IPM at the Regional Studies Association Regional Futures Conference 2025
The Regional Studies Association (RSA) brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world to explore how regions can respond to the complex challenges of economic, social, and environmental change. Its Regional Futures Conference 2025 will provide a major platform to discuss and debate regional policy, establish new collaborations, and shape future directions for research and practice.
As part of this international event, the Institute of Place Management (will lead a session entitled “Connecting Places and Regions through Effective Place Management Policy: Devolution and Hyper-Locality.” You can view the event by visiting the RSA website page and scrolling down.
Delivered as part of the strategic collaboration between IPM and the RSA, the session explores how regional policies can more effectively support place-based development by connecting strategic planning with hyper-local action. While regional and sub-regional thinking are well established, they often overlook the fine-grained governance structures needed to balance long-term strategy with community-led delivery.
Drawing on IPM’s applied research through the High Streets Task Force, the session will address:
- The scarcity of hyper-local data and its implications for place activation
- Tactical place stewardship and the role of community-led action beyond traditional regeneration frameworks
- The need for governance reforms to enable commons-led and participatory models beyond Business Improvement Districts
Featured presentations
Prof Cathy Parker MBE will open with “The Data Deficit of Localism”, examining how fragmented and misaligned secondary data limits effective town centre policy and how locally co-produced evidence can transform regeneration outcomes.
Prof Steve Millington will present “Patchwork Urbanism in the Shadow of the Region”, exploring how hyper-local placemaking contributes to regional sustainability and why this grassroots activity should be recognised as a strength within devolution frameworks.
Dr Jenny Kanellopoulou will examine “The Spatial Politics of Devolution” through a legal geography lens, considering how governance boundaries and legal frameworks shape who has the power to act in place management.
Dr Nikos Ntounis will close the session with “From Hyper-Local Solutions to Regional Visions”, outlining a new architecture for place governance that bridges community innovation with strategic regional direction.
A concluding panel discussion, “Bridging the Policy Gap Between Places and Regions”, will bring together leading academics and practitioners to reflect on how devolution, civic leadership, and data-informed policy can together drive more resilient and inclusive regional systems.
The collaboration between IPM and the RSA reflects a shared ambition to shape the future of regional policy and practice - championing evidence-based leadership, civic participation, and place stewardship as essential ingredients in building stronger, fairer, and more connected regional futures.
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.