Two of the really encouraging and inspiring projects (of many) I’ve seen since starting our tackling vacancy work…
…are things you might take a moment to wonder how they help places reduce their headline vacancy rate and improve the mix of uses.
Both also feel like important contributions to the bigger ‘Pride in Place’ conversation that’s high profile right now.
One I first saw in Aberdeen where the Our Union Street ‘street union’ volunteers took a step beyond their valuable tidy up days to set to work making empty units look better.
In a way it’s controversial as some will argue “that’s the owners responsibility”, but it plays to one of our wider themes, that we’ll move faster and more effectively on this element of #highstreet placemaking if everyone, agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, councils, chamber, BID where there is one, work together.
Hopefully to strengthen the case, there’s feedback from this city and other places that have focused on making empty units look better – including vinyling and pop up shop projects – of how this can help speed things towards a letting.
The second is #streetart. I’ve said often I’m a big fan of this in our town and city centres and am really looking forward to a return trip to Tredegar shortly to catch up on the brilliant series underway there, drawing on its status as ‘birthplace of the NHS’.
Again this is something not directly about vacant units themselves but I think has a significant part to play because of all it does do to improve the ‘look’ of a place, attract visitors, move people around a location to see different pieces, and is – for all those frustrated by the negativity about town centres you’ll (too) often see in local social media threads – generating a big response and really positive feedback.
It’d be great to hear what place projects are inspiring you…
