Guest blog by Shaun Freeman-Jones – creator of Stop in Stockport- and associate of the People & Places Partnership. The view of a local place is often defined through the lens of social media. This of course has its positives but, in many cases, has significant negatives. This guest blog provides good practice guidance on…
Tote bags and bright logos are fine. We just prefer an approach to branding that gets beneath the skin of a place to create a much deeper and broader appreciation of town revitalisation. Local pride and visitor appeal Here we look at the role of branding that gets ‘beneath the skin’ of a place as…
Discussions about place branding often focus overly on reaching potential new visitor audiences. At the People & Places Partnership, we believe that it is vital to think ‘local first’ in place branding. The starting point for brand development should be working with key local stakeholders including businesses and residents. This ‘local first’ approach to applying…
By Jekaterina Ancane & Chris Wade, The People & Places Partnership Here we consider the lessons learnt through working across many communities, to refine our approach to transforming public spaces as part of the wider revitalisation of our town and city centres. Our guiding light in this, is to try and bring local expectations and…
This policy report from University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute offers insights about the meaning, measurement and relevance of townscapes and pride in place as a focus for boosting the economic and social wellbeing of our towns and cities. This townscapes and pride in place report is a recommended read for anyone grappling with the Levelling…
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides a great opportunity to underpin the ongoing revitalisation of our town and city centres. All that is stopping this is the way the plans and supporting partnerships, are put together. With time not on the side of the lead authorities, here we share our tips on putting together a…
A guest blog by Iain Nicholson, founder of the Vacant Shops Academy A headline objective for UK Shared Prosperity Fund is that: ‘By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between…
As part of our review of monitoring pride in place changes sought through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we take a closer look here at the contribution of the retail mix and empty shops. We do this as part of providing practical guidance on using a suite of themes and indicators running across the Government’s…
In publishing the UK Walking and Cycling Index, Sustran’s aim is to support leaders of cities and towns to understand and improve “walking, wheeling and cycling” across the UK and Ireland. Coming on the back of major government announcements aimed at boosting sustainable travel, we look at the active travel trends for place leaders to…
Here we take a closer look at some of the Levelling Up Bill’s practical proposals for town and city centres. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is a key component of the Government’s wider programme to level up the country, as set out in the Levelling Up White Paper published in February 2022. The…