Placemaking

What the Land Trust believes

We believe that to create a great place, green space is a key element and it should be well integrated into developments with a clear plan to how it will be managed in the long term.

Placemaking is a collaborative approach to planning, designing and managing public spaces, in order to create places where people want to live, work, play, invest, be healthy and happy.

We know that the country needs to build more houses, but instead of just focusing on quantity, the focus needs to be on quality design, which leads to successful placemaking.

Well-designed places can:

• Promote healthy, sustainable lifestyles
• Reduce pressures and costs on public services
• Attract additional investment and create opportunities for local people and businesses
• Create a sense of belonging, identify and community cohesion, reducing crime and anti-social behaviour
• Ensure the environment is resilient to changing climates, be able to work effectively to maintain air, soil and water quality and support biodiversity.

By creating great places, which are attractive and well used, they will be valued by people and continue to deliver benefits and support communities well into the future.

What we want to achieve

We want local and national government to support a more joined up approach to land use by reflecting this approach within planning guidance and best practice. The local and national government must be responsible for ensuring that high quality places are created, with well-designed developments and integrated green spaces.

What we are doing

We are working with national and local decision makers to promote and advocate for the principle of placemaking, raising awareness of the benefits of a collaborative approach to integrated planning and the value of green spaces.

Further Reading