What’s the best way to get the delivery stage of your tackling #highstreet vacancy initiative underway.
Believing so strongly in town and city centres where empty units is an issue having a positive, proactive, inclusive ‘place partnership’ on the case, it’s a question we’re often asked.
Reminded by a thoughtful recent post by our #placemaking friend Chris Wade FIPM, I thought to try answer.
The first thing would be maybe don’t start in a room, round a table. I know not everyone in this field agrees and much current practice differs, but I’d say it shouldn’t look, feel or operate like a committee.
So how then…?
Another thing I very much believe in is the value of projects. Starting people working together by doing something so it’s action-oriented (less danger of being labelled “a talking shop”) and everyone can see the objective, their role and how their skills, resources, connections etc can contribute. It always feels easier to build from there, including adding extra individuals, organisations and projects as you see the need.
Examples might be:
- setting up a community litter pick / tidy / clean up which (as Our Union Street and others are demonstrating) can include improving the look of empty units, painting utility boxes etc.;
- doing a walk-see of one of your key streets to identify things that need addressing and work out which partner(s) can best get that done;
- getting the keys (as we’ve just done for the Aberdeen Inspired-led Union Street upper floors project) and going inside an empty unit, as a team, to work out what the barriers are to getting it back into use, who future occupiers might be, what’s required to sort the issues and who needs step up.
It’d be great to hear your thoughts and if this works for you as an approach…
