Place Forum 5: What Next for Place? Unlocking the power of place: design, data and collaboration
Imagine a future where place-based policies and practices are driven by the stories and identities that make our communities unique.
What if we could harness the power of design and creativity to forge meaningful and equitable partnerships? How can this collaborative approach lead to positive outcomes for people, the places we inhabit, and the planet itself?
These were the critical questions at the heart of the "What next for place?" conference.
This event, over one and half days, was a catalyst for advancing next practices in creating places. Practitioners and academics were invited for a collaborative exploration of these crucial themes to work together throughout the event to co-produce some suggested principles for future place-based practices.
"What next for place?" was held on the 18 and 19 September 2024 in the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow. Over the two days there were engaging talks and keynotes with valuable insights from leading experts and researchers. These opened many discussions and ideas on future thinking and ways forward from attendees and participants.
The event also included interactive walks and site visits to three areas to experience inspirational place-based projects throughout Glasgow and a workshop which considered new ways of working that can nurture place meaning, strengthen place partnerships through creativity and design for lasting benefits.
Watch our reflections of the event on Vimeo or at the bottom of this page.
Three engaging talks and keynotes: valuable insights from leading experts and researchers
Policy and practice: meanings of place
This session focused on how we nurture existing places and layer new meanings into places as they go through change. Crucial within this is to consider how our emotional relationships and attachments to place inform the type, nature, and depth of meaning possible within place.
Key question: "How can we better validate existing and nurture new meanings of place?"
Chaired by Professor Rebecca Madgin (Professor of Urban Studies and AHRC Place Programme Director, University of Glasgow)
The presenters were:
- Camilla Siggaard Andersen (Hassell Studio, Practice Leader, Landscape Architecture, London)
- Dr Charlie Ingram (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Coventry University)
- Jim MacDonald (CEO, Architecture and Design Scotland)
Partnership and processes: design-led and creative approaches
This session endeavoured to shed light on how to align policy and governance systems that involve local communities in a meaningful way. It explored how place partnerships can be supported by design-led and creative approaches and how we can evolve and maintain strong place partnerships.
Key question: "How can design-led and creative approaches help us to work in meaningful and equitable place-based partnerships?"
Chaired by Heather Claridge (Director of Design, Architecture and Design Scotland).
The presenters were:
- Professor Karina Croucher (University of Bradford Academic Lead for Bradford 2025 City of Culture)
- Sarah Shaw (Head of Planning, Glasgow City Council)
- Ian Gilzean (Head of Innovation and Digital Place, Architecture and Design Scotland)
People, place and planet: delivering positive benefits
This session delved into the critical question of how to effectively measure and value the benefits derived from place-based design and collaborative partnerships. By centering meaning, design and creativity, the session aimed to explore how positive outcomes can be achieved for people, place and the planet. Innovative approaches to quantifying and qualifying the impact of such initiatives and how these findings can inform future projects and policies were also considered.
Key question: "How might centering meaning, design, and creativity deliver positive outcomes for people, place, and planet?"
Chaired by Professor James White (Professor of Planning and Urban Design, University of Glasgow).
The presenters were:
- Professor Abi Gilmore (Professor of Cultural Policy, University of Manchester)
- Rebecca Rylott (Landscape and Urban Designer and Chair of the Landscape Institute Scotland)
- Martin McKay (CEO, Clyde Gateway)
Interactive walks and site visits: experiencing place-based programmes close up
Glasgow University Campus walk
Led by Dominic Duffy (Assistant Director, Programme Management Office, University of Glasgow) with Jennifer Russell (Town Planning Manager, University of Glasgow).
City meets campus! From masterplan to place-making. This walk explored the integrated expansion of a 21st century university, from the iconic towers of Gilmorehill to the new buildings and spaces on the campus connecting to Partick and the busy Byres Road.
Patrick to Govan waterside walk
Led by Eamonn Campbell (Principal Planner, Central Govan Action Plan & Govan Heritage) with Chris Burrows (Principal Officer, City Deal-Waterfront & West End) and Mairi Laverty (Collective Architecture).
Walkers took in both sides of the Clyde to learn about Govan’s housing and heritage led regeneration, as well as the new social and cultural corridor recently opened by the active travel bridge connecting Govan to Partick and Zaha Hadid's Riverside Museum.
Glasgow canal corridor and Claypits walk
Led by Duncan MacLean (Director, Landscape, Architecture and Urban Design, LUC) with Michael Ward (Team Manager, Planning Services - Spatial Strategy, Glasgow City Council).
The canal corridor is a hidden asset within Glasgow, home to thriving sports facilities and a creative and cultural quarter. Claypits Local Nature Reserve is an urban oasis and inner-city parkland. It is home to an array of plants, trees and wildlife, and offers spectacular views over the city.
The "What next for place?" workshop
Lead by Kevin Murray (Director, Kevin Murray Architects) the workshop considered new ways of working that can nurture place meaning, strengthen place partnerships through creativity, and design for lasting benefits.
With a focus on the benefits of taking a whole-place collaborative approach, the workshop encouraged participants to appreciate their own (and others') various roles and contributions. Participants were guided through activities and discussion to advance ‘What next?’ principles and practices for place-based thinking, planning, and doing.
Eight words to summarise the event, by Heather Claridge (Director of Design)
"To summarise what came from the event, I have listed eight words that stood out across the rich conversations, presentations, panel discussions, walks and the workshop session.
The first word is depth.
In many of the discussions, there was a strong ethos around depth: deep listening, deep rooted issues, lingering in locations to build deep connections, and deep diving into data. Discussions touched on the depth of how we approach things, the issues we look at, and the connections we have made.
Second word is complexity.
This came across in a number of different discussions; the idea of recognising and also respecting the complexity of place communities, the idea that single or cookie cutter approaches just can't work.
The third word is contested.
This word came up through the idea of embracing differences and tension points and conflicts. Recognising who is doing what with who, and who is doing what to who – that's what we need to ask ourselves.
The fourth word is time.
This word came out in lots of different ways – especially 'lack of time' as well as the value of time spent on activities, places and people. The use of short time to test ideas and experiment to create new meaning for places was discussed, as was the long-time commitment needed to actually set a chart for transformation.
The fifth word is risk.
This word was explored in the context of: appetite for risk, the risk of not involving people, the risk of trying and failing, and the balance of 'blockers' and 'unlockers' of risk.
The sixth word is connection.
We heard from panelists the idea that everything is connected: space, place, people. 'Belonging' came out a lot within the workshop, as did the connection of components: physical hard wire and components of place. On the walking tours we physically walked across connectors, and in the panel discussion we explored the idea of outcomes (health, social, environmental and economic) being connected, and the physical and emotional impacts of these connections.
The seventh word is value.
Put simply, how we value and what we give value to, came out as core points, as did the value given to a people-centred mindset, and how we humanise places and spaces for all.
The eighth and final word is joy.
This was the idea of being human, designing with creativity through the eyes of a child, and designing for all ages of the population. This event was full of optimistic discussion, hopefulness, and the understanding that creativity makes us human – creativity, care and joy.