Client

Guidelines for cities in Spain, Portugal, England and Ireland, with examples of global best practice in place-making *

Client: EU Sustainable Promotion of Atlantic Area Project - 2005/2007

Challenge

The aim of the European Union Sustainable Promotion of Atlantic Area (SPAA) programme was to improve sustainable economic development opportunities for areas on Europe's Atlantic fringe. A practical guide was required by four European city partners working in the relatively new field of place-making under the SPAA programme (Limerick in Ireland, Ourense in Spain, Valimar in Portugal, and Chester in England). Its aim was to advise European Atlantic cities and regions - members of the Conference of Atlantic Arc Cities group - how to improve their economic competitiveness through an integrated place-making strategy.

Solution

We produced a place-making toolkit as a practical guide for cities and regions, with the following content:

• Practical tips on place-making/place-shaping
• Analysis of SPAA partners' place-making projects
• 11 examples of international good place-making practice at national, regional and city level – from Glasgow to Barcelona, New Zealand to Poland

Result

A valuable practical guide on how to improve competitiveness through place-making, with clear examples from some of the best in the world

• Improved understanding amongst SPAA partners of the critical success factors and pitfalls involved in shaping and marketing places

* Formerly known as "place-marketing", place-making, or place-shaping, is about improving the economic competitiveness, physical infrastructure and social fabric of a city, region or country, in order to increase its appeal as a place in which to live, work, study, invest in, buy from and visit.