Socially Productive Places

Overview

In 2014, a paper written by the RSA in partnership with British Land stated that progress on developing socially productive places would only be made if both public and private sectors, individuals and community groups, collaborate in new ways.

Scroll forward to July 2019, a report prepared by Grosvenor suggested a significant trust deficit facing UK developers and councils. Notably, when it comes to large-scale development, just 2% of the public trust private developers to act in an honest way. Only 7% of the public trust local authorities to act in the best interests of the area.

Scroll forward to the present day, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to people reflecting on their lives and their places: where they live, work and play. Health, wellbeing, relationships, access to work, social life, and the impact on the environment. The simple fact being that if we want people’s health and wellbeing to be good, we must ensure that their environment – their place - supports this. The power of place making is to improve health and happiness and to create flourishing places. We need developers to build back better in the guise of socially productive places, not just ‘build, build, build’.

This event is supported by the Built Environment Alliance Cymru (BEAC), comprising CIAT, CIOB, CIH, CEW, ICE Wales Cymru, RICS, RSAW and RTPI.

Image credit: Design Commission for Wales.