Section 1
About the study and this guide
1.1 Background
1.2 The authors
1.3 This guide
1. Introduction
1.1 Background
The Scottish Centre for Regeneration ( SCR) in the Scottish Government, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ( RICS) Scotland and Architecture and Design Scotland ( A+DS), have worked with the University of Glasgow to deliver this good practice guide as a way of helping different stakeholders identify good practice and improve their understanding of related issues in delivering better places.
We were interested in what experience there was outside of Scotland and what we might be able to learn for adaption and/or applying here. Of particular interest to us was to understand the practical interventions and related issues involved in creating successful places. We wanted to understand better how different public bodies elsewhere had gone about the task of making places - and markets - work better, what kind of relationships they had developed with private sector interests and how they had engaged those living in or who would come to live in the places being developed or regenerated.
SCR is charged with improving knowledge and understanding by connecting people to evidence, expertise and excellence. Together with RICS and A+DS, it is working to create opportunities for learning and sharing best practice through its Mixed and Sustainable Communities Learning Network.
1.2 The authors
The guide was written by David Adams, Steve Tiesdell and George Weeks from the Department of Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow who wish to acknowledge the extensive help they received in undertaking this study from all those in the eight case study locations who contributed time, advice and information to bringing each story alive. They are also grateful for the extensive comments received on earlier drafts from a broader expert group, comprising Chris Watts Associates, David Hogg from Turner & Townsend, David Murdoch from Drivers-Jonas, Hugh Bruce Watt from Pinsent Masons, Ricardo Marini from Edinburgh Council and Stuart Gulliver from Glasgow University, together with those provided by Steven Tolson of RICS Scotland and Diarmaid Lawlor of A+DS who constituted the smaller client group.
1.3 This guide
This guide is one of a number of products published by SCR and its partners. It is intended primarily as an on-line resource for a variety of public, private and community stakeholders who have an interest in creating better places. We have structured it to enable the reader to make optimum use of hyperlinks between the main lessons set out in the summary, the core messages from the study undertaken by the authors and the 'stories' from each of the eight case study areas.
Over time, we will add to the core content by providing other case studies, making available links to other related research, publications and drawing too on practitioners' experience of delivering placemaking in Scotland.
We will also be organising a programme of events in conjunction with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ( RICS) and Architecture and Design Scotland ( A+DS) to engage with a variety of policy and practitioner interests to share the lessons and discuss their applicability to Scotland. During the autumn of 2010 we envisage this including:
- re-convening the expert group to provide further critiques and produce think pieces on specific issues highlighted in the guide
- helping different groups draw out lessons for their particular profession or sector
- engaging with specific geographic areas and initiatives who are delivering regeneration and seeking to create better places
- engaging with key Scottish Government colleagues to consider any policy implications and how government might respond to some of the message
Further information about these activities can be found at the SCR's Mixed and Sustainable Communities Learning Network.