Placemaking Framework

We differentiate activities delivered in a place with a group of people (such as those delivered as part of public and community engagement) and placemaking activities by intent and longevity – not necessarily duration.

Placemaking projects work iteratively and cumulatively to build long-term impact over time and place. They support inclusive development and create a legacy within our priority places.

We recognise there is a dynamic set of factors relevant to places that need to be taken into consideration when developing placemaking projects:

• policy (local, regional, national)
• commercial trends
• social and cultural conditions
• ambitions, priorities and needs of the consortia, communities and networks operating in our local geographies
• our own institutional interests as a specialist arts and design university.

We explore these contextual boundaries early, and review and update often, to ensure the most comprehensive evidence-based understanding of the context we are working within.

As an anchor institution within our local geographies, we have a vested, long-term interest in supporting sustainable, inclusive social and economic development.

We have both a responsibility as a social purpose-driven university and agency as a large, long-standing and well-resourced organisation to catalyse and contribute to initiatives with policy makers, commercial and industry partners, cultural and community groups and individuals that address shared goals and challenges.

Additionally, UAL has the capacity to deliver on our placemaking objectives, understanding our staff and students as societal resources and the local context as a place to test, learn and grow place-based solutions.

As a global university, we seek global impact. We work in partnership to explore which of our placemaking outputs and approaches may be transferable. We bring our innovative and operational capacity to bear on global challenges and our expertise in culture and creativity-led placemaking to place-based partnerships across regional and international contexts.

In these scenarios we recognise our responsibility and agency as an ‘outsider’ to the places and people we are working with. We take great efforts to understand and reflect this in our practices and processes.

• Regenerative place-based practices that align environmental, social and economic goals.
• Adoption of circular economy principles.
• Increased ecological literacy across creative practices, education and publics.
• Improvement in environmental equity, including access to green space and clean air.
• Cross-sector collaborations that embed regenerative values into place shaping.

• Economic and social resilience through inclusive creative economies and circular systems.
• Stronger local economies driven by creative,  social and cultural enterprise.
• Expanded career pathways for young people.
• Sustainable employment opportunities through skills development, incubation and public commissioning.
• Increased investment in inclusive, place-based innovation by public and private actors.