attached railings, 33-40 Fitzroy Square, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 28 June 2005.

Numbers 9 and 10 attached railings, 9 and 10 Fitzroy Square, Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 04 August 2005.

 Number 15 and attached boundary walls and piers, 15 Gloucester Gate (south side), Camden Town, London. Photographed by David South, 04 August 2005.

ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5311-1052

© David South Consulting 2020 

Our London HQ is for the birds! | October 2018

Back in 2015, when we were looking for a new London headquarters, we had to think carefully about where it should be. Those who know London will know it is a city of many contrasts. The city reflects its industrial and economic legacy very well. It has parts that are very dense with population and work spaces; while other parts (basically where the wealthy live/lived), have wonderful green spaces.

As the former "workshop of the world" in the 19th century, London had also become the most polluted city in the world with horrific living conditions for its inhabitants. But as the result of highly effective campaigners over the decades, the city became a healthier place to live and also 'greener'. The air and water was cleaned up and the population gained access to clean water and modern housing and sanitation. The devastation from two world wars, combined with poverty and poor living conditions, led to London experiencing a declining population despite improvements to living conditions. This changed by the late 1990s, when a revived economy and globalisation started to push the population back up again. But with a growing population has come increasing air pollution, mostly from vehicles. 

Our work made us think very hard about how the urban environment affects human health. And we decided we didn't want to be bathed in that air pollution that had grown since the early 2000s. We also like to keep fit and encourage those we work with to do the same. So, rather than be monstrous hypocrites and locate ourselves some place that is 'trendy' but polluted and unhealthy, we set up our new HQ in a bird sanctuary surrounded by wonderful green space for excercise and long, thoughtful walks. 

But, what about our studio? That's in Iceland, a country where 100% of its energy comes from renewable sources. A stunningly beautiful place where you can swim or lounge in geothermal heated pools in both urban and rural areas. We find the atmosphere there restorative.

Some amazing people have been attracted to this location. And one of them is journalist Beth Gardiner. Her new book, Choked, tackles the very thing we were trying to reduce our exposure to: air pollution. In Choked Gardiner travels the world to see how its rapid urbanization is also coming with a 21st century air pollution crisis. Read more here: https://www.bethgardiner.com

 Pictured: NOT our HQ but we can always dream, can't we?!Well, we are almost as nice as this.

Update on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 12:07PM by David South

English not your first language? No problem. Various search engines now do translation. For example, into Mandarin Chinese.

The book on Mongolian rock and pop was published in 1999 in the Mongolian language.

Billy Bragg at Bank of England | 19 April 2018

On 19 April I had the pleasure of (briefly) meeting legendary musician Billy Bragg as he addressed the One Bank Flagship Seminar at the Bank of England, located in the financial heart of London's City, a centre of the world's economy. The topic of his seminar was accountability in the 21st century and you can read the transcript here: https://braggiesblog.wordpress.com

Or watch the livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=r6zGgR-PeO4

It was an unusual step for the Bank to take (having a popular musician address the men and women of London's financial sector) and seems to indicate a desire to open up to the outside world the inner workings of this powerful and historic financial institution (founded in 1694). Read more about the Bank of England's history here: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/about/history

Billy Bragg speaks with youth at the Bank of England.

© David South Consulting 2018

David South Consulting Scale-up | 2017

Pitch + Vision

The time has never been more urgent and propitious for our work. As we travelled the world producing content for the UN's Development Challenges, South-South Solutions e-newsletter and the groundbreaking magazine Southern Innovator, we also developed two Action Plans. One was developed in partnership with the UNOSSC to scale-up Southern Innovator magazine. Whilst that experienced significant obstacles we were only to discover as a result of various court cases (more on this here: The Strange Saga of South-South News), the other Action Plan was for scaling up David South Consulting. And that we are full steam ahead with!

David South Consulting will be structured as follows: 

1) Headquarters and domicile: London, UK.  Our mobile products are developed at the Google Campus London for Startups.

2) Global Hub: Geneva, Switzerland.

3) Data Centre: Reykjavik, Iceland. 

I will sketch out the vision further below and can give greater detail to interested partners and/or investors. In the course of working in international development since 1997 (either as a consultant or staff member), I have developed significant insights into what works and what does not. I have also worked with or met some amazing people and talents along the way. I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand the breadth and reach of the international system, visiting and working in its headquarters and sprawling 'campuses', from Geneva to Nairobi.

I have worked with some outstanding clients who in turn have shaped new thinking in the international realm. And it is time to put all that experience to good use. The world faces an epochal turning point. In the course of researching the e-newsletter and the magazine, I saw first-hand not only the scale of the challenges but also the solutions that either already exist or just need that extra push to be deployed.

Looking back on three decades of working internationally and chronicling its vicissitudes, a few things stand out: one is an ability to spot trends, another is to make strategic interventions that move things along, and finally, an ability to work ethically, and with a joy for the adventure of the journey and the amazing people you meet along the way.    

Partners

Funding Phases

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Past Work

Impact

Testimonials

Documents

We accept payments and donations here: https://www.paypal.me/davidsouthconsulting

 © David South Consulting 2017

Message from Senior Partner | David South Consulting

DS Consulting has launched this website, www.davidsouthconsulting.com, and a WordPress blog, www.davidsouthconsulting.org, to explain developments and publish content relevant to health, human development and innovation. It is structured around key practice areas and features past case studies and successes. Over the last six years, the back catalogue of previous work has also been migrated online (http://www.scribd.com/DSConsulting). This includes work rescuing Mongolia’s economy from the biggest peacetime, post-WWII economic collapse and transformative work in child health with the UK’s National Health Service.

You can catch up on my archive of case studies as well at www.davidsouthconsulting.org, and keep abreast of the many changes coming for 2016 and beyond. The case studies are a mix of inspiring stories, insight, analysis and trends: A good snapshot of a fast-changing world.

A great deal of work has gone into laying the foundations for future growth at DS Consulting at its London, UK base. The fruits of this work will become more apparent as 2016 unfolds.

Please send an email if you would like to get in touch or share a thought: mailto: davidsouthconsulting@gmail.com.

David South 

Senior Partner 

DS Consulting

Senior Partner David South at the Sydney Opera House in 2013.

© David South Consulting 2017