Places Matter programme celebrates first year of successful project delivery

May 2008 marks the first birthday of Places Matter, a major partnership programme to drive up the quality of place-making in the Northwest.

Places Matter was launched on 14 May 2007 at the Places Matter Masterclass in Manchester. Working with local, regional and national partners, Places Matter is an innovative programme of built environment activities which include the Northwest Regional Design Review Panel offering expert advice to public and private sector clients, a major research project into the economic value of good design, a schools education programme and a public realm good practice guide.

The Places Matter programme has proved a resounding success and much has already been achieved. In its first year, Places Matter has:
•    Successfully established the Northwest Design Review Panel, appointing 38 panel members from a broad spectrum of built environment professions and reviewing 53 schemes drawn from over half of the region’s local authorities;
•    Published major research into the Economic Value of Urban design, arguing that an increase of up to 20% in rental and capital value can be added through good design;
•    Launched a major programme of work to drive up the quality of public realm in the region with the publication of Creating Inspirational Spaces: A Guide to Quality Public Realm in the Northwest, supported by a series of regional events targeted at local authority officers and members;
•    Delivered a successful and popular series of Building in Context seminars in partnership with CABE and English Heritage, taking place in Blackpool, Blackburn and Wigan and reaching over 120 local authority members and officers; and,
•    Reached over 1,037 children aged between three and sixteen through Places Matter Education, collaborating with 226 teachers, 151 artists and 113 professionals, delivering built environment learning programmes and producing ten public exhibitions and five training films.

Having reached our first birthday, we are now looking to the future. Over the coming year, in addition to the activities outlined above, Places Matter is involved in a number of exciting new partnership projects with regional and national agencies. Reflecting the range of interest in the built environment these span the gamut of professional bodies, networking groups and public art agencies. Places Matter is confident that it has established itself as an authoritative, helpful and spirited voice in the region and is currently looking at an expanded three year business plan to take the programme forward.

Annie Atkins, Places Matter Programme Manager, says: ‘Year One of Places Matter has brought home the strength of commitment in the Northwest to creating memorable and distinctive developments and public spaces.  The willingness to work with the Places Matter programme across the region and across the professions indicates that our next year will involve even more interesting and challenging projects than we have seen to date.  We are delighted to be working with so many inspiring and engaging individuals and organisations.’