Items appear in ‘Recommended Reads’ section
A new report published by Power to Change provides valuable insights in to the potential of community-owned businesses to take a widespread leadership role in the multi-purpose revitalisation of town and city centres. The-new-high-street-playbook gives a detailed account of “community-led regeneration in action” through sharing analysis of the many successes -and some shortcomings- of five community…
In this review we focus on the implications of the UK Government’s new Better Connected Integrated Transport Strategy for urban and rural communities. The Strategy sets the direction for a more joined-up transport network that works better for passengers, drivers and communities across England. Of course, at the People & Places Partnership, we are going…
The Streets Ahead report published by the Royal Society of Public Health seeks to provide guidance and recommendations for “building health on the high street”. As a specialised report, it is remarkably striking in the synergy it shows with wider approaches to revitalising town and city centres. The steps that the Streets Ahead report by…
This Best Practice Guide to Community Consultation and Engagement comprehensively defines the necessary standards and processes that as part of designing and delivering active travel schemes. It is probably more pitched at improving the techniques of transport planners than refining the approaches of experienced community engagement professionals. Stakeholder groups The guide defines stakeholder groups who…
This Best Practice Guide to Place Visioning was written for by Katie Norman of the Design Council for the High Streets Task Force and published in 2024. Introduction to place visioning The guide describes a place vision as a galvanising resource that describes the future aspirations for a specific location. It sets-out how it captures the…
When the House of Lords Built Environment Committee published the results of its 9-month inquiry into high streets in towns and small cities at the end of November, my immediate reaction was, “What difference will it make at street level?”. Local leadership and empowered partnerships This is not stated as a criticism of the Lords’…
At the People & Places Partnership, we pride ourselves on finding solutions to pressing problems identified by stakeholders. So great to have residents’ common calls for diversifying town centre retail, business and services, so neatly addressed in this new guide to Tackling High Street Vacancy, published as a last act of the High Streets Task…
This guidance note on governance for long-term stewardship was recently recently published by tbe Town and Country Planning Association. Although aimed at the development of new communities, this guidance note on “governance for long-term stewardship” provides good practice that is useful in retrofitting the stewardship of exising communities. The guidance note defines long-term stewardship as…
We love this review by the Institute of Place Management of the findings from High Streets Task Force engagement with partners working to improve 140 town and city centres. We love that this report about “making the most of high street investment” offers empirical evidence about the ‘how’ of town centre revitalisation and most specifically…
Community ownership alone will not reverse the fortunes of our town centres though with the right support it can have a significant role. A new Report on Unleashing Community Ownership sets-out how this is a role that can include re-using iconic buildings and creating new key attractors as part of the town centre mix. …