Perspectives

Joining the dots: Moving beyond place to solve the UK's inequality problem

10 min read

The UK has a once in a generation opportunity to help close the inequality gap.

The latest research from Mace has shown that placemaking is a powerful tool that can help to unlock huge benefits for communities across the UK – but only if we move beyond our traditional understanding of place. 

In order to do so, we need to look holistically at what drives a sense of place and the interventions that will help it to thrive.

This means considering factors like our ageing population, where people work and how they get there, along with how to create ‘community capital’ and a sense of belonging.

Mace’s Insights report, ‘Joining the dots: moving beyond place to help solve the UK’s inequality problem’, puts forward a number of solutions that could help local authorities, the NHS and developers address inequality and poor healthcare outcomes through placemaking.

The report is a clear call for politicians to keep their promises and take real steps towards addressing the needs of communities across the country.

The findings sit alongside new polling, done by Survation on behalf of Mace, which found that the majority of the country don’t trust any political party to deliver ‘good places to live’ and that 90% of people rate healthcare facilities and low crime rates as the most important factors when choosing where to live.

How can we use this information to create better places to live? How can we encourage private developers to consider place when delivering their projects? What policies do the Government need to introduce to drive the right behaviours? 

To find out more, download Mace’s Insights report. 

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