Blog

thinkingplace delighted to welcome new Associate Director

We are delighted that Ian Hassall has joined the thinkingplace team as an Associate Director. Ian is a Chartered Surveyor with considerable private and public sector experience in development, regeneration, spatial planning and place marketing. He is the former chief executive of Liverpool La...

Recovery – maybe even reset but keep it real!

In the third of our series of best practice webinars looking at how places have responded to Coronavirus in partnership with the Local Government Association, we examined the importance of having a shared forward-looking story for a place that highlighted opportunities, but that was authentic. We di...

How can Business and Education help support place recovery & reset?

Throughout the summer, thinkingplace have run a series of best practice webinars exploring how places are responding to the challenge of Coronavirus, and looking to develop a future in a very different world. We specifically wanted to examine how two vitally important sectors for place were playing ...

Recovery and reset: how can we create a confident and collaborative place?

In June we hosted a very thought-provoking webinar with the Institute of Economic Development with Martin Reeves, CEO of Coventry City Council; Tom Stannard, Corporate Director – Regeneration and Economic Growth, Wakefield Council; Corinne Day, Programme Director, Newhaven Enterprise Zone and Davi...

Coronavirus: can UK places not just recover but reset and repurpose?

We are still gripped by the most significant crisis many of us have ever experienced and it is being played out in places across the UK irrespective of size, poverty or affluence, rural or urban, connected or isolated; it is touching us all. Whilst the threat is still potent, communities are startin...

Why the North needs a narrative

It’s now six years since the then Chancellor George Osborne unveiled a new initiative for the North. The Northern Powerhouse was supposed to create a focus for investment, to redress the long-standing North-South economic imbalance. Since then the concept has waxed and waned – sometimes hi...

Why everyone wants to get sent to Coventry!

A week on from my most recent Solace (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) Masterclass I was reflecting on the ever inspirational CEO of Coventry City Council, Martin Reeves as he set out the journey that Coventry and Warwickshire have been on with their place story and place led activity. A...

Counties on the rise as UK economic drivers

They have centuries of history and tradition and often powerful local affiliation but, for a variety of reasons, counties have been overlooked as place players and important economic entities within UK plc. Cities are seen as the big hitters, as the regional centres of population and leading driv...

A new story, a new chapter for our town centres

The figures tell a powerful story. The Centre for Retail Research estimates there are around 50,000 fewer shops on our high streets than just over a decade ago. No wonder so many town centres are struggling to adjust; to find a new future. But in our work around the country we see rich opportu...

Plenty of place pizzazz at City Nation Place UK

15th May 2019 After 13 years extolling the benefits and importance of being place led, developing a distinct and shared story and truly engaging stakeholders in creating a purposeful place it was actually joyous to have a full house celebrating UK best practice in this field. This was t...