In The Conversation: Why Left-Behind Places Need More Than Regeneration Funding
Professor Steve Millington, Professor of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, has contributed to a new article published by The Conversation, an international not-for-profit media platform that brings academic research and expertise to a wider public audience. Articles are written by academics and edited by professional journalists, helping to ensure that research and evidence inform public debate and policymaking.
The article was commissioned by The Conversation following the recent local elections and brings together leading academics from Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Southampton and Nottingham Trent University. Each contributor was invited to provide insight into the challenges facing different types of left-behind communities across the UK, including coastal towns, rural areas, post-industrial communities and town and city centres. Drawing on research undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University and the Institute of Place Management, as well as IPM’s experience leading the High Streets Task Force, Steve’s contribution focuses on the future of town centres and high streets. He argues that successful regeneration depends on building local capacity, strengthening partnerships and creating multifunctional places that serve communities in a variety of ways.
Rather than focusing solely on declining retail activity, Steve highlights the importance of building local capacity, strengthening partnerships and creating town centres that combine retail, health, leisure, community and public services. Evidence from IPM’s analysis of more than 700 UK locations demonstrates that towns with a more diverse mix of uses recovered more quickly following the pandemic.
The article points to examples where former retail spaces have been successfully repurposed for health, community and public services, helping to create more resilient and sustainable town centres. Steve also argues that government should move away from short-term competitive funding programmes and instead invest in long-term local capacity, skills development and place leadership.
In the article, Steve writes:
“The primary challenge isn’t a lack of commercial potential, but a deficit in local capacity.”
He goes on to argue that strong partnerships between local government, businesses and communities are the real drivers of successful place transformation, and that successful places are built through collaboration, stewardship and investment in local people.
The article reflects a growing body of research from Manchester Metropolitan University and the Institute of Place Management demonstrating that successful place transformation is driven not by one-size-fits-all solutions, but by strong local partnerships, effective governance and investment in the people and organisations that shape places every day. The findings reinforce many of the themes that underpin IPM’s work on place leadership, town centre transformation, devolution and the professionalisation of place management, highlighting the importance of local capacity, collaboration and long-term stewardship in creating thriving places.
Alongside Steve’s contribution on town centres and high streets, the article features perspectives on coastal regeneration, rural poverty and post-industrial communities from academics at the University of Cambridge, the University of Southampton and Nottingham Trent University, illustrating the diverse challenges facing places across the UK and the need for locally tailored solutions.
The full article is available on The Conversation website.
