A New Opportunity for Place Practitioners to Share Their Expertise

What will place management look like in 2035? The Institute of Place Management and the Journal of Place Management and Development are inviting experienced practitioners from across the world to help answer that question.

As the Institute of Place Management celebrates its 20th anniversary, and the Journal of Place Management and Development (JPMD) approaches its own milestone anniversary in 2028, we are inviting experienced practitioners to help shape the future of the discipline through a new series of professional perspective articles exploring ideas for the future of place management.

For two decades, IPM and JPMD have worked to connect research, policy and practice, helping to advance understanding of how places can be improved for people. We are now seeking contributions from practitioners who want to share their experience, challenge existing assumptions, and explore the opportunities and challenges that will shape places over the next decade.

We are particularly interested in contributions that:

• Draw on practical experience and professional insight.
• Explore how specific aspects of place management and development are evolving.
• Help practitioners adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities.
• Connect practice, policy and research.
• Consider lessons that may be transferable between places, sectors or countries.

The initiative forms part of a wider programme of work following the appointment of Chris Wade as Practitioner Editor of the Journal of Place Management and Development. Working alongside Editor-in-Chief Dr Nikos Ntounis and the wider editorial team, Chris will help strengthen engagement between practitioners, researchers and policymakers, ensuring that the journal continues to reflect the real-world challenges and opportunities facing places. The development of a dedicated practitioner pathway represents an important step in broadening participation in the journal and further reinforcing the Institute of Place Management’s role as a bridge between evidence, policy and practice.

Whether your expertise lies in town centres, placemaking, culture, heritage, health, housing, community engagement, governance, economic development, tourism, sustainability or another aspect of place leadership, we would welcome a conversation. Contributors will receive support from the editorial team throughout the process, including guidance on developing ideas and preparing articles for publication.

To find out more, please see the Expression of Interest document or contact:

Dr Nikos Ntounis
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Place Management and Development
N.Ntounis@mmu.ac.uk

Chris Wade
Practitioner Editor, Journal of Place Management and Development
chris.wade@people-places.net

The initiative will be formally introduced at the IPM Place Symposium 2026, where delegates will have the opportunity to learn more about the programme and explore potential ideas for contributions. Dr Nikos Ntounis, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Place Management and Development, and Chris Wade, the Journal’s recently appointed Practitioner Editor, will host a dedicated session outlining the vision for the initiative, explaining the support available to prospective authors, and discussing how practitioner insight can help shape the future development of place management research, policy and practice.