Place is of central importance to economic development, and to promoting prosperity, well-being, and community. Our team understands the dynamics of place and has a strong track record of working with local actors across a range of high-profile projects. Our experience includes multi-disciplinary and large-scale projects covering development, delivery, and monitoring and evaluation, to ensure placemaking and regeneration deliver lasting economic and social impact.

Place based growth requires a well-developed and holistic understanding of interrelated policy areas and investments. Through investment in housing, employment space, cultural assets, infrastructure, and the public realm, regions, cities, and towns are rapidly changing, establishing new focal points for living, working, learning and social interaction. Sustainable development and regeneration provide the basis for transformational change and wide-ranging benefits, inclusive opportunity, equality, and stronger links between people and places.

Building on our economics, planning, public policy, and social research expertise, we apply data and analysis to unlock the development potential and better understand the benefits of ambitious integrated placemaking and regeneration. We offer the skills needed to inform scheme design, assess demand, market opportunity, and to consider what interventions can be delivered through procurement, construction and operational phases, to ensure the benefits of growth are realised and felt by local communities. In this context, data and objective research is increasingly at the heart of bold decision-making, where impacts and value are viewed well beyond commercial returns.

We combine economic development knowledge and capability with an inherent understanding of places, sectors and markets to offer a holistic research approach that straddles our core service areas, making use of the latest data, tools and guidance to offer fresh and innovative insights.

We regularly deploy our broad portfolio of expertise across placemaking and regeneration assignments. This includes collaboration within multidisciplinary teams and the public sector, and partnerships with technical experts, including planners, engineers, surveyors and commercial property agents, providing a more granular view of opportunity and shaping the design and specification of masterplans, strategies, policies, and projects.

• Programme and policy evaluation – developing evidence and narratives which set out how placemaking and regeneration schemes have delivered positive and lasting impact to people and businesses.
• Economic quantification intelligence forecasting – helping to set the rationale for the focus of developments and placemaking, to support viability, design and reflect local specialisation.
• Theory-based methods for impact evaluation – exploration into themes that shape development master planning and economic function, including understanding local community priorities and infrastructure needs.
• Feasibility studies and options appraisals– providing robust and up-to-date evidence to make the case for investment, including impact and value for money assessment.
• Policy and strategy development – co-creating site specific economic visions and strategies that align closely with economic development policy drivers, priorities and key growth opportunities

Our approach to placemaking and regeneration assignments balances quantitative and qualitative research methods and extensive use of established (ie Office for National Statistics) and innovative datasets, while also adhering to the highest standards of guidance and statutory requirements. As such, we have the ability to inform processes along the full development continuum, from early-stage exploratory research, detailed demand and feasibility assessments, through to the preparation of impact statements required to secure planning permissions and public sector investment.

We are able to support public and private sector clients, who are pursuing strategically important developments and regeneration schemes.

• Government – where funding is being used to unlock and deliver transformational regeneration sites of national significance.
• Regional agencies and local enterprise partnerships – which focus on schemes aimed at delivering inclusive opportunity, economic benefit and boosting competitiveness.
• Local authorities – helping councils to configure regeneration and placemaking proposals in the context of economic development and growth objectives and prevailing policy agendas.
• Private sector – working to develop a view of scheme viability, economic focus, understand impact and ensure development approaches are well integrated with environmental and social value.