Place management through different lenses

The main aim of this thesis is to tackle the lack of conceptual clarity that surrounds place management, and seeks to establish place management as an interdisciplinary boundary concept that combines a variety of conceptual lenses and allows for the problematisation of the field from different theoretical approaches. Throughout the thesis, the ‘social spatialisation’ of place management via the examination of emergent and deliberate practices that shape the strategic, economic, social and political use of places is suggested. Nuanced descriptions of place and space that stem from a plethora of geographic theories are combined with the adoption of ontologically and epistemologically diverse theoretical foundations, and suggest a turn towards an engaged, pluralistic theory of the place management concept. By adopting a multi-sited ethnographic approach, coupled with the extended case method, this study seeks to understand how place management practices construct both global and local understandings of places. Reflexive accounts of the place management process, as this was observed and studied in ten UK towns, and in the squatted areas Christiania and Metelkova, are presented in the form of structural tales, and led to the development of a reflexive account of the place management process in multiple locales. Based on the detailed analysis of both empirical studies, it is argued that a reflexive, hybrid approach towards place management allows for the development of more inclusive leadership models that gain more legitimacy and accountability. Furthermore, it is shown that place management is a deeply politicised process that signifies possibilities for alternative understandings of places from conditions of spontaneity, experimentation, and political engagement. Ultimately, it is argued that practices of collective knowledge exchange, place ownership, self-organisation and self-management, can prevent the vacillation, mundanity and annihilation of the soft spaces where place management is enacted. This reflexive deliberation opens up possibilities for dialogical understanding and consensus in place management, and fosters conditions for collective and co-creative capacities for place development

Carving a place for UK Business Improvement Districts through COVID: exploring industry responses and practices during the pandemic

Purpose This study aims to explore UK Business Improvement Districts' (BIDs) responses and practices to the COVID crisis and evaluates how these influenced their organisational identity. The paper aims to highlight the possible shift in BIDs' operations that can lead to their positioning as integral facilitators of place management initiatives in their local areas. Design/methodology/approach The authors stress the confused nature of BID identity and highlight how BID activities and business plans correspond to subsequent crises through the lens of crisis management and disaster management frameworks. A mixed-methods, exploratory, sequential approach was taken, incorporating interviews and survey responses from UK BID managers in two distinct phases between October and December 2020. Findings The findings of the study suggest a greater emphasis on communication strategies and the formation of partnerships during the lockdown periods, along with a renewed understanding of a BID's role towards place leadership, resilience and public safety. Practical implications The practical implications of this work show a shift in BID business practices, programmes and services and highlight the need to establish a set of industry standards and best practices with enhanced place leadership responsibilities. Originality/value The research provides a detailed snapshot of the UK BID industry during the COVID crisis and shows the possibility for BIDs to reframe their identity as locally bound, place-based organisations that have a more direct role in place management

Impactful business events vs. publications: two sides of the same coin?

This research note offers an insightful analysis of a recent webinar featuring three editors-in-chief from distinct academic journals, specifically focusing on the theme of sustainability within the publishing industry. The webinar invited particular academics to discuss the role of business events. This article provides an in- depth look at the discourse shared during the webinar, highlighting how these leading figures articulate the role of academic publications in advancing sustainable practices. It extends to cover the diverse perspectives presented, the challenges discussed, and the strategies proposed for integrating sustainability more deeply into scholarly communication. It synthesizes the key points and thematic elements that emerged from the webinar, offering readers a comprehensive overview of the discussions and the broader implications for sustainability in academic publishing

The Value of Autonomous Rog: Culture, citizenship, participation

Often considered as an alternative to established norms within the urban context, autonomous places – and squats in particular - have long been hubs of opposition against the mainstream economic, political, cultural and social manifestations of urban life. For almost fifteen years, Autonomous Rog was an important alternative hub in the city of Ljubljana, an urban experiment with a wealth of grassroots activity ranging from activism to artistic expression, to music and parties, as well as athletic events. Throughout its existence, debates regarding the value and significance of Autonomous Rog for the city of Ljubljana emerged, attracting widespread public and media attention. However, such discussions mostly emphasise what was wrong with Autonomous Rog, or how defective and troublesome its occupation of the former bicycle factory was.Thus, the purpose of this report is to present an objective evaluation and insight of the content, activities, and the communities involved in the occupation of Autonomous Rog from its inception in 2006 until its demise earlier in 2021. The aim of this report is to illustrate that Autonomous Rog produced alternative types of value within the context of the creative city narrative that: 1) were not on offer by either institutional or private actors; 2) contributed to the recognition of the city of Ljubljana as an important creative and cultural hub; and 3) benefited the citizens of Ljubljana and marginalised groups unable to find comparable activities elsewhere. The report focuses on research conducted between 2016 and 2021 and documents the latest stages of Rog’s occupation, the governance and management structures of Autonomous Rog, the internal/ external conflicts and the legal battle of Rog users with the municipality of Ljubljana, and the development of social and spatial value from the communities of Rog within the context of the creative and cultural boom of Ljubljana. Through our analysis, we demonstrate that Autonomous Rog was one of the last providers of accessible space within the centre that was both open and affordable, and supported the cultural and creative revitalisation of Ljubljana. We posit that Autonomous Rog was a pioneer of social, cultural, leisure, and creative activities that did not fit into the entrepreneurial, for-profit narrative that resulted from the gentrification of the city. The failure to recognise the non-monetary and intangible value produced in Autonomous Rog has resulted in the current dismissal of the knowledge and social value produced there by the City of Ljubljana. The report concludes with suggestions for immediate actions regarding the future of Rog and for the continuation of progressive and inclusive programmes with a bottom- up ethos, as well as systemic actions for the preservation of remaining autonomous places in Ljubljana and elsewhere

