Do Perfect Storms Call for Collaborative Solutions?

With such high imperative to deliver meaningful change within the Planning system given the perfect storm of; social/climate/economic and health crises, there are so many questions emerging…

·      If #LocalPlacePlan 'How To Guidance’ is designed to enable any number of ‘constituted’ often single issue community groups, how will that be paid for?

·      Similarly, how will that solve the issue of ‘Tribalism’ as evidenced in the Scottish Land Commissions 2019 baseline study which highlighted that, as a barrier to land value sharing?

·      If developers know how to reduce planning risks by buying in urban design place research to enable (spatial) planning applications – why wouldn’t that be necessary for local communities? And,

·      If Private developers are guilty of focusing on their, singular, red-line site boundaries, arguably at the expense of wider communities and Local Outcomes Improvement Plans aims, objectives and issues, what will make local communities not fall foul of the same lack of ‘joined-up’ thinking without an adequate Framework in Place?

We have no doubt whatsoever, based on our research, over 25 years of design and placemaking practice, and direct experience in facilitating one of Scotland’s first Local Place Frameworks, of the value a robust whole-place Framework can add in reducing risks and targeting resources. For collaborative frameworks enable multiple place plans, and they start on the basis of respecting and nurturing what's already going on in a place.

Collaborative frameworks enable multiple place plans...

#LocalPlacePlans are such a huge opportunity to make a meaningful change to the way we all collaborate across silos, across issues and in a way which makes it more likely we can create the conditions for effective (including cost effective) collaboration. Let’s hope that the emerging Scottish Government's ‘How to Guidance’ does meet that need and lead to meaningful, aspirational and affordable solutions for all. As it stands, the risks to increasing, unaffordable, poorly evidenced, tribalism - surely the polar opposite to sustainable placemaking, are clear. Or they should be to anyone interested in guiding communities through 'wicked problem solving'.