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November 28, 2018
All about place
Attended an event last week entitled Scotland’s Place Leadership Summit. A publication describing a Place Principle was launched which, not surprisingly, referenced place many times. Place based work is being heralded as the next big focus for regeneration although as many have already commented, place has long been the focus of their work. Best input of the day came from Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative (based in USA) who set out the case for fundamental system change and a radical democratising of the economy by drawing in those who are usually economically marginalised, and giving them an active stake.
The place principle
The ‘place principle’ was developed collaboratively with a range of organisations to provide a
shared context for place-based work. It was signed off by Scottish Government in February 2018
with a commitment to work in close partnership with COSLA to adopt and implement the
Principle.
A principle for taking a place-based approach
We recognise that:
Place is where people, location and resources combine to create a sense of identity and purpose, and are at the heart of addressing the needs and realising the full potential of communities. Places are shaped by the way resources, services and assets are directed and used by the people who live in and invest in them. A more joined-up, collaborative, and participative approach to services, land and buildings, across all sectors within a place, enables better outcomes for everyone and increased opportunities for people and communities to shape their own lives.
The principle requests that:
All those responsible for providing services and looking after assets in a place need to work and plan together, and with local communities, to improve the lives of people, support inclusive growth and create more successful places.
We commit to taking:
A collaborative, place based approach with a shared purpose to support a clear way forward for all services, assets and investments which will maximise the impact of their combined resources.