Examining the Resilience of English High Streets during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sustainability and resilience of town centres and high streets is being constantly (re)assessed, as more information becomes available in terms of its economic, social and behavioural effects. The unprecedented challenges of the pandemic for high street businesses, such as the periodic closure of non-essential retailing activities through ‘lockdown’ periods, and the need for social distancing measures when open, have significantly impacted on business resilience. The complex operating environment of our high streets and town centres - comprised of “multitudes of actors, firms and other organisations forming diverse relationships and evolving together” (Turok, 2009:14) - necessitates such measures in order to build urban service system resilience, defined in terms of “the ability of a system to anticipate, absorb, adapt to and /or recover from a disruptive event” (Baron et al, 2014). The fuzziness and dynamism of the concept of resilience (see Meerow et al, 2016) can help explain how the post-pandemic city or town can ‘bounce-back’ or ‘bounce-forward’ (Grinberger and Felsenstein, 2014) from the current shock, building upon the technological, environmental, and socioeconomic trends that are shaping the urban environment (Couclelis, 2020). In this context, the post-pandemic high street is arguably a testbed for building adaptive capacity, based on the mix and interdependencies of existing business, the attractiveness and diversity of the locations, the systematic use of data coupled with national planning and local place management policies, and the sociocultural characteristics of local catchments (Ntounis et al, 2021; Singleton et al, 2016). Going forward, the recovery phase of post-pandemic high streets will need to build upon multiple aspects of resilience (economic, temporal, social, environmental) (Khalili et al., 2015), which are inextricably linked to the material fabric of the high street. With the impending opening of non-essential UK retail, and with services, hospitality, commercial and recreation businesses reopening in the following weeks, one of the key aspects of assessing how vulnerable English high streets still are due to the COVID-19 crisis is to examine their level of exposure to the effects of the crisis. Our research aims to showcase the level of vulnerability on English town centres and high streets, based on 1) the percentage of employment in each business sector and 2) the likelihood of businesses to navigate the COVID-19 crisis based on the perceived resilience of the industry they belong. Two data sets were constructed; the first data set presents the percentage of employment per industry sector for 743 centres across England (from the Centre for Towns), and the second data set calculates perceptions of high street business owners and managers regarding the resilience of their businesses from the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the research aim to highlight the differences between sectors and their importance for particular high streets and indicate spatio-temporal considerations that can contribute to prioritization of measures to enhance resilience based on the vulnerability of sectors within locations (Ntounis et al, 2021)

Footfall Signatures and Volumes: Towards a Classification of UK Centres

The changing nature of retail coupled with rapid technological and social developments, are posing great challenges to the attractiveness of traditional retail areas in the UK. In this paper we argue that the definitions and classifications of town centres currently adopted by UK planners and policy makers are outdated, because of their focus on retail occupancy. Instead, we propose a more dynamic definition and classification of centres, based on their activity volumes and patterns, which we obtain from footfall data. Our expectation is that adopting this activity-based approach to defining and classifying centres will radically alter the way in which they are developed and managed

Review of High Street Footfall in England: 2020-2021

Footfall is a simple indicator that tells us a lot about the nature of high streets, how they are used and how they are changing. It has been a key indicator of a town centre’s vitality and viability since the publication of Planning Policy Guidance Note 6 Town Centres and Retail Development in 1993. From footfall data from Springboard, for around 180 high streets, we have been able to draw a number of conclusions about the annual performance of high streets, during the second year of Task Force operations (from July 2020 to June 2021)

How safe is it to shop? Estimating the amount of space needed to safely social distance in various retail environments

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on towns and cities throughout the world. However, with the gradual easing of lockdown policies in most countries, the majority of non-essential retail businesses are trying their best to bounce back both economically and socially. Nevertheless, the efforts of retail traders are hampered by uncertainty regarding what capacity measures need to be taken, and there is an urgent need to understand how social distancing can be safely followed and implemented in these spaces. This paper draws from retail space allocation, crowd science, operational research and ergonomics/biomechanics to develop a method for identifying the minimum amount of space an individual needs to socially distance in shops, markets, shopping centres and open commercial spaces, when there are other people present. The area required per person is calculated for both static space (where people are seated, standing or queuing, for example) and dynamic space (where people need to walk freely). We propose our method as a step forward in understanding the very practical problem of capacity, which can hopefully allow retail spaces to operate safely, and minimise the risk of virus transmission

Bramhall: Vital and Viable Stockport District Centres

This report has been prepared following a workshop held on the 8th March 2022, attended key local stakeholders from Bramhall. Facilitated by the Institute of Place Management at the invitation of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, the event formed part a wider programme of work Stockport is undertaking to revitalise district centres in terms of post-pandemic recovery and longterm viability. This report builds, therefore, on findings collated by IPM to inform the council’s approach to supporting Stockport’s district centres