House – Public Policy Design
Blog: ‘Place’ is a driver of strategy and implementation
‘Place’ is a driver of strategy and implementation – it is not just context. Place is often simply seen as the independent backdrop, or ‘container’, for the implementation and delivery of public policies and services.
There is, of course, an increased awareness of ‘place’. Take the localism agenda for example, with the focus on neighbourhoods, even parishes and wards. And Total Place – an initiative developed by the last government which looks at a whole area approach to the funding, design and delivery of public services.
In practice, this has not led to a qualitative break with the past in terms of thinking about place. It begins to identify specific places as the backdrop for the funding of services. Does it look at place as a constituent factor in the development of public sector strategy and policy?
Take the economic perspective. The IMF have shown how physical infrastructure can increase economic growth, particularly in response to an economic shock. Take the social perspective. Ground-breaking research by Oscar Newman in 1970’s New York has demonstrated the positive impact of social housing design on behaviour. Or other findings that suggest hospital patient recovery times are faster when they have views of natural landscape.
Understanding how places work – how they have evolved, their use, their condition and their future – and responding to place-specific needs, is intertwined with the localism agenda. The challenge will be to balance the needs of the very local – at the level of the neighbourhood – with the priorities at borough and sub-regional levels. Effective consultation, engaged debate and a clear decision making framework will be required to ensure the balance is struck. We will need ‘localism not vocalism’.
April 28th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Societies and their environments are complex tapestries of infrastructure, built environment and people that have grown together over time in an either positive or negative way. The organic growth of these places has to be recognised by its local authority to implement change to bring the growth back on a positive path